Exif Pilot Editor is a free program for Microsoft Windows devices to view, edit and create Exif, IPTC and XMP data.
The photo metadata is embedded in digital image formats, usually when a photo is taken or an image is created using a computer program.
The data reveals information; depending on the metadata format, it may reveal information about the camera that was used to take the photo, the location, date and time, and technical information such as the exposure time, FNumber or use of Flash.
Note: It is recommended that you run operations on backup copies of photos, and not the original. While Exif Pilot Editor worked fine during tests, it is always better to have a restore option available should things go wrong when using a software program.
Exif Pilot Editor
Exif Pilot editor is a free program for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. It is compatible with all versions of Windows from Windows XP on, including Windows 10.
The program needs to be installed on the system before it can be used. The program interface displays folders of the system on the left, the files of the active folder in the middle pane, and a preview of the selected image and the EXIF/IPTC/XMP data in the right pane.
You can rearrange the panes to increase or decrease the area in which the information is displayed, or hide any of the three panes using the view menu. This can be useful, for instance after you have selected the folder that you want to edit photos of as you don’t require it for that anymore.
The editing works pretty much as you’d expect it to. Double-click on any metadata entry in the program window to get started. Exif Pilot displays a window with the current value and a description of the tag.
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There is also an option to delete the tag from the image; useful if you want to remove information from the photo before sharing it or publishing it online.
If you know that you need to edit multiple tags, you may select Edit EXIF/IPTC/XMP from the menu at the top to display all metadata in a new window that is a bit easier to edit as it comes with fields and selection options.
While you can delete or edit tags individually using the right-pane and the method described, Exif Pilot Editor ships with two additional options that work better under certain circumstances.
The first lets you clear all metadata from the selected image. This may be faster than editing some of the tags manually, but it will remove all tags not just the once you want to remove in first place.
The second option that you have is to install a batch editing plugin. The plugin is not free however, and you need to order it from the makers of Exif Pilot Editor to integrate it into the application.
Batch editing speeds up the process of editing multiple photos in a single operation.
Exif Pilot Editor comes with other tools that may be useful to some users. You may copy one metadata format to another using the program, or import data from Excel, XML or CSV files.
Verdict
Exif Pilot Editor is a powerful photo metadata viewer, editor, and creator for Windows. The free version supports single edits and views only; sufficient for many home users but probably not for semi-professional or professional use.
This is an excellent program though all in all.