For the instructions straight up, skip to the section ‘Actually Using ExifTool’. This intro is about why you would want to use ExifTool in the first place.
Why would I want to use ExifTool in the first place?
ExifTool is a program that edits metadata on images. If you make and share pictures, even just snaps you make with your phone, it’s good to have a little knowledge about what’s actually in those picture files. Image metadata can contain info about the time and location a picture was taken, the camera settings that were used, the camera itself (make, model, serial numbers), how it was edited, the copyright and author, and many other things.
Here are some examples of what an image file can hold:
