how to preserve camera EXIF- and GPS-data in export persona [affinity photo v2]?

[marcus.fehse]

hi.

while developing some photos in affinity photo [v2.1.1/macos] unfortunately all EXIF- and GPS-information was lost, after exporting some different formats via the export persona.  yes, the „embed metadata“ checkboxes are all checked!  to preserve the EXIF- and GPS-information i had to export every slice to every format „by hand“.

is there a special setting i’m missing?  ... or is this just another BUG?

you might check the metadata of both images – one saved with export persona and one with file > export.

ober!schöne grüße,
marcus.

[walt.farrell]

When you attach a JPG file to the forum, it is modified and one modification is that metadata is removed. For us to compare your files, please zip them and provide the .zip file here.

I can say, though, that I have just tested this on Windows, and both File > Export and the Export Persona retained all EXIF information, and the exported files were identical except for date/time information.

 

[marcus.fehse]

no problem.  here we go ...

MF-dig-2023_08_05-0009_export.zip

[walt.farrell]

There is definitely EXIF and GPS data in both files, but some aspects of it look strange to me.

I'm curious about your processing workflow. Can you describe where the image originated, and what you did to it from the time you downloaded it from the camera? Specifically, what format was it, and did you use any other software before you loaded it into Photo 2, or after you exported?

[marcus.fehse]

as i wrote before: it is basically the same image exported either via export persona or file > export.  after this both exported files got their additional EXIF-data via a script using exiftool written by phil harvey.  EXIF-data of the camera and GPS-data is not touched (neither added nor deleted) by this.  it’s just used by the script to make some cryptic – or for some software hidden – info human readable like in

IPTC:Keywords

where the altitude above mean sea level, the camera direction relative to north and the gimbal pitch is noted.  any processing prior to the export should not be interesting.

[walt.farrell]

4 minutes ago, marcus.fehse said:

after this both exported files got their additional EXIF-data via a script using exiftool written by phil harvey.  EXIF-data of the camera and GPS-data is not touched (neither added nor deleted) by this.  it’s just used by the script to make some cryptic – or for some software hidden – info human readable like in

But if you're complaining that EXIF data was lost by using the Export Persona, we will need to see the exported files (zipped, please) before you modified their EXIF data using other tools.

[- S -]

The Affinity Photo Export Persona will only export metadata for the default slice.  When creating additional slices, the metadata is lost.  Is this perhaps the issue you're experiencing?

 

 

[marcus.fehse]

13 hours ago, - S - said:

The Affinity Photo Export Persona will only export metadata for the default slice.  When creating additional slices, the metadata is lost.  Is this perhaps the issue you're experiencing?

exactly.  thank you for investigating further, @- S -.  (i’ve never read this tooltip info inside export persona.  my bad.)

is there any idea or logical explanation why one would want this behaviour?

i’m often exporting my work to different sizes and formats (incl. different colour spaces) for different needs.  in most cases CAMERA- and GPS-data is not so important.  my personal info, title and subject are added afterwards via an exiftool based script.  but loosing all CAMERA- and GPS-data unintended would be no option to me.  hence: the tooltip info inside export persona tells me it’s a „feature“.  i should definitely place a feature request.

Edited August 6, 2023 by marcus.fehse
link added

[marcus.fehse]

just to explain, why other slices than the default slice could be important:

imagine one retouched a photo.  the client needs the image in full resolution and a 1:1 version for social media or a somehow cropped version for his website or a PRINT version with some margin around or ...  in my workflow i would cascade the MOTIF inside a masked group.  my default slice always points to a legacy copy of the document for coworkers who ask for .PSD-files.  the second slice would contain the CROP the next the MOTIF and so on.

my workaround for now is clipping the canvas before exporting through the default slice to different file formats needed for the MOTIF and then clipping the canvas again to the cropped version with another file format preset for the CROP and so on.  it’s much better than restoring all the lost metadata with some tool of your choice.  but it’s not as convenient as it could be.

wouldn’t it be much easier to have the metadata preserved by the raster graphics editor – as i would definitely expect?

ober!schöne grüße,

marcus.

[- S -]

4 hours ago, marcus.fehse said:

exactly.  thank you for investigating further, @- S -.  (i’ve never read this tooltip info inside export persona.  my bad.)

is there any idea or logical explanation why one would want this behaviour?

None that I can think of.  I would expect the user to be able to choose whether or not metadata is embedded for all slices, not just the default slice.

 

[DWright]

The issue of the additional created slices not having the original metadata applied to them is by design and I am not aware of any plans to introduce this into Affinity Photo.

[marcus.fehse]

3 minutes ago, DWright said:

The issue of the additional created slices not having the original metadata applied to them is by design and I am not aware of any plans to introduce this into Affinity Photo.

does „by design“ mean it’s an elaborated decision because of something unalterable?  i want to apologize for insisting but – with my little knowledge of coding – i would think the function which adds the metadata to the default slice could doubtless be called while exporting any other slice too.

[pabugeater]

In my (one) test GPS data was maintained EXCEPT for Altitude and AltitudeRef. In attached image top is original GPS metadata, bottom image is after editing in Affinity 2.5.3 FYI.