ExifData icon

ExifData

Read and Write EXIF Data from and to Image Files

Actions5

Overview

This node allows you to repair the EXIF metadata of image files. EXIF data contains important information about images such as camera settings, timestamps, geolocation, and more. Repairing EXIF data can be useful when image files have corrupted or inconsistent metadata that may cause issues in other applications or workflows.

Common scenarios include:

  • Fixing corrupted EXIF metadata after file transfer or editing.
  • Ensuring consistent metadata for archival or cataloging purposes.
  • Preparing images for systems that rely on accurate EXIF data.

For example, if you have a batch of photos with broken or missing EXIF tags, using this node's repair operation can restore the metadata integrity without manually editing each file.

Properties

Name Meaning
Property Name The name of the binary property containing the image data (e.g., "data").
Output Property Name The name of the JSON property where the result of the EXIF repair operation will be stored (default: "exifData").
Options Collection of options:
• Read Raw: Return raw, untransformed EXIF data (boolean).
• Parse Input Fields: Parse input fields like "Keywords" or "Subject" as comma-separated lists (boolean).

Output

The node outputs JSON data under the specified output property name (default "exifData"). For the Repair operation, the output is a simple object indicating success:

{
  "success": true
}

Additionally, the node updates the binary property containing the image with the repaired file data, replacing the original binary content with the fixed version.

Dependencies

  • Requires the exiftool-vendored library to read, write, delete, and repair EXIF metadata.
  • Uses the local filesystem to temporarily store image files during processing.
  • Requires access to a writable storage path configured by n8n for temporary files.
  • Supports common image formats including JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, GIF, BMP, WEBP, and JPEG.

Troubleshooting

  • Storage Path Issues: If the node cannot find or create the required temporary storage directory, it will throw an error. Ensure the n8n instance has permission to create and write to the storage path.
  • Unsupported File Types: Files with unsupported extensions will cause errors. Confirm your input files are one of the supported image types.
  • No Binary Data Provided: The node expects binary image data in the specified property. Missing or empty binary data will cause failures.
  • Temporary File Cleanup: In case of errors, the node attempts to clean up temporary files but failures here are logged only. Persistent leftover files might require manual deletion.
  • Continue On Fail: If enabled, the node will continue processing subsequent items even if one fails, returning error details in the output.

Links and References

Discussion