Question: how to copy ThumbnailImage and PreviewImage

Started by herb, August 31, 2010, 12:44:48 PM

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herb

Hello,

working with ExifTool 8.29 I try to backup all tags of an image file p1.jpg and to copy them back again.
The image was taken by an Olympus camera and it contains both a thumbnailimage and also a previewimage.
I did a backup of all tags (inclusive ThumbnailImage and PreviewImage) into a MIE file.

I use the following sequence of commands
   exiftool -tagsfromfile p1.jpg -All:all -ThumbnailImage -PreviewImage p1.mie
  exiftool -All=- p1.jpg
  exiftool -tagsfromfile p1.mie -All:all -ThumbnailImage -PreviewImage p1.jpg


After the copy back I miss the PreviewImage inside the p1.jpg image file.
The p1.mie file contains the previewimage, because e.g. I can extract it.

What do I wrong?
Does it depend on the so called unsafe tags, which are not copied?

In case of only deleting the PreviewImage inside the p1.jpg file, it is possible to copy
the PreviewImage back from the p1.mie file into the p1.jpg file.

Maybe this could be helpful:
The Makernotes (Olympus) of the original p1.jpg file show the PreviewImage as valid.
But the p1.mie shows it as invalid.

Best regards
Herb

Phil Harvey

Hi Herb,

The PreviewImage must be copied in a separate step.  Preview images are tricky, and there is some special logic which makes this necessary.

- Phil
...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

herb

Hello,

thanks for this important hint.
I followed your rule and did the copy within 2 steps.
It is working fine.

Thanks again and
best regards
Herb