Missing something very basic - can't get exiftool to do anything

[intephoto2]

New user, obviously.

Trying something simple - want to remove all metadata from some images.

Mac OS - launch Terminal window, type "exiftool", program launches, I drag a folder into the terminal window and directory appears on the command line, press return...

"Pattern not found"

Also tried typing "-all"

"Pattern not found"

How to I get exiftool to do something?

Looked for documentation, but so far have only found a massive amount of available options, nothing to indicate how to use any of them.

Is there perhaps a screenshot some place of how the command line would look to simply remove all metadata from a directory of images?

(Leaving the date/time in the metadata would be great, but I'm trying to not overcomplicate my question. So far I haven't been able to do anything at all with exiftool because there's some syntax eluding me)

[intephoto2]

Have seen pages like the link below. Huge amount of examples - none of them work ("Pattern not found").

http://www.exiftool.org/exiftool_pod.html#reading_examples

There's apparently something that needs to be done in the Terminal before exiftool can do anything (switch to root directory perhaps...?)

Steps I'm taking:

• Launch Terminal window
• Prompt appears like this: new-host-2:~ user$
• I type "exiftool" and a bunch of text appears and prompt is now just a colon (":")

At that point I tried:

• Dragging a directory into the terminal window and pressing return - "Pattern not found"
• Typing "exiftool -all directory - "Pattern not found"
• Typing "-all directory" - "Pattern not found"

What's the secret to using the program?

[intephoto2]

Also tried:

exiftool -all Users/user/Pictures/project/directory

"File not found"

Although the directory structure is the same as appeared when I drag the folder into the Terminal window.

[intephoto2]

A single example of a complete command line, any command line at all (showing all the characters in the prompt and all the characters the user needs to type) using the Mac OS terminal window with Exiftool should do it I'd think.

Plenty of documentation for the commands, trick is just getting one to work in the first place.

[intephoto2]

Struggling to crack the code & get ExifTool to do something, anything at all, and thinking I may have a very fundamental misunderstanding about what the program is all about.

I have several image files, hundreds in fact, and simply need to remove metadata from them.

Can not get ExifTool to react, in any way, and wondering if the program can only work with a single file at a time, or if it can modify entire directories of files at once.

[intephoto2]

Is there a screenshot of the Mac OS Terminal window with a properly formatted ExifTool command in it someplace? (Not a description of how to do a command, but an actual screenshot including the terminal window prompt).

Thus far can not get any commands to work. Only result is "Pattern not found" or "File not found"

[intephoto2]

Finding all sorts of examples, none useful.

Another site recommended ExifTool & use the following command:

exiftool -all= SourceFile.jpg

What precedes "exiftool"? The command prompt? Root directory?

How is the path to sourcefile.jpg typed? How does ExifTool know where that file is?

Can ExifTool only change one file at a time? This example would seem to indicate that.

Obviously incredibly basic questions, but without these answers the program can not be used.

[Phil Harvey]

1) Type "exiftool" in a Termainl window then press SPACE (do not press RETURN).

2) Drag and drop the file or folder into the Terminal window.

3) Press RETURN

Code Select Expand

new-host-2:~ user$ exiftool /Users/phil/Desktop/_DSC6709.JPG
ExifTool Version Number         : 9.00
File Name                       : _DSC6709.JPG
Directory                       : /Users/phil/Desktop
File Size                       : 6.6 MB
File Modification Date/Time     : 2012:07:30 12:13:37-04:00
...

- Phil