CreatorTool: What This Metadata Tag Means
CreatorTool is the XMP field that names the application that created or last saved a file, often an Adobe program such as Lightroom.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
What it means
XMP is the metadata format used by Adobe and many other editors. CreatorTool records the program name and version, for example Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.0 (Windows).
Example
- Tag
- CreatorTool
- Group in ExifMeta
- XMP
- Example value
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.0 (Windows)
This is how the tag appears in ExifMeta’s results. The value in your file will differ.
Typical values
Values name a program and its version, for example Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.0 (Windows) or Adobe Photoshop 25.0 (Macintosh). Some phone apps write their own names here too.
Where it comes from
Editing and photo management apps write it when they save XMP data. Cameras rarely set it.
What it is useful for
It points to the workflow behind a file: a Lightroom value suggests a photographer’s edit, and an export or resizing tool suggests a processed copy. Together with Software it is a starting point for checking edits.
Watch out for
Like Software, it shows which program handled the file, not what it did. When present, the XMP history tags, such as HistorySoftwareAgent and HistoryAction, can tell you more.
Find it in your file
Upload a file to ExifMeta, then type CreatorTool into the “Search tags and values” box under All metadata. If nothing matches, the file does not contain this tag.
Learn more in the guide: How to Tell If a Photo Was Edited
See the tags in your own file
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