Example for backup/restore Exif data

[michealspencer]

Hi all, I want to backup just the EXIF ​​data from a batch of *.JPG files to individual data files before editing the images. And then I restore the EXIF ​​data for each file from the corresponding backup. Any help? Thanks!

[StarGeek]

Just EXIF data or do you want to back up other sorts of metadata such as IPTC IIM/Legacy, XMP (which includes IPTC Core/Ext), ICC_Profile, MakerNotes, and possibly other metadata?  Remember, not all metadata in the file is EXIF data.

There are a variety of ways to do so.  For individual tags, you could save the data out as a CSV file and then re-import (see the -csv option, FAQ #12 to export, and FAQ #26 to import).  You could use a sidecar file (see Metadata Sidecar Files) and extract the complete EXIF block if that's all you want or convert to XMP data or use exiftool's MIE files.