Participant

Answered

Script to remove all meta data from the photo

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
March 14, 2019
11 replies
19513 views

Hi

I am looking for a Script to remove all meta data from the photo (main issue is camera and lens info)

if i give my client a flat image with no layers, i can do it while i export from lightroom.

but i want a way to do it while i keep the layers

is there a photoshop script to do that?

Thank you in advance

Actions and scripting

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Stephen Marsh

Thanks, so pretty much the same hack as adding a new blank layer to force the dupe to work correctly. I was hoping for something magic! :]

I have it sorted now, thanks r-bin...

Now I have discovered a different issue to fix!

As previously mentioned, this can (mostly) be performed using an action, duplicating the layers to a new file. With conditional actions it can gracefully handle a flattened file.

This is performed by duplicating the layers to a new file. NOTE: Paths, alpha channels, guides, colour samplers and other document-level objects will not carry over to the new file (which may be a good thing if this is for a client, they usually don’t require your intermediate “workings”, you are just supplying a layered file if that is the requirement over a flattened file).

(action download)

I have used “relative” keyboard shortcuts to navigate and select the layers rather than “absolute” recordings.

NOTE: The updated script code has been removed for reworking...

R

Rheorraent36880730ikkc

Participant

Hello,

Removing metadata from photos, particularly camera and lens information, can be crucial for maintaining privacy or anonymity. While Lightroom offers an option to strip metadata during export, retaining layers complicates the process. Fortunately, there's a solution for Photoshop users.

You can achieve this through a script in Photoshop. However, since metadata handling varies based on file formats and Photoshop versions, you might need to tweak or combine existing scripts to fit your needs perfectly.

I recommend exploring Adobe's official scripting resources, such as the Adobe Developer Connection or Adobe Community forums, to find or request a script tailored to your requirements. Alternatively, you might consider hiring a developer proficient in Photoshop scripting to create a custom solution for you.

L

Lumigraphics

Legend

Bot bot bot bot

L

Lumigraphics

Legend

You can't remove lens and camera data with Adobe's XMP tools unless you wipe out ALL XMP data. That's not helpful. And you are likely a bot since you haven't posted the script.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

@Herey35101500twuj

This is the second time that you have supposedly posted a script, that isn't there.

If you're not a bot, please post the code.

L

Lumigraphics

Legend

I use EXIFTool. I wrote a script to run EXIFTool in Bridge and Photoshop, so its easy to do. Same issue with lens and camera data.

The EXIFTool command I use is:

-XMP-exifEX:All= -XMP-aux:All= -EXIFIFD:LensInfo= -EXIFIFD:SerialNumber= -EXIFIFD:LensModel= -XMP-xmpMM:All= -EXIF:All= -tagsfromfile @ -EXIF:ImageWidth -EXIF:ImageHeight -EXIF:XResolution -EXIF:YResolution

dublove

Legend

@Herey35101500twuj

hello

Where is your updated version?

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

@Herey35101500twuj

There's no script

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Update – A Bridge solution here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/bridge-discussions/difficulty-removing-metadata-even-when-doing-a-replace-with-a-different-metadata-template/td-p/13309463

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

mo54891077 I’m curious, has your issue been resolved, is there any feedback etc? If resolved, can you mark the appropriate answer as correct so that others with the same issue know of the fix?

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I would like to offer a different brute force approach to removing non-XMP metadata such as EXIF – which is a script to “rebuild” a copy of the original layered file without the original document-level metadata.

~~And here is the “final” scripted version which offers more possibilities than the action method:~~

NOTE: The original script code has been removed for reworking...

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I thought that the script that I cobbled together from various sources was "bullet-proof", however, I have just found a flaw.

Using the Layer > Duplicate Layer feature to move layer content to a new file to avoid copying common file related metadata works fine for a flattened or multi-layered file... I just tested again and a single layer file has issues, whether using the GUI or a script!

If the layer is a single layer, it is flattened when duplicated to a new file. This is not too much of a problem if the original layer did not have any canvas transparency, however, I'd like to retain transparency and layer content positioning to the original image/canvas.

It is possible to add a temp blank layer to such a single layer file and then select all layers and dupe, however I would then need to remove the temp from both the new file and the original. Surely there is a better way?

Can anybody offer code and or advice?

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

It's a bit inconvenient to generate new documents. We still need to save it separately.

Can we not generate a new document?

I want to keep operating on the original document.

It's a bit inconvenient to generate new documents. We still need to save it separately.

Duplicating all layers to a new file is a hack, but a very good one, if one wishes to remove all document-level metadata using Photoshop.

Can we not generate a new document?

I want to keep operating on the original document.

By @dublove

No. You appear to have missed the point of why the layers are duped to a new doc.

If the document is the same, then the metadata is the same, so you have to find a way to remove the document-level metadata! This is why the layers are duped, layers don't contain document-level metadata.

It would be best for you to work out and script what metadata you can safely remove using Adobe's XMP (I'm pretty sure the EXIF and possibly others can't be removed, therefore all metadata can't be removed, which is why this can't be performed solely with metadata scripting)... Or you can use a 3rd party tool such as ExifTool which can remove all metadata at the document-level.

Perhaps with the new UXP scripting environment, there is a way to remove more metadata that isn't available to ExtendScript based scripts.

There are legacy scripts for Photoshop and Bridge to allow you to run ExifTool code if you don't want to use the command line or another operating system-based method to call ExifTool.

SuperMerlin

Inspiring

#target photoshop
removeXMP();
function removeXMP(){
if(!documents.length) return;
if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");
var xmp = new XMPMeta( activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData);
XMPUtils.removeProperties(xmp, "", "", XMPConst.REMOVE_ALL_PROPERTIES);
app.activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData = xmp.serialize();
}

JJMack

Community Expert

I believe after you strip the metadata you still need to save over the original file to remove it from the files. If you want to strip it from the raw files you man need to use the bridge or some utility application to strip metadata from raw files. I do not use LR so I do not know what it can do or if it supports scripting.

With Photoshop and his script you could set up an open event handler to strip meda.

JJMack

Show more replies

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded