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Extracting File Information From Digital Cameras Using JHead and Photo Studio Software

NCJ Number
219468
Journal
Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 57 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2007 Pages: 506-511
Author(s)
Keith Morris; Rebecca Fitzsimmons
Date Published
July 2007
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes how the software programs JHead and Photo Studio can extract and modify information contained within exchangeable image file format (Exif).
Abstract
The majority of digital cameras use the Exif file format, which allows additional information to be embedded within the image file. JHead is a command-line driven program that can retrieve information from Exif Joint Photographic Expert Group (JPEG) compression files. JHead is capable of extracting information about the time and date the image was captured, camera make and model, aperture and shutter speed values, whether a flash was used, focal length and 35 mm equivalents, resolution of the image, and global positioning system information. Photo Studio can also be used to extract information from JPEG files. Photo Studio has a window’s type graphical user interface that enables users to create mosaic images, view JPEG-encoded movies produced by cameras, and scale images with a variety of scaling models. JHead and Photo Studio perform essentially the same functions in terms of extraction and modification of information found in Exif files. Both programs can be found on the Internet and are available for free downloading. The author cautions that the original file should be copied and all work should be done on the copy to ensure that no information is lost or changed in the original file. Example data from both JHead and Photo Studio are offered. Figures, references