# Image Metadata Reader: EXIF, IPTC, XMP & GPS (`maliksaid/image-metadata-reader`) Actor

Read EXIF, IPTC, XMP and ICC metadata from image URLs or uploaded files: camera, lens, dates, copyright, creator, keywords, size and colour. Flags photos with GPS location and images with no rights info. GPS is left out unless you ask.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/maliksaid/image-metadata-reader.md
- **Developed by:** [Malik Said](https://apify.com/maliksaid) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, E-commerce, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 image reads

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Image Metadata Reader: EXIF, IPTC, XMP & GPS

Read the metadata of many images in one run. Give the Actor image URLs or a key-value store with uploaded image files. You get one row per image with camera details, dates, copyright, creator, keywords, size and colour information.

The Actor also flags two things for audits:

- **Privacy:** images that carry GPS location, an owner name or a camera serial number.
- **Licensing:** images that have no copyright notice, usage terms or rights URL.

### What data does it read?

| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| File | format, media type, file size, bytes read, width, height, megapixels, orientation |
| Colour | colour space, channels, bit depth, transparency, ICC profile name and colour space, DPI |
| Camera (EXIF) | make, model, lens maker and model, software, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash, exposure program, white balance, metering mode, exposure bias |
| Dates | date taken, date digitised, date modified |
| Rights (IPTC and XMP) | title, description, creator, copyright, credit, usage terms, rights URL, keywords |
| Flags | has EXIF, has IPTC, has XMP, has ICC profile, has GPS, has rights info, privacy flags |
| All tags | every readable EXIF, IPTC, XMP and ICC tag, grouped by block |

It reads JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, GIF and TIFF files.

### Why is it fast and cheap?

A JPEG keeps all its metadata at the start of the file. The Actor asks the server for the first 64 KB only. It reads more only when the metadata block is larger. A 2.5 MB photo usually costs 64 KB of download. Other formats can store metadata at the end, so they are read in full, up to the size limit you set.

### How to use it

1. Paste image URLs into **Image URLs**, one per line.
2. Or pick a key-value store with your uploaded image files. You can limit the run to some record keys.
3. Leave **Include GPS coordinates** off unless you need them. See the note below.
4. Click **Start**. Download the results as JSON, CSV or Excel.

The dataset has three views: **Overview**, **Privacy audit** and **Rights and licensing**.

### Input example

```json
{
    "imageUrls": [
        "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg"
    ],
    "includeGps": false,
    "includeAllTags": true,
    "maxItems": 100
}
```

### Output example

This row comes from the input above. The `metadata` object is shortened here.

```json
{
    "status": "ok",
    "imageUrl": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg",
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "fileBytes": 2545467,
    "bytesRead": 65536,
    "readMode": "header",
    "format": "jpeg",
    "width": 1600,
    "height": 2400,
    "megapixels": 3.84,
    "orientation": 1,
    "dpi": 300,
    "hasExif": true,
    "hasIptc": true,
    "hasXmp": true,
    "hasIccProfile": true,
    "hasGps": true,
    "hasRightsInfo": true,
    "privacyFlags": ["gps-location", "serial-number"],
    "cameraMake": "OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.",
    "cameraModel": "E-5",
    "lensMake": "Canon",
    "lensModel": "150.0 mm f/2.8",
    "software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Macintosh",
    "dateTaken": "2013-07-04T12:46:44",
    "exposureTime": "1/320",
    "fNumber": 5.6,
    "iso": 100,
    "focalLengthMm": 150,
    "flash": "Flash did not fire",
    "exposureProgram": "Aperture priority",
    "whiteBalance": "Auto",
    "meteringMode": "Pattern",
    "exposureBias": 0,
    "description": "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA",
    "creator": "Jörg Hempel",
    "copyright": "Joerg Hempel",
    "keywords": [],
    "iccProfileName": "Adobe RGB (1998)",
    "iccColorSpace": "RGB",
    "gpsLatitude": null,
    "gpsLongitude": null,
    "metadata": {
        "exif": { "Make": "OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.", "Model": "E-5", "ISO": 100, "MeteringMode": "Spot" },
        "iptc": { "Byline": "Jörg Hempel", "CopyrightNotice": "Joerg Hempel" },
        "xmp-photoshop": { "ICCProfile": "Adobe RGB (1998)" },
        "icc": { "ProfileDescription": "Adobe RGB (1998)" }
    }
}
```

The file carries GPS, so `hasGps` is true. The coordinates stay empty because **Include GPS coordinates** was off.

