How to strip out EXIF / camera data from files

Hi, I take and sell underwater portraits and more and more people are buying the TIFF / JPG files so they can print at home / get it on canvas or whatever they choose to do with them.

What I want to do is strip out the EXIF / RAW data that has camera make / model, aperture, ISO, even down to what I did to the file in photoshop. Basically I feel this kind of stuff is giving away trade secrets and I dont want all my settings and techniques laid out bare for anyone with an EXIF-reader to see. I also want to add the ownership / copyright info, although I know it can be removed easily enough.

I've looked at Irfanview (it degrades the image too much, even when carrying out the 'lossless jpg' commands), and EXIFtool is just computer programming jargon to me. Does anyone know how to remove this info WITHOUT degrading the image?

I'm at a loss, I 've heard older versions of photoshop save jpgs without this, but I use CS4 and dont want to revert. Any ideas??!!!!

What I want to do is strip out the EXIF / RAW data that has camera make / model, aperture, ISO, even down to what I did to the file in photoshop. Basically I feel this kind of stuff is giving away trade secrets and I dont want all my settings and techniques laid out bare for anyone with an EXIF-reader to see. I also want to add the ownership / copyright info, although I know it can be removed easily enough.

Two options that I have used (use) in Photoshop and Lightroom:-

Photoshop Script StripExif downloadable from the Adobe Photoshop Scripts - Adobe Scripts EXIF tool

Jeffrey Friedl's metadata wrangler tool for Lightroom - Lightroom Exif tool

That's great, thanks Deco.

i'll give it a try...

Works a blinkin treat.

I cant tell you how long I've been trying to figure this out.

You superstar!

Thank you!!!!!!

Works a blinkin treat.

 

I cant tell you how long I've been trying to figure this out.

 

You superstar!

 

Thank you!!!!!!

 

You are most welcome. Glad it was of use.

... I feel this kind of stuff is giving away trade secrets...

I wouldn't fool yourself: there are hundreds of people out there who can work out how to take an underwater image (bearing in mind that making an educated guess about how an image is made was Howard Hall's theme in "Successful Underwater Photography"). I can see an advantage in stripping out the EXIF files as part of establishing copyright, though.

Tim

for those with only a couple to do, another no frills way to do it is to open the file in Photoshop>select all>copy>create new document (get size from clipboard)>paste>flatten>save as ... done. never tried it as an action? I use it on images from the first shoot i did with a particular camera ...when the camera was set to the wrong year...

I wouldn't fool yourself: there are hundreds of people out there who can work out how to take an underwater image (bearing in mind that making an educated guess about how an image is made was Howard Hall's theme in "Successful Underwater Photography"). I can see an advantage in stripping out the EXIF files as part of establishing copyright, though.

 

Tim

 

I'm under no illusion that what I do is beyond the grasp of mortal humans, but if you sell cakes for a living you'd make sure you didnt give them the recipe each time.

Two options that I have used (use) in Photoshop and Lightroom:-

 

Photoshop Script StripExif downloadable from the Adobe Photoshop Scripts - Adobe Scripts EXIF tool

 

Jeffrey Friedl's metadata wrangler tool for Lightroom - Lightroom Exif tool

You don't have to have Photoshop or Lightroom to do that. There are several free standalone tools to do that in bulk, like this exif data eraser.

I've looked at Irfanview (it degrades the image too much, even when carrying out the 'lossless jpg' commands), and EXIFtool is just computer programming jargon to me. Does anyone know how to remove this info WITHOUT degrading the image?

I usually strip out photographic metadata with the help of EXIFcleaner. The good that it lets to preview EXIF before deletion, and works with batches.