Microsoft Pro Photo Tools

[Anthony]

I do not know if you are aware of this software but it is quite interesting; you can edit the EXIF data and add some GPS data then plot it on a map.

Does anyone know if when you open a jpg image to edit the EXIF data and save it again it compresses the image again ? Thats what has put me off using it so far.

http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/downloads/tools.aspx

[K1W1]

I can't see why editing the Exif would cause the photo to be recompressed. If you have a jpeg and open it in Photoshop then save it you don't add additional compression.

[Anthony]

The recompression is something I have always wondered about :rolleyes:

[Paradox]

I can't see why editing the Exif would cause the photo to be recompressed. If you have a jpeg and open it in Photoshop then save it you don't add additional compression.

I was under the impression that re-saving JPEG files DOES compress the image a second time?

[Anthony]

This is what made me ask - when I read an image with Imagemagick and do not carry out any modifications for some reason and save it, the image is recompressed.
This may just be the way Imagemagick works and other programs may not work that way.

Also are you actualy opening and saving the image if you are modifying the EXIF data or just reading and writing the data?

I have had a look around and can not find a answer to this; I suppose I should do some tests when I get some time.

[K1W1]

Regardless of whether the image is recompressed or not the Software is from Microsoft so it's probably very ordinary in the way it works, buggy and will have no features that are not available somewhere else anyway. :D

[JTL]

I can't see why editing the Exif would cause the photo to be recompressed. If you have a jpeg and open it in Photoshop then save it you don't add additional compression.Oh yes it does recompress! Each and every time you save a jpeg...

Now, be careful, because there are some tools out there that claim to only recompress the the changes to the jpeg file and dub this dubious process "lossless jpeg recompression" as if such a thing actually exists. Once again, they play upon the ignorance of the public. Recompression by it's very nature is a lossy process whether only part of the image is recompressed or not. Now, if they called this (proprietary algorithmic) process "partial jpeg recomprssion", I'd have no quibble, but...deceiving people sells more software and services...

[K1W1]

Oh yes it does recompress! Each and every time you save a jpeg...


Just so I am 100% clear.

I have a file called photo.jpg
I open it in Photoshop (for example).
I do nothing to the photo, I simply click "save" and close the file.
- the file is compressed?
I open the same file again and once again do nothing simply "save" and close.
- the file is compressed again?
For a third time I open the file and "save" and close.
- the file is compressed yet again?

So the file has been compressed now 4 times once when it was originally created and on each of the three subsequent saves? I guess it's time to try an experiment and see how much the file size decreases after each save.

Now to go back to the topic.
If this software from Microsoft is simply editing the metadata why would it need to perform any action at all on the actual image?

[JTL]

Just so I am 100% clear.

I have a file called photo.jpg
I open it in Photoshop (for example).
I do nothing to the photo, I simply click "save" and close the file.
- the file is compressed?
I open the same file again and once again do nothing simply "save" and close.
- the file is compressed again?
For a third time I open the file and "save" and close.
- the file is compressed yet again?

So the file has been compressed now 4 times once when it was originally created and on each of the three subsequent saves? I guess it's time to try an experiment and see how much the file size decreases after each save.

No need to experiment...it's a fact! ;) But, if you are going to try anyway...would mind also proving the Earth is round and that it revolves around the Sun while you're at it. Thanks! :D

[K1W1]

There is a flaw in the argument here.

If you do nothing to the file, simply open it you cannot "save" you must "save as" which makes it a different file. The different file is compressed by whatever you set the compression to but it is a different file.
Obviously if you modify the file and "save" then once again you have a modified file not the original file that you started with and the file will be compressed.
So going back to my query IMO the answer is that simply opening a file and then closing it DOES NOT cause the compression level to alter it only alters if you perform so action on the file or if you change the file name.
No I will get on with proving that thing about the world being flat I have been worried about. :D

[JTL]

There is a flaw in the argument here.

If you do nothing to the file, simply open it you cannot "save" you must "save as" which makes it a different file. The different file is compressed by whatever you set the compression to but it is a different file.
Obviously if you modify the file and "save" then once again you have a modified file not the original file that you started with and the file will be compressed.
So going back to my query IMO the answer is that simply opening a file and then closing it DOES NOT cause the compression level to alter it only alters if you perform so action on the file or if you change the file name.
No I will get on with proving that thing about the world being flat I have been worried about. :DOf course if you open a jpeg and close it without saving, no recompression takes place...like DUH! :p:D:p

[Margus]

Pro Photo Tools - what an ambitious name for a software that allows tagging images with geographical coordinates. Does anyone else notice any professional photo editing features in the software? Maybe I'm stupid, but I could not find any :(

[Margus]

I do not know if you are aware of this software but it is quite interesting; you can edit the EXIF data and add some GPS data then plot it on a map.

Does anyone know if when you open a jpg image to edit the EXIF data and save it again it compresses the image again ? Thats what has put me off using it so far.

http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto/downloads/tools.aspx

Well, what concerns this very specific software - MS Pro Photo Tools - then this one definitely does not perform any additional compression of your images. It's just a tagging software and that's it! No kind of photo editing included what so ever.

[Anthony]

Thats OK Margus as I do not want to do any photo editing with it :)

I posted link as I thought it was interesting but as I said I was worried about the image getting recompressed when the EXIF data is edited and the image saved again.

I was talking to an IT guy at work and he said straight away "Its only editing the header information" then he had second thoughts and was not so sure what happens as the header information is in the image or is it :rolleyes:

I notice the old Exifer program has now been updated: http://www.geosetter.de/