My Brain is a Whole Box of Hammers

[Ahr Aitch]

Hello All!

Following the instructions as I understand them, I cannot get the results I expected.  Either my expectations need educating or I need help with the instructions.

As I understand it, the ExifTool is itself a command line program; however, there is a GUI that will allow me to interface with it in a window (win 10/2004).  Proceeding from that understanding, I have downloaded and unzipped both the ExifTool and the GUI.

I also renamed the .exe file as per the instructions, "exiftool(-a -u -gl -w txt).exe".  I also preserved the unzipped .exe, "exiftool(k).exe".  When I double click the former the black command box flashes briefly on the screen then disappears.  When I click the latter I get the command window and it persists allowing me to drag a file to it; however, nothing happens after the drop.  When I double click the ExifToolGUI.exe I get an error message saying that ExifTool was not found; however, when I get an ExifToolGUI window with the folder contents - a series of  .cda files - of the folder that I dropped in the ExifTool command window.  I see the list of files but no metadata for any file when I select.  (If I could figure out how to post pics here, I'd post screenshots to further inform this post.

If anyone can point me to a wiki I can follow, or tell me what I have done wrong and need to do to correct it, please tell me.

[StarGeek]

I also renamed the .exe file as per the instructions, "exiftool(-a -u -gl -w txt).exe".  I also preserved the unzipped .exe, "exiftool(k).exe".  When I double click the former the black command box flashes briefly on the screen then disappears.

Setting up exiftool like this is a Drag & Drop situation (see ii under Running in Windows).  Drag the files you want to process onto the exiftool icon and exiftool will process the file according to the options that are in the parentheses.  In your first option, exiftool will write a text file containing the metadata for each and every file dropped onto the icon.  The window will close after it is done.  In the second case, exiftool will display all the data for any files dropped onto it.  Because the -k (-pause) option is in the parentheses, the window will stay open until Enter is pressed.

In no case are these windows interactive.  They're only there to display data.

When I double click the ExifToolGUI.exe I get an error message saying that ExifTool was not found;

As is mentioned in the sticky post in the ExiftoolGUI subforum, the ExiftoolGUI is no longer supported by it's author.  For me, it does not run at all on Windows 10.

Make sure you follow the directions under "Requirements and preparations" in the ExiftoolGUI docs.  You need to rename exiftool and place it somewhere that is in the PATH environmental variable (see How to Add to Windows PATH Environment Variable if need be).  The ExiftoolGUI docs suggest putting it in the Windows folder but these days that's not considered a good practice.

Personally, I suggest installing and using Chocolatey, which is a package installer for Windows.  All you need to do is open up a Powershell as an admin by clicking the Start button, typing PowerShell, and then right clicking the PowerShell menu line and select "Run As admin".  Then you follow the Chocolatey Install directions, which is basically copy/pasting 1 or 2 commands into the powershell.  Once Chocolatey is installed, just type
choco install exiftool
to install exiftool (Exiftool on Chocolatey page).  Chocolatey will take care of the renaming and the technical stuff like the PATH variable.

[Ahr Aitch]

Thank you, for the response.

I'm still confused.  I hope you can explain some things for me.

First, I'm beginning to believe that ExifTool is not the product for me.  I'm not a software engineer although I was a COBOL and BAL programmer more than 40 years ago.  I have since become accustomed to using a Windows GUI to use software.  I'm finding it difficult if not impossible to use ExifTool in that environment.  So, my question should, perhaps, be, "Is it possible to use ExifTool in a Windows 10 window?  If so, how, explicitly, is that done?"

The search that led me to ExifTool was to satisfy a need to manage and modify metadata in various types of files.  I know very little about metadata - no more than I've found reading wiki and online articles.  I'm yet to find a catalog of information that will tell me what metadata exists or might exist in various file types, much less what metadata can be modified and what cannot.  If you know of such a source I would be grateful for a pointer to it.

Setting up exiftool like this is a Drag & Drop situation (see ii under Running in Windows).  Drag the files you want to process onto the exiftool icon and exiftool will process the file according to the options that are in the parentheses.  In your first option, exiftool will write a text file containing the metadata for each and every file dropped onto the icon.  The window will close after it is done.  In the second case, exiftool will display all the data for any files dropped onto it.  Because the -k (-pause) option is in the parentheses, the window will stay open until Enter is pressed.

I assume that the emboldened pronoun refers to the use of the exiftool( -a  . . .  txt).exe that creates the text file.  Do I understand that correctly?

If that assumption is correct, then I infer that using the form "exiftool(-k).exe" produces display of all metadata associated with files 'dropped' into the command window.  As mentioned in my OP, this gives me the error message followed by a window that lists the files but does not show any metadata.  Is my expectation out of place?  Why do I get the error stating that exiftool is not present yet I get  window with the files listed?  My guess has been that I have failed to install the tool correctly.

In no case are these windows interactive.  They're only there to display data.

Does this mean that I cannot get an interactive window in which I can modify or remove metadata?

I shall defer other questions until I have examined the exiftoolGUI subforum.

Thanks again for the response.

[StarGeek]

"Is it possible to use ExifTool in a Windows 10 window?  If so, how, explicitly, is that done?"

It is mostly used on the command line, either through CMD or PowerShell.

The search that led me to ExifTool was to satisfy a need to manage and modify metadata in various types of files.

From the sound of it, you might want to use a program that attempts to make the complex hot mess that is metadata available in an easier to use format.  You might take a look at Adobe Bridge which lets you browse directories for images and videos and lets you add metadata to the files.  Or the next step up would be a DAM program (Digital Assets Magagement) like DigiKam or DarkTable.  All of those are free.  Adobe Lightroom would be a commercial example of a DAM (as well as digital darkroom).  There is also a more recent GUI for exiftool, hvdwolf jExifToolGUI.

I know very little about metadata - no more than I've found reading wiki and online articles.  I'm yet to find a catalog of information that will tell me what metadata exists or might exist in various file types, much less what metadata can be modified and what cannot.  If you know of such a source I would be grateful for a pointer to it.

The most comprehensive would be Exiftool's Tag Names pages.  It lists the 24,000+ tags that exiftool can read, though it can't write all of them and it doesn't have definitions for what each tag is used for.  Many tags are proprietary and their use can only be guessed at.  A more technical resource specifically for images would be the IPTC Photo Metadata Standard.

I assume that the emboldened pronoun refers to the use of the exiftool( -a  . . .  txt).exe that creates the text file.  Do I understand that correctly?

I mean the usage of putting options in the parenthesis, as per the link I listed there.

If that assumption is correct, then I infer that using the form "exiftool(-k).exe" produces display of all metadata associated with files 'dropped' into the command window.

No, as I said, onto the exiftool icon.  As an example, here I drag the icon for Test3a.jpg onto the exiftool icon


Once that window stops displaying data, the only thing you can do, other than inspect/copy/paste the text, is to close the window.  Exiftool is done running at that point.

Why do I get the error stating that exiftool is not present yet I get  window with the files listed?

exiftool(-k).exe is different than exiftool.exe.  That's why the instructions for the ExiftoolGUI specifically state that you have to rename the program and put it in someplace that the ExiftoolGUI can find.  It is looking for the renamed exiftool.