ExifTool Installation on M3 Mac

[Hangman]

I had no issues installing and running ExifTool on an Intel Mac but having just tried to install it on an M3 Mac it won't run...

I downloaded the Full Perl Package and followed these instructions:

Full Perl Distribution

    Download the Image-ExifTool distribution from the ExifTool home page to your Desktop.
    (The file you download should be named "Image-ExifTool-12.89.tar.gz".)
    Launch the Terminal application from the Utilities folder in your Applications folder.
    In the Terminal window, type the following:

        cd ~/Desktop
        tar -xzf Image-ExifTool-12.89.tar.gz
        cd Image-ExifTool-12.89
        sudo cp -r exiftool lib /usr/local/bin

    (Note: The last step above will require you to enter your password.)

You can now run exiftool by typing "exiftool" in a Terminal window.

My Password was requested during the last step and accepted but if I type exiftool in a terminal window I just get:

Code Select Expand

zsh: command not found: exiftool
Are there some other steps I need to follow?

[Phil Harvey]

The Mac version uses a flat package as of version 12.88.  Did older versions work for you?

- Phil

Edit: Also...

1. Did the package install say it was successful?

2. After the install, does /usr/local/bin/exiftool exist?

3. Can you run "perl" from the command line?

Are there any other M3 Mac users out there that can test this?

An idea:  Did you run zsh before the install?  If so, you would need to either type "rehash" or to open an new zsh after installing exiftool or else the shell won't find it.

[Hangman]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for your reply...

What is meant by a 'flat package'?

I previously ran ExifTool on an Intel Mac under Monterey and had no issues installing or running it. I've since updated to an M3 Mac running Sonoma which is where I'm having the problem...

1. Did the package install say it was successful? - No

2. After the install, does /usr/local/bin/exiftool exist? - No

3. Can you run "perl" from the command line? - If I type 'perl -v' I see the following:

"This is perl 5, version 34, subversion 1 (v5.34.1) built for darwin-thread-multi-2level
(with 2 registered patches, see perl -V for more detail)"

4. Did you run zsh before the install? - No, just followed the installation instructions

Many thanks

[Phil Harvey]

OK.  So the install failed for some reason.   This will be difficult for me to debug since I don't have an M3 Mac or Sonoma.

The older style hierarchical package used up to ExifTool 12.87 apparently is no longer supported by MacOS Sequoia (see this topic), but should be supported by Sonoma.  Try this 12.87 package to see if it works for you.

- Phil

[Hangman]

Thanks Phil,

The Package install worked without issue so I'm back up and running again...

Many thanks for your help as always...

[Phil Harvey]

Which package install?  What changed?

- Phil

[Alan Clifford]

OK.  So the install failed for some reason.   This will be difficult for me to debug since I don't have an M3 Mac or Sonoma.

I recently got an m3 with sonoma if you want me to try stuff.

[Phil Harvey]

@Alan:  Great.  Try installing the 12.92 MacOS package version.  It will complain about an unidentified developer, but running this command first should bypass this:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ExifTool-12.92.pkg

(as mentioned in the MacOS install instructions).

After the install, open a Terminal window and run exiftool -ver

If this works and returns "12.92", great.  If it doesn't, please report any install warnings or messages you might have received.

- Phil

[Alan Clifford]

annurca:~ alan$ exiftool -ver
12.92

[Phil Harvey]

That is a relief, thanks.  I'm guessing that Hangman's problem was associated with the Apple quarantine then.

- Phil

[Alan Clifford]

That is a relief, thanks.  I'm guessing that Hangman's problem was associated with the Apple quarantine then.

- Phil

Couple of observations about xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ExifTool-12.92.pkg

I wasn't sure whether I'd need to be root for that but I tried without.

I assumed I was just passing the name to xattr but it needed to find the file.  I just changed to the directory where I'd stored ExifTool-12.92.pkg (I should have read about xattr first!).

[wywh]

Is the old exiftool .dmg disk image and its mounted .pkg and the new 12.92 .pkg installer the same as the '"flat" package'?

I have used that .dmg and recommended it to other newbies as well. The new 12.92 .pkg works OK in Sonoma 14.5 after the usual ctrl-click > Open (to bypass the security check for applications that haven't a bought a certificate from Apple).

- Matti

[Phil Harvey]

Thanks for the feedback.

The old hierarchical PKG used by 12.87 and earlier was actually a directory containing files, so it was put in a DMG so it could be downloaded as a single file.  The flat PKG used by 12.88 and later is a single file, so the DMG container isn't necessary.

The hierarchical PKG format apparently isn't supported by Sequoia.

- Phil