complete beginner trying to use Exiftool using Mac OSX

[Archive]

[Originally posted by ellie on 2008-09-11 02:56:05-07]

I know v. little about using the Terminal and nothing of Perl (am a photographer) but need to a way to extract metadata from my photo files for a file rename in a tethered automated workflow I've created in  Automator and Applescript (which processes the files but has to use generic names in order to do so). I need to extract the metadata for the photo files to rename them back from their generic names at the end of the workflow.

Can Anyone help me to get started? I can't find the level of functionality in anything other than exiftool. File format I shoot is Nikon NEF"S and JPGS simultaneously.

I am very confused about what exactly I type into the Terminal.
From these forums it seems that there is some issue with where Exiftool should be located?
Also unclear how a file path is referenced . Having difficulty understanding the documentation on the website to reference what should be done. (assume this is due to my utter ignorance of Perl...) Any help or advice on this specific issue or simply best way to educate myself here would be much appreciated.

[Archive]

[Originally posted by exiftool on 2008-09-11 10:50:52-07]

You don't need to know Perl to be able to run exiftool, but
you do need to know how to use the Terminal.  If you install
the Mac OS X package, there is no issue about where exiftool
is located -- the only problem is that the Unix installation puts
it in a different location, so if you mix packages you can run
into version problems.

But since you are doing this in AppleScript, you may be able to
bypass the Terminal entirely and start from one of the AppleScript
droplet examples that you can download from the ExifTool home
page.  Take a look at the droplets that extract information -- maybe
they will get you started.

- Phil

[Archive]

[Originally posted by ellie on 2008-09-12 20:54:42-07]

Thanks Phil.
I've now got it working in MetaData Mover (which renames w. a description I added earlier). I'll try it in the Terminal sometime
when I'm ready to brace myself for the steeper learning curve but for now think this droplet will do the trick.