Exif Jpeg header manipulation tool

Usage documentation

Things jhead can extract from an Exif jpeg file

• Time and date picture was taken
• Camera make and model
• Integral low-res Exif thumbnail
• Shutter speed
• Camera F-stop number
• Flash used (yes/no)
• Distance camera was focused at
• Focal length and calculate 35 mm equivalent focal length
• Image resolution
• GPS info, if stored in image
• IPTC header
• XMP data

• Up-right images according to rotation tag using jpegtran
• Set or relative adjust internal exif timestamps
• Fix date / time offsets in large batches of images
• Re-name or date stamp files according to exif timestamp
• Transfer exif headers between images
• Replace thumbnails inside Exif headers
• Edit jpeg comments (but not the Exif comments)
• Delete exif or comment sections from jpeg images
• Create new minimal exif header containing date and thumbnail

Because I am interested in photography, I am always curious just exactly what settings my fully automatic digital camera actually did end up using. Back in 1999, when I originally wrote jhead, I couldn't find a program that would consistently display the settings, nor one that could be compiled into a simple executable. I have since added many more features to jhead, many of them the result of suggestions or code contributions.

Though there are many programs out there now that can manipulate Exif headers today, for many tasks, jhead remains the simplest and most effective tool for the job, especially if used for automated or scripted tasks.

Sample jhead output:

File name : 0805-153933.jpg
File size : 463023 bytes
File date : .&checktime(2001,08,12,':') 21:02:04
Camera make : Canon
Camera model : Canon PowerShot S100
Date/Time : .&checktime(2001,08,05,':') 15:39:33
Resolution : 1600 x 1200
Flash used : No
Focal length : 5.4mm (35mm equivalent: 36mm)
CCD Width : 5.23mm
Exposure time: 0.100 s (1/10)
Aperture : f/2.8
Focus Dist. : 1.18m
Metering Mode: center weight
Jpeg process : Baseline

The program also has a lot of other command line options for manipulating Exif files, such as options to manipulate the date in the header, renaming image files, or coordinating running Jpegtran and Mogrify to manipulate whole directory trees of images.

Here's the program files. Just right click and save as.

For novice Linux/Unix/OS-X users: Don't forget to set the executable bit after downloading the pre-built executables. Type "chmod +x jhead" at a shell window after downloading it to do this.

As of Oct 5 2020, Jhead is on github:
https://github.com/Matthias-Wandel/jhead