assets-metadata-remover 1.0.0

Remove metadata from images and videos recursively

assets-metadata-remover

Command-line tool that removes metadata from images and videos recursively, generating clean copies in an output folder that mirrors the original structure. Original files are never modified.

Installation

With pipx (recommended)

pipx install assets-metadata-remover

With pip

pip install assets-metadata-remover

System dependencies

• ffmpeg — required for video processing
• exiftool — required for image processing

Install with Homebrew:

brew install ffmpeg exiftool

If a tool is missing, the script detects it at startup and processes only the files it can, showing a clear warning.

Basic usage

assets-metadata-remover /path/to/your_files

This creates /path/to/your_files_clean/ with the same folder structure and metadata-free files.

Options

usage: assets-metadata-remover [-h] [-o OUTPUT] [--dry-run] [-v] [--verify] input

positional:
  input              Directory (or file) to process

options:
  -o, --output DIR   Output directory (default: <input>_clean)
  --dry-run          Simulate without writing
  -v, --verbose      Per-file logging
  --verify           Re-inspect copies and report residual metadata

Examples

Process a directory with custom output:

assets-metadata-remover ~/Photos -o ~/Photos_clean

Simulate without writing (dry run):

assets-metadata-remover ~/Photos --dry-run

Verbose mode with cleanup verification:

assets-metadata-remover ~/Photos -v --verify

Process a single file:

assets-metadata-remover ~/photo.jpg -o ~/clean/

Safety

Original files are never modified. The script always writes to a separate output folder.

Supported formats

Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, TIF, WebP, HEIC, HEIF, GIF, BMP

Videos: MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, M4V, WebM, WMV, FLV, 3GP

Extension comparison is case-insensitive (.JPG and .jpg are equivalent).

Limitations

• Videos are copied without re-encoding (-c copy), which is fast and lossless, but some exotic formats may not be compatible with the output container.
• Some metadata embedded in proprietary formats may not be fully removed by exiftool.
• Directory symlinks are not followed to avoid loops.