Remove Video and Image Metadata Automatically
What Metadata Is Stored in Your Photos and Videos?
Every photo and video you capture stores hidden metadata alongside the visible content. This metadata is embedded automatically by your camera, phone, or editing software and travels with the file wherever it goes. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data in images and container metadata in video files can include dozens of identifying fields. Most people are unaware of the extent of information their media files carry.
What Information Can Metadata Reveal About You?
The table below outlines the most common metadata fields found in images and videos, along with the privacy risks each one presents.
| Metadata Field | Found In | What It Reveals |
|---|---|---|
| GPS Coordinates | Images, Videos | Exact location where the file was captured (latitude, longitude, altitude) |
| Timestamp | Images, Videos | Exact date and time of capture, including timezone |
| Camera Model | Images | Device manufacturer and model (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro, Canon EOS R5) |
| Camera Serial Number | Images | Unique hardware identifier that links photos to a specific device |
| Software | Images, Videos | Editing software used (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve) |
| Lens Information | Images | Focal length, aperture, ISO, shutter speed used during capture |
| Thumbnail Preview | Images | Embedded low-res preview that may show the original uncropped image |
| Color Profile | Images | ICC color profile that can identify specific editing workflows |
| Encoding Info | Videos | Codec, encoder name, creation timestamp, and muxing application |
| XMP / IPTC | Images | Author name, copyright notice, keywords, captions, contact information |
Why Does Metadata Matter for Privacy and Security?
Metadata matters because it creates a traceable link between your content and your identity. GPS coordinates embedded in a photo posted online can reveal your home address, workplace, or daily routine. Camera serial numbers can forensically connect multiple images to a single device. Timestamps help platforms and investigators match content to specific events. Editing software metadata can expose your workflow. For anyone sharing media publicly, leaving metadata intact is an unnecessary privacy risk that most people never think to address.
How Does Metadata Help Platforms Detect Duplicates?
Beyond privacy, metadata assists duplicate detection systems. Platforms can use creation timestamps, encoder strings, and embedded thumbnails to identify relationships between files. If two uploads share the same camera serial number, creation timestamp, and GPS data, the platform has strong evidence they originated from the same source. Some detection systems use metadata as a first-pass filter before running computationally expensive perceptual hash comparisons on the visual content.
How Does ShadowReel Strip Metadata Automatically?
ShadowReel removes all metadata as part of every processing run, with no extra step required. The approach differs by media type:
- Images: Pillow's save function is called without passing EXIF data, which discards all EXIF, XMP, and IPTC fields. The output file contains only the pixel data and essential format headers. JPEG quality is preserved between 91 and 97 depending on the stealth level.
- Videos: FFmpeg processes the file with the
-map_metadata -1flag, which strips all container-level metadata including creation time, encoder name, and custom tags. Audio stream metadata is also removed. The output is a clean file with no identifiable provenance.
Do You Need a Paid Plan for Metadata Removal?
No. Metadata removal is included automatically in every ShadowReel processing operation, regardless of plan tier. Even the free tier with 3 credits strips all metadata from processed files. There is no option to keep metadata because leaving it intact would compromise the uniquification process. Every file that ShadowReel outputs is a clean file with no embedded EXIF, GPS, timestamp, camera, or software information.