Photoshop Strips Lens EXIF Data from JPG Files
I have found very little information on this topic but I can't be the only one experiencing it. There seems to be a little bit of mystery voodoo with how Photoshop handles EXIF data and after some experimenting on Windows and OS X in both CS2 and CS3, I can consistently have Photoshop destroy certain EXIF information.
Almost all photos now contain EXIF Metadata that stores information about the photograph and manufactures like Canon record their own additional fields like which lens you are using. Until recently, I had always thought it was my camera model that does not support this because the information simply does not show up in either Photoshop or Bridge. In both CS2 and CS3, the lens field is empty.
I then started shooting RAW and Photoshop recognizes what lens I used for each photo. Why would the RAW file have this information if the JPG does not?
As I prepare to add Photoshop Lightroom to my workflow, I was surprised to see that Lightroom Beta 4 does actually see and display which lens I used for each JPG photo. So now this is a Photoshop problem, and not a camera problem. I downloaded and ran EXIFTool on my photos to confirm the EXIF data was there and that Photoshop was indeed not reading it, which also results in not retaining it when saving.
Testing
- If you open a JPG file right from Photoshop. The lens data is not listed under File > File Info and it will not keep this information when resaving. The data will be lost.
- If you open a RAW file right from Photoshop. The lens data is there and everything will be fine.
- If you open a JPG file that was saved from a RAW file in Photoshop. The lens data is there and it will save again as a JPG with the lens data.
- Using Lightroom, if you take that original JPG that Photoshop has problems with and open it as a TIF file. The lens data will be there also.
The problem only happens if you open the original JPG file into Photoshop. It will not see it and once you save, that EXIF data will be gone forever. The Bridge works the exact same way and can not see the lens EXIF data in original JPG files.
Why does Photoshop and Bridge have a problem with JPG EXIF data when Photoshop Lightroom does not? I'm excited to see the new Metadata Browser in Lightroom but as of today, Photoshop is going to break that on all JPG edits that were not originally RAW files.
I do not know who to ask to explain why this happens but I have sent out a few emails and posted in a few forms looking for answers. If anything comes of that, I'll post an update.
Photos and Screenshots
I currently shoot RAW+JPG with a Canon Rebel XT and mostly use the EF 17-40 f4L lens. You can download the sample image I used here: 9MB RAW Copy | 2MB JPG Copy
JPG in Photoshop
TIF in Photoshop
JPG in Bridge
RAW in Bridge
Lightroom for both JPG and RAW.
Just one more bit of information to complicate things. A friend has the newer Canon Rebel XTi and although it has the same problems, the EXIF data is much more descriptive then the regular XT model. The lens data from his camera has the full EF description and not just the focal range. From my understanding of the Canon EXIF specs, the lens field is just a lookup value to get the actual description. How can they be different?
Caonon Rebel XTi EXIF
Update 03/10/07
This continues to be an active topic with Adobe and although no answers, here is an interesting option in the Adobe forums from David Howe.
I had someone look into this. If you open up the JPG via ACR (new feature in CS3), the data is preserved. This makes sense since LR uses the ACR code base. If you open the JPG directly in PS, the data is lost. This may not apply to all cameras, though, but definitely the Rebel.
Comments
KurtS - May 4, 2007 2:22 pm
PS CS2 preserves my EXIF data when I used "save as..." to jpg. I have been using "save for Web", and all that data was stripped out.
M.Maus - June 6, 2007 4:43 pm
Same here with CS3.
It really sucks.
Posting Pictures in a Forum with a reasonable Size AND Exif-Data is more complicated than i thougt...
Bluepeak - June 17, 2007 1:11 am
This is where Photoshop fails for serious web use.... I use Save as... to save JPGs in hi quality (this keeps the EXIF and XMP data), and then switch to ThumbsPlus (www.cerious.com) to resave the file. TPlus gives you the option to keep or strip the EXIF and XMP data. It also allows you to choose the compression settings. What is also little known is that if you use Save as.. in PS, it uses 1:1 compression, which is the best quality. In Save for web it uses 1:2 (I believe), which is a bit more efficient. Fireworks uses 2:2, which is more efficient yet. But TPlus gives you 4 options. That puts the control in our hands. Let's hope PS catches up with the web world one of these days!
Bluepeak - June 17, 2007 1:48 am
Sorry, I used the wrong terminology above. Meant to say subsampling, see also http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/jpeg-compression.html (TPlus uses slightly different subsampling values from this article, but result is the same). It actually gives you 8 options, not 4. BTW, TPlus also displays the subsampling ratio that was used to save the file with any JPG you open.
Adrius - July 25, 2007 3:50 pm
Thanks for the informative posting, its helping me tackle my EXIF data not showing up in flickr problem. My work flow includes importing raw + jpg into light room. Then exporting to jpeg, then resizing or editing in photoshop. I save the JPG regularly, and don't use 'save for web...'
According to your testing it should have saved the EXIF data with the jpg correct? Or am I confused. What should I be doing differently to preserve the EXIF data?
Stephen DesRoches - July 25, 2007 8:42 pm
Adrius: I believe your having the problem because you are exporting and then opening the jpg in photoshop (this is the point where photoshop messes up)
Try either sending the photo to photoshop from lightroom as a psd and then saving it as a jpg from there.
or after you export the image as a jpg, open it in photoshop using camera raw instead of the regular open command.
Ingo - August 8, 2007 4:28 pm
Bridge 2.1.0.100 support Lens Data also in JPG Files
http://www.myimg.de/?img=hc439db6a0.jpg
Kolin Tregaskes - December 18, 2007 4:17 pm
I tend to save my photos out into PSD format (so if I want to change the post-prod I can go back to it this way). I find the EXIF data doesn't appear in the PSD format. But if you re-open the PSD and Save As TIFF it comes back (!!) So I save all my files as TIFF then bulk convert to JPEG in ACDSee. I don't have the option in CS3 to Save As JPEG from the PSD file. Nor do I from the raw file (Nikon NEF file).
defdac - June 12, 2008 2:54 pm
I have the same problem with CS3 and Canon 40d. I always open both .jpg:s and .cr2:s with Photoshops ACR and use "Save as" instead of "Save for web" - and Photoshop till strips the lens information.
If one could find a program that reads CR2 Exif information one could copy it to the edited .jpg afterwards. Anyone knows of such a cost-free program?
Jennifer - June 25, 2008 7:36 pm
The other problem is that if you edit your photos using 16 bit color rather than 8 bit, you can ONLY use save for web to save as a jpeg - it's not an option using save as. And, when you use save for web, all the EXIF information is lost. Arghh! The only thing I can think of is to save as a PNG and then use some other program (picasa?) to save as a jpeg.
Also, the only way I've found to guarantee that the jpg looks the same when it shows up on my webpage as when it was a PSD is to use Save for Web.
Costache - September 26, 2008 3:47 pm
Lightroom 2 STILL has the same problem - the exported jpeg files do not have the lens EXIF data.