17th December 2001
Look at a digital picture; what do you see? A bunch of colorful pixels on your screen. Look beyond them and what do you find? Not much, I fear - without the right tool. Most digital cameras will automatically record data into the JPEG header. This is something known as EXIF (Exchangeable Image File). While Windows XP's Explorer can see this information, other Windows users will have to download a third-party tool (most of them are freeware and can be found on Google). How do you pull it up in Windows XP? Well, either right-click on the file and select its Properties, flip to the Summary tab and press the Advanced button. Or, switch the Windows Explorer's view to Details, right-click on a sorting field, then add more (appropriate) fields. Having EXIF info on hand makes it easier to take great pictures. How? Well, let's say you got a great snapshot with the perfect light, distance, etc. Do you remember your camera's settings at the time? I doubt it. EXIF information will tell you just about everything you wanted to know about that particular image: resolution, bit-depth, shutter speed, lens aperture, flash mode, subject distance, focal length, exposure time, metering mode, etc. WARNING: editing or rotating a picture will most likely destroy its EXIF data. For this reason, you'd be wise to always save original digital photos elsewhere.