MetaMancer is a Python library for reading, writing, and manipulating metadata in files, specifically photos and videos.

Features

• Unified Metadata Interface: Access EXIF, IPTC, and XMP metadata through a single, consistent API
• Intelligent Caching: Improve performance with built-in TTL caching of metadata
• GPS Handling: Extract coordinates, generate map URLs, and work with location data
• Spatial Analysis: Cluster images by location and generate interactive maps
• Date Extraction: Intelligently determine the most accurate creation date from various metadata information
• Camera Information: Extract and manipulate camera and photographer details
• Keyword Management: Add, remove, and manage keywords and tags

Installation

pip install MetaMancer

Usage

Basic Metadata Access

from metamancer import MetaMancer

# Get metadata for an image file
metadata = MetaMancer.get_metadata('path/to/image.jpg')  # Provide str or Path

# Access specific metadata fields
date = metadata.date
camera = metadata.camera
title = metadata.title
keywords = metadata.keywords

# Check if a specific field exists
if 'Exif.DateTimeOriginal' in metadata:
    print(f'Original date: {metadata['Exif.DateTimeOriginal']}')

# Modify metadata
metadata.title = 'My Vacation Photo'
metadata.add_keyword('vacation', 'beach', 'summer')

Caching for Performance

from pathlib import Path
from metamancer import MetaMancer

file_path = Path('large_image.jpg')

# First access will parse the file
metadata = MetaMancer.get_metadata(file_path)

# Subsequent accesses will use the cached data (much faster)
metadata = MetaMancer.get_metadata(file_path)

# Check if a file's metadata is cached
is_cached = MetaMancer.is_cached(file_path)

# Clear cache for a specific file
MetaMancer.clear(file_path)

# Clear entire cache
MetaMancer.clear()

Location and Mapping

from pathlib import Path
from metamancer import MetaMancer
import glob

# Get all jpg files in a directory
image_files = [Path(f) for f in glob.glob('vacation_photos/*.jpg')]

# Generate an interactive map with all geotagged photos
MetaMancer.generate_photo_map(image_files, 'vacation_map.html')

# Get coordinates for a specific image
metadata = MetaMancer.get_metadata(image_files[0])
if metadata.has_location():
    lat, lon = metadata.get_gps_coords()
    map_url = metadata.get_gps_url()  # Google Maps URL
    print(f'Photo taken at: {lat}, {lon}')
    print(f'View on map: {map_url}')

Spatial Clustering

# Cluster images by location
spatial_strata = MetaMancer.cluster(image_files)

# Access files in the root level
print(f'Total files: {len(spatial_strata.files)}')

# Access files in a specific location cluster
if 'Beach' in spatial_strata._nested_files:
    beach_photos = spatial_strata['Beach'].files
    print(f'Beach photos: {len(beach_photos)}')

TODO

This library is currently in its Alpha release. It is in active development, but there is still a lot of work to do, including:

• Fully documented functions
• More detailed examples, emphasizing various classes
• Many more fields supported (only started with the bare minimum)
• Setting/modifying metadata values
• Check in test code (once it doesn't involve personal photos)
• Video file support
• Configuration, specifically around caching
• More thoughtful README
• More world-building!
• Links to projects that use MetaMancer