EXIF Metadata
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata embedded in many JPEG and some other image files. It can record camera make and model, exposure settings, focal length, capture date, orientation flags, and sometimes GPS coordinates. Thumbnails and color profiles may also live in EXIF blocks. Viewers often ignore this data when displaying the image, but it still counts toward file size and may leak information you did not intend to share.
Orientation EXIF tells software how to rotate a photo for correct display without altering pixel data. Some tools respect orientation; others ignore it, which is why explicitly rotating in an editor is safer before compression or PDF merge. GPS and device fields are privacy-sensitive when photos leave your control through email or public uploads.
When preparing images on FileShrinkr, remember that compressed JPG outputs may retain EXIF from sources unless stripped upstream. Smaller social-ready files benefit from removing unused metadata. Future dedicated metadata-stripping options complement compression; until then, factor privacy into your pre-upload workflow for location-tagged photos.