The manufacturer of the camera (or developer of processing software) defines the tags written into the metadata, and is often dependant on the camera features or intended uses (e.g. One of the first things I want to highlight is the variation in amount of metadata written into the image files 58 tags for the Fusion compared to 110 tags for the Z1. …but remember, manufactures don’t need to write all of them (or any of them). We also know it was taken above sea level because of the EXIF tags GPS Altitude = 467.03 and GPS Altitude Ref = Above Sea Level jpg where 16.6 megapixels is the maximum resolution possible. raw files at 18 megapixels, but this example was stitched as a.
The image resolution is Full Pano Width Pixels = 5760 x Full Pano Height Pixels = 2880, or 16.6 megapixels.
You (and other software tools) can identify this photograph is 360 because it is defined by XMP tag Projection Type = equirectangular.
For example, ApolloOne is popular app amongst Mac users. If you’re not comfortable with the command line, there is lots of software that will show this information graphically. $ exiftool -X -xmp:ProjectionType MULTISHOT_8302_000052.jpg > MULTISHOT_8302_000052_xmp_projectiontype_metadata.txt
Pro tip: EXIF Tool users, you can filter the metadata type and fields to be included in the response. Please contact if you want to use this photograph commercially.Ģ8 deg 21' 0.60' N, 16 deg 54' 13.88' W jpg image from a GoPro Fusion, the camera used on the Trek Pack v1: The full output is linked below each snippet should you want to take a deeper look.įirst, let’s take a look at the. Where I’ve deleted part of the output you’ll see a. There is a significant amount of data contained in the metadata of a photos, for this post I’ve only included the data relevant to highlight the EXIF and XMP data. I’m going to be using the open-source EXIF tool to extract metadata.
Let’s get our hands dirty and take a look at the metadata of a stitched photo from a GoPro Fusion and Ricoh Theta Z1 (thanks, Brian Redmond!).
Similarly, almost all software that can load a 360-photo understands XMP Photo Sphere metadata.īy using a single standard, XMP (it is an ISO standard), it’s much easier for developers to build software for viewing 360 images ([check out this pages from the Facebook 360 team that illustrates why standards in 360 files are important). In the world of 360 photography, most cameras and 360-generation tools include XMP Photo Spherical metadata in saved photos.
It’s important to note, a photo file can contain more than one type of metadata like EXIF and XMP. XMP allows manufacturers to be much more descriptive about the metadata they store for an image over EXIF alone. 360 images), XMP came along to fill in the gaps not covered by the EXIF data fields. The real advantage of EXIF data is that can be universally recognised and understood by 99.9% of software tools.Īs digital photography progressed, and cameras added new features and functions (e.g. The field names are already defined and manufacturers must conform to them. Unlike EXIF, it is not as widely used – manufacturers can decide if they want to include XMP data.ĮXIF is an older format and is more limited in what it can store. Extensible Metadata Platform: a more recent format, developed by Adobe.All images captured with a digital camera typically contain some amount of EXIF data. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File): the “gold standard” of image metadata.Two of the most commonly used formats by camera manufacturers are: There are many different formats and standards of metadata in the world of photography. Metadata is any data that helps describe the content or characteristics of a file.įor image and video files, embedded metadata provides more information about the file, for example the camera model used to take the photo. I’ve talked previously about having to manually stitch GPS tracks into photos taken underwater (because GPS does not work below the surface) and about manually calculating (estimating) the direction the camera was facing in a time lapse capture when it is not recorded by the camera.īut where and how is this information stored? Metadata, EXIF, or XMP? It is this data that makes your photo library easier to browse, events are automatically grouped, and exposures auto corrected.
This data often contains location, camera model, lens type, and general information about how the image was taken. Every photo you take, on any camera, is likely filled with metadata. Well that sounds boring, but it is actually very cool. Here’s why it’s important for outdoor 360 street-level photography. Every photo you take is filled with metadata.