📸 EXIF & GPS Metadata Extractor

Bulk image metadata, camera details, GPS coordinates and forensic hashes — in seconds

Turn photos into clean, structured data. Add image URLs or upload a photo and get camera details, capture times, GPS coordinates, dimensions, copyright fields, raw metadata and file hashes ready for JSON, CSV, Excel or an API workflow.

No browser automation. No API key. No account on another service.

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✨ What you get

Category	Examples
📷 Camera & lens	Make, model, lens, software, serial number
⚙️ Camera settings	ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, flash, white balance
🕒 Capture time	Original, digitized and modified timestamps, timezone offset
🗺️ GPS	Latitude, longitude, altitude, direction and Google Maps link
🏙️ Address	Optional city, state, postcode and country from embedded GPS
🖼️ Image properties	Format, width, height, orientation, color space and resolution
✍️ Authorship	Artist, copyright, credit, title, description and keywords
🔐 File integrity	SHA-256 and MD5 hashes, MIME type and byte size
🧰 Advanced metadata	Complete normalized EXIF, IPTC and XMP tag object

One valid image creates one dataset item. Invalid URLs and unsupported files are written to the separate ERRORS report instead of polluting your dataset.

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🚀 Start in three steps

1. Paste direct image URLs into Image URLs, or upload one local photo.
2. Keep the defaults for a fast run, or choose raw tags, hashes and address lookup.
3. Click Start and export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel or XML.

Quick example

{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://example.com/photo-1.jpg",
    "https://example.com/photo-2.heic"
  ],
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "includeRawTags": true,
  "calculateHashes": true,
  "reverseGeocode": false
}

For the lowest cost and highest speed, leave Convert GPS coordinates to an address disabled. Coordinates and Google Maps links are still returned whenever GPS exists.

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🎯 Popular use cases

📚 Organize a photo archive

Build a searchable catalog by camera, lens, capture date, location, dimensions or copyright owner. Export the results to a spreadsheet, database or digital asset manager.

🕵️ Digital forensics and evidence intake

Capture the metadata present in submitted files and calculate SHA-256/MD5 hashes for integrity checks. Keep the original URL and final redirected URL in every record.

🗺️ Map geotagged photography

Collect embedded latitude and longitude, open each point in Google Maps, or enable address lookup for a readable location.

📰 Verify editorial assets

Review capture dates, device information, editing software, captions, creators and copyright tags before media publication.

🛍️ Audit product and marketplace images

Find inconsistent dimensions, formats, duplicated files and residual location or device metadata across large image catalogs.

🔒 Privacy review

Detect whether photos expose GPS coordinates, timestamps, device serial numbers or creator data before sharing them publicly.

🧹 Find duplicate assets

Group exact duplicate files using SHA-256 or MD5 even when filenames and URLs differ.

🤖 Automate AI and data pipelines

Send normalized photo metadata into an Apify integration, webhook, Make, Zapier, an AI agent or your own application.

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📥 Input

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
imageUrls	array	sample images	Direct public image URLs, one per line
imageFile	file	empty	Upload one local image in Apify Console
maxItems	integer	1000	Stop after this many images; 0 means the full list
maxConcurrency	integer	10	Parallel downloads; range 1–30
maxFileSizeMb	integer	25	Skip files larger than this limit
includeRawTags	boolean	true	Include all parsed EXIF/IPTC/XMP tags
calculateHashes	boolean	true	Calculate SHA-256 and MD5
reverseGeocode	boolean	false	Convert embedded GPS to a readable address
proxyConfiguration	object	off	Optional proxy for restricted image hosts

Supported inputs

• Direct http:// or https:// image URLs
• An image uploaded through the Actor input form
• JPG and JPEG
• TIFF
• PNG with embedded metadata
• WebP with embedded metadata
• HEIC, HEIF and AVIF when the metadata container is supported

The URL must return the image itself. A webpage containing an image is not a direct image URL.

Bulk input

Paste hundreds or thousands of URLs, one per line:

{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://cdn.example.com/catalog/a.jpg",
    "https://cdn.example.com/catalog/b.webp",
    "https://cdn.example.com/catalog/c.png"
  ],
  "maxItems": 0,
  "maxConcurrency": 10
}

Duplicate URLs inside the same run are automatically removed.

