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File metadata and controls

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File Metadata Extractor

A comprehensive Python script that extracts metadata from various file types including images, audio files, videos, and documents. This tool is perfect for digital asset management, forensic analysis, and file organization.

forthebadge

Supported File Types

Images

  • JPEG/JPG - EXIF data, dimensions, camera settings
  • PNG - Dimensions, transparency info
  • TIFF - EXIF data, multi-page support
  • BMP, GIF - Basic image properties

Audio Files

  • MP3 - ID3 tags, bitrate, duration, artist, album
  • FLAC - Lossless audio metadata
  • WAV - Audio properties, duration
  • M4A, AAC, OGG, WMA - Various audio metadata

Video Files

  • MP4, AVI, MKV - Duration, bitrate, basic properties
  • MOV, WMV, FLV, WebM - Video metadata extraction

Documents

  • PDF - Page count, author, creation date, encryption status
  • DOCX - Author, word count, creation/modification dates

Features

  • Single File Analysis - Extract metadata from individual files
  • Batch Processing - Process entire directories recursively
  • Multiple Output Formats - JSON and CSV export options
  • Comprehensive Metadata - File system info + format-specific data
  • Error Handling - Graceful handling of unsupported files
  • Cross-platform - Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.6 or higher
  • pip (Python package manager)

Installation

  1. Clone or download the script to your local machine

  2. Install required dependencies:

    pip install -r requirements.txt

    Or install manually:

    pip install Pillow mutagen PyPDF2 python-docx

  3. Make the script executable (Linux/macOS):

    chmod +x file_metadata_extractor.py

Usage

Basic Usage

Extract metadata from a single file:

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/your/file.jpg

Process all files in a directory:

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/directory/

Process directory recursively (including subdirectories):

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/directory/ --recursive

Advanced Usage

Save results to JSON file:

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/files/ -o results.json -f json

Save results to CSV file:

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/files/ -o results.csv -f csv

Process directory recursively and save results:

python file_metadata_extractor.py /path/to/files/ -r -o metadata_report.json

Command Line Options

  • path - File or directory path to analyze (required)
  • -o, --output - Output file path (optional)
  • -f, --format - Output format: json or csv (default: json)
  • -r, --recursive - Process directories recursively
  • -h, --help - Show help message

Output Examples

Image Metadata (JPEG)

{
  "filename": "photo.jpg",
  "file_size_mb": 2.34,
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "format": "JPEG",
  "exif": {
    "DateTime": "2023:10:15 14:30:22",
    "Camera": "Canon EOS 5D",
    "FNumber": "f/2.8",
    "ISO": "400"
  }
}

Audio Metadata (MP3)

{
  "filename": "song.mp3",
  "file_size_mb": 4.56,
  "duration_formatted": "3:42",
  "bitrate": 320,
  "title": "Amazing Song",
  "artist": "Great Artist",
  "album": "Best Album",
  "year": "2023"
}

PDF Metadata

{
  "filename": "document.pdf",
  "file_size_mb": 1.23,
  "page_count": 15,
  "title": "Important Document",
  "author": "John Doe",
  "creation_date": "2023-10-15T10:30:00"
}

Detailed Explanation

Metadata Types Extracted

File System Information (All Files):

  • File name and full path
  • File size (bytes and MB)
  • Creation, modification, and access timestamps
  • File extension

Image-Specific Metadata:

  • Dimensions (width/height)
  • Color mode and format
  • EXIF data (camera settings, GPS, timestamps)
  • Transparency information

Audio-Specific Metadata:

  • Duration and bitrate
  • Sample rate and channels
  • ID3 tags (title, artist, album, year, genre)
  • Track numbers and album artist

Document-Specific Metadata:

  • Page/word counts
  • Author and title information
  • Creation and modification dates
  • Document properties and keywords

Error Handling

The script gracefully handles:

  • Missing or corrupted files
  • Unsupported file formats
  • Missing dependencies (with helpful error messages)
  • Permission errors
  • Large file processing

Performance Notes

  • Large directories are processed file by file to conserve memory
  • EXIF data from images can be extensive
  • Video metadata extraction is limited to basic properties
  • PDF processing may be slower for large documents

Dependencies

  • Pillow (PIL) - Image metadata and EXIF extraction
  • mutagen - Audio and video metadata extraction
  • PyPDF2 - PDF document metadata
  • python-docx - Microsoft Word document metadata

All dependencies are optional - the script will skip unsupported formats if libraries are missing.

Author(s)

Created for the Rotten-Scripts repository

Use Cases

  • Digital Asset Management - Organize photo/music libraries
  • Forensic Analysis - Extract file creation timestamps and metadata
  • Content Audit - Analyze document properties in bulk
  • Data Migration - Catalog files before/after transfers
  • Media Organization - Sort files by metadata properties

Limitations

  • Video metadata extraction is basic (duration, bitrate only)
  • Some proprietary formats may not be fully supported
  • Very large files may take time to process
  • DOCX support limited to basic properties
  • Requires appropriate permissions to read files

Future Enhancements

  • Support for more video codecs and detailed metadata
  • Excel file metadata extraction
  • Database output options
  • GUI interface
  • Batch file renaming based on metadata