Metadata Tags Explained: EXIF, GPS, and Video Tags
Plain-language meanings for the tags you see most often in photo and video metadata, with an example value for each.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
Dates and times
DateTimeOriginal
DateTimeOriginal is the EXIF tag that records when a photo was taken, by the camera’s own clock. It is the most reliable capture date in a photo.
CreateDate
CreateDate is when a photo was digitized or, in videos, when the file was created. In photos from a digital camera it usually matches DateTimeOriginal.
ModifyDate
ModifyDate records when software last changed a file. A ModifyDate later than the capture date usually means the photo was saved again.
OffsetTimeOriginal
OffsetTimeOriginal stores the time zone of DateTimeOriginal, such as +02:00, so the capture time can be converted to UTC.
CreationDate
CreationDate is the local recording time of a video, with its time zone. iPhones write it, and it is the most reliable date in their videos.
Location
GPSLatitude
GPSLatitude is the north-south part of the GPS position where a photo was taken. Together with GPSLongitude it gives the exact spot.
GPSPosition
GPSPosition is a Composite tag in which ExifTool joins latitude and longitude into one readable value. It is the quickest way to see where a photo was taken.
GPSAltitude
GPSAltitude is the height above or below sea level where a photo was taken, as measured by the device’s GPS and shown in meters.
GPSDateTime
GPSDateTime is the UTC date and time from the GPS signal when a photo was taken. It does not depend on the camera’s own clock.
GPSImgDirection
GPSImgDirection is the compass direction the camera was facing when a photo was taken, in degrees from 0 to 359, where 0 is north.
GPSCoordinates
GPSCoordinates is where videos store location: latitude, longitude, and often altitude in a single QuickTime tag, written by most phones.
Camera and exposure
Make
Make is the brand of the camera or phone that created a photo or video, such as Apple, Samsung, Canon, or Nikon, written by the device itself.
Model
Model is the exact camera or phone model that took a photo or video, such as iPhone 15 Pro or Canon EOS R6, written by the device at capture.
LensModel
LensModel names the lens that took a photo, often with its focal length and aperture. On phones it also tells you which of the cameras was used.
FNumber
FNumber is the aperture a photo was taken at, such as f/1.8 or f/8. A smaller number means a wider opening and more light.
ExposureTime
ExposureTime is the shutter speed of a photo, such as 1/120 or 2 seconds: how long the sensor gathered light for that shot.
ISO
ISO is the sensor sensitivity a photo was taken at. Higher values like 3200 point to darker conditions and usually more noise.
FocalLength
FocalLength is the actual focal length of the lens when a photo was taken, in millimeters. It shows how wide or zoomed in the shot was.
FocalLengthIn35mmFormat
FocalLengthIn35mmFormat converts a lens’s focal length to its full-frame equivalent, so fields of view can be compared across cameras.
Flash
Flash records whether the flash fired when a photo was taken, and in which mode, for example Off, Did not fire or Auto, Fired.
WhiteBalance
WhiteBalance shows whether the camera set the color balance automatically or manually when a photo was taken, which affects its colors.
ShutterCount
ShutterCount is the number of photos a camera has taken over its life. Many cameras record it in their maker notes; phones do not.
Orientation
Orientation tells software how to rotate a photo for display, for example Rotate 90 CW for a picture taken with the camera held upright.
See the tags in your own file
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