MetaView 0.5.0

Viewer and Editor for Image Metadata

MetaView

Viewer and Editor for Image Metadata

Core Functionality

MetaView is a powerful tool for viewing and editing metadata embedded in image files. It provides:

• Comprehensive metadata display: View all metadata embedded in your images, organized by categories
• Metadata editing: Edit metadata fields with a simple double-click interface
• Geocoding: Automatically convert GPS coordinates to readable location information (city, region, country)
• Image preview: See a thumbnail of your image while viewing its metadata
• Category organization: Metadata is organized into logical categories for easier browsing

How It Works

MetaView leverages several technologies to provide its functionality:

1. ExifTool: Uses the powerful ExifTool command-line application to read and write image metadata
2. PyQt5: Provides the graphical user interface with tabs for each metadata category
3. Reverse Geocoder: Converts GPS coordinates into human-readable location information
4. Custom categorization: Groups metadata fields into logical categories for easier navigation

Installation

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• ExifTool must be installed on your system

Install from PyPI

pip install metaview

Install ExifTool

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install exiftool

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install perl-Image-ExifTool

On macOS:

brew install exiftool

Usage

Basic Usage

To launch MetaView:

python -m metaview

Or, to open a specific image directly:

python -m metaview /path/to/image.jpg

Using the Interface

1. Open an image:

   • Select File → Open or press Ctrl+O
   • Choose an image file from the dialog

2. View metadata:

   • Metadata is organized into tabs by category
   • Scroll through each tab to explore different metadata fields

3. Edit metadata:

   • Double-click on any editable value to modify it
   • Press Enter to save the value
   • Some fields (like File Name, Image Size, etc.) are read-only and cannot be edited

4. Save changes:

   • Select File → Save or press Ctrl+S to save all metadata changes to the image file

Features

• Categorized Metadata: Metadata is organized into logical groups (General, Camera, Exposure, Location, etc.)
• In-place Editing: Double-click to edit values directly within the interface
• Location Display: GPS coordinates are automatically converted to city, region, and country names
• Image Preview: See a thumbnail of the image while working with its metadata
• Change Tracking: Only modified values are written back to the image file

Example

When examining a photograph taken with a digital camera, MetaView will display information such as:

• Camera manufacturer and model
• Exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO)
• Date and time the photo was taken
• GPS location data with human-readable location names
• Copyright and author information
• Software used to process the image
• Technical details about the image format

License

MetaView is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License.