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📤 Output

Each successfully downloaded image produces one structured record:

{
  "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/photo.jpg",
  "finalUrl": "https://cdn.example.com/photo.jpg",
  "fileName": "photo.jpg",
  "file": {
    "format": "JPEG",
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "sizeBytes": 708769,
    "sizeMegabytes": 0.676,
    "sha256": "9134...e24a",
    "md5": "278a...542b"
  },
  "image": {
    "width": 4032,
    "height": 3024,
    "orientation": "Horizontal (normal)",
    "colorSpace": "sRGB"
  },
  "device": {
    "make": "Apple",
    "model": "iPhone 15 Pro Max",
    "lensModel": "iPhone 15 Pro Max back triple camera"
  },
  "capture": {
    "dateTimeOriginal": "2025-03-08T09:45:35.000Z",
    "timezoneOffset": "+07:00"
  },
  "camera": {
    "exposureTimeSeconds": 0.00008,
    "aperture": 1.78,
    "iso": 64,
    "focalLengthMm": 6.765
  },
  "gps": {
    "hasCoordinates": true,
    "latitude": 13.722686,
    "longitude": 100.581619,
    "altitudeMeters": 6.961,
    "googleMapsUrl": "https://www.google.com/maps?q=13.722686,100.581619"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "artist": "Example Photographer",
    "copyright": "Copyright 2026"
  },
  "rawTags": {},
  "processedAt": "2026-08-03T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Fields appear only when the source file contains them. A blank camera or GPS field usually means the image has no such embedded metadata—not that the extraction failed.

Additional run outputs

• Dataset — one clean item per successfully processed image
• SUMMARY — requested, successful and skipped counts plus success rate
• ERRORS — invalid URLs, download errors, webpages and oversized files

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🧭 GPS and address behavior

GPS coordinates are read directly from the image metadata. The Actor never estimates a location from visual content.

When coordinates exist, the result includes:

• Decimal latitude and longitude
• Altitude when recorded
• Camera direction when recorded
• GPS date and datum when recorded
• A clickable Google Maps URL

Enable reverseGeocode only when you need a readable address. Address lookup uses OpenStreetMap data and is deliberately rate-limited; coverage and precision depend on the coordinates and map data available. © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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⚡ Performance and cost tips

• Keep reverseGeocode: false for large batches.
• Keep maxConcurrency around 10 for a good speed/memory balance.
• Reduce maxFileSizeMb when processing thumbnails or web catalogs.
• Disable includeRawTags if you only need the clean, common fields.
• Disable calculateHashes only when hash-based deduplication is unnecessary.
• Use direct image URLs to avoid redirects and failed webpage downloads.
• Use a proxy only when the image host actually requires it.

The Actor uses lightweight file downloads and metadata parsing rather than a browser, keeping runs fast and economical.

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🔌 API

Start a run

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_ACTOR_ID/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "imageUrls": ["https://example.com/photo.jpg"],
    "includeRawTags": true,
    "calculateHashes": true
  }'

Run synchronously and receive results

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_ACTOR_ID/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"imageUrls":["https://example.com/photo.jpg"]}'

The same Actor can be called through JavaScript, Python, the Apify CLI, MCP, Make, Zapier or a webhook.

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❓ FAQ

Why is GPS missing?

Many social networks, messaging apps and image editors strip location metadata during upload or export. The original camera file is more likely to contain GPS.

Does the Actor identify a location from image pixels?

No. It reads embedded GPS only. This makes the result predictable and avoids costly AI inference.

Does a processed image always contain EXIF?

No. PNG screenshots, optimized web assets and edited images often have little or no EXIF. You still receive file properties, format, size and hashes.

Are errors included in the dataset?

No. Failed downloads and invalid files go to the ERRORS output so the primary dataset stays clean.

Can I process private images?

Upload a file in Apify Console, or provide a temporary signed URL that the Actor can access. Never place long-lived credentials in a public URL.

Does it change or strip metadata?

No. The Actor is read-only: it downloads, parses and reports metadata without modifying the source image.

Can it find identical photos with different names?

Yes. Exact byte-for-byte duplicates have the same SHA-256 and MD5 hashes.

What happens with an oversized file?

The file is skipped and recorded in ERRORS. Increase maxFileSizeMb if the source is trusted and the extra memory use is acceptable.

Is reverse geocoding required?

No. It is optional and off by default. GPS coordinates and a map link do not require address lookup.

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🔐 Privacy and responsible use

EXIF may reveal precise locations, device identifiers, timestamps and creator information. Process only images you are authorized to access, protect exported datasets appropriately, and follow applicable privacy, copyright and data-protection laws.

The Actor reads user-supplied public URLs or uploaded files. It does not discover private photos, bypass authentication or modify source content.

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💬 Support

If a supported image returns unexpected fields, include a reproducible public sample URL and the run ID in an Actor issue. Do not post private photographs or credentials in a public issue.

Ready to inspect your photos? Add the URLs, click Start, and download structured EXIF and GPS metadata in seconds. 🚀