Image Info

License: PRO+ (Professional Edition or higher)
Plugin Type: Index Plugin
Author: Diskover Data, Inc.

Overview

The Image Info plugin extracts metadata from image files during Diskover indexing, making it easy to search and organize your image assets based on their technical properties and embedded EXIF data. Whether you're managing a photography archive, organizing marketing assets, or auditing image storage, this plugin gives you powerful search capabilities without requiring specialized tools.

When enabled, the plugin automatically processes image files during scans and extracts:

Basic Image Properties — Width, height, format, and color mode
Animation Data — Detection of animated images (GIFs, animated PNGs) with frame counts
EXIF Metadata — Camera information, capture dates, GPS coordinates, exposure settings, photographer credits, and more

Use Cases

For Digital Asset Managers and Photographers

Use Case	Description
Camera/Device Tracking	Find all images shot with a specific camera model or smartphone
Capture Date Search	Locate images taken on specific dates using EXIF timestamps
Resolution Filtering	Find high-resolution images for print or identify low-res images for cleanup
Location-Based Search	Find images with GPS coordinates from specific shoots or locations
Equipment Analysis	Generate reports on camera and lens usage across a photo library
Animation Detection	Identify animated GIFs and APNGs for special handling
Rights Management	Locate images by photographer name or copyright information

For IT and Storage Administrators

Use Case	Description
Storage Capacity Planning	Analyze image dimensions and formats to understand storage composition
Data Migration	Identify image types and characteristics for migration planning
Format Audit	Find non-standard image formats that may require special handling
Metadata Completeness	Identify images missing expected EXIF data for quality control
Device Inventory	Understand what devices are generating images stored on your systems
Error Detection	Find images that failed metadata extraction for investigation

Understanding Image Metadata and EXIF

Before diving into configuration, it helps to understand what metadata the plugin extracts and why it matters.

What is Image Metadata?

Image files contain more than just pixel data—they include metadata describing the image itself and how it was created. This metadata falls into several categories:

Metadata Type	Description	Examples
Structural	Basic image characteristics	Width, height, format, color mode
EXIF	Camera and capture information	Camera model, shutter speed, ISO, GPS
IPTC	Editorial and rights information	Caption, keywords, copyright
XMP	Extensible metadata