### GPS, personal data and lawful use

GPS coordinates in a photo can show where a person lives, works or travels. So the Actor leaves them out by default. Every row still says whether the image carries GPS (`hasGps`).

Turn on **Include GPS coordinates** only when you have a lawful reason to process location data. Examples are your own photos, your company's product photos, or a privacy audit you are allowed to run. Laws such as the GDPR treat location data about a person as personal data. You are responsible for how you use it.

Owner names and camera serial numbers are never saved. The row only flags them in `privacyFlags`, so you can find and clean those files.

Only read images you have the right to process.

### Limits and good behaviour

- The Actor reads robots.txt on every host and skips images it does not allow.
- It refuses local and private network addresses.
- It sends at most 2 requests at a time to one host and spaces them out. When a host answers HTTP 429, it pauses that host and slows down.
- Each request is capped at 60 seconds and retried at most twice.
- Files above **Maximum file size** (default 25 MB, up to 50 MB) are skipped.
- One run reads at most 10,000 images.

### Pricing

You pay per image read: $1 per 1,000 images, plus a $0.02 start fee per run. Images that fail (for example HTTP 404 or blocked by robots.txt) are saved with the reason and are not charged.

### Related Actor

Need to strip metadata, resize or convert the images after the audit? Use [Bulk Image Converter](https://apify.com/maliksaid/bulk-image-converter). It removes EXIF and GPS by default and converts to WebP, AVIF, JPEG or PNG.

### FAQ

**Does it change my images?** No. It only reads them.

**Why is a date shown without a time zone?** EXIF dates have no time zone unless the camera wrote one. The Actor adds the offset only when the file has it.

**Why does a JPEG show `readMode: header`?** The Actor read only the start of the file, where all JPEG metadata sits. That saves time and traffic.

**Can I read images behind a login?** No. Upload them to a key-value store and pick that store instead.

# Actor input Schema

## `imageUrls` (type: `array`):

Links to the images to read, one per line. JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, GIF and TIFF work. The Actor reads robots.txt on each host and skips images it does not allow. Leave empty to read only the key-value store below.

## `keyValueStoreId` (type: `string`):

Optional. Pick one of your key-value stores that holds uploaded image files. The Actor only reads this store.

## `keyValueStoreKeys` (type: `array`):

Optional. Read only these records of the store. Leave empty to read every image record in the store.

## `includeGps` (type: `boolean`):

Add latitude, longitude and altitude to each row. Off by default, because GPS can show where a person lives or was. The row always says whether the image carries GPS. Turn this on only when you have a lawful reason to process location data.

## `includeAllTags` (type: `boolean`):

Add a 'metadata' object with every readable EXIF, IPTC, XMP and ICC tag, grouped by block. Turn it off for smaller rows with the main fields only.

## `maxImageMegabytes` (type: `integer`):

Skip files larger than this. For JPEG files the Actor reads only the first 256 KB when that holds all metadata, so this limit applies to the other formats. The limit is 50 MB.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after reading this many images. The default keeps test runs short and cheap. Set 0 for no limit. One run reads at most 10,000 images.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg"
  ],
  "keyValueStoreKeys": [],
  "includeGps": false,
  "includeAllTags": true,
  "maxImageMegabytes": 25,
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `privacy` (type: `string`):

No description

## `rights` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "imageUrls": [
        "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg"
    ],
    "maxItems": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("maliksaid/image-metadata-reader").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "imageUrls": ["https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg"],
    "maxItems": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("maliksaid/image-metadata-reader").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Astragalus_alpinus_LC0319.jpg"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100
}' |
apify call maliksaid/image-metadata-reader --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,maliksaid/image-metadata-reader"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/ywz69xtJwummUTsbx/builds/eBLzMGgpkXLo9uYmL/openapi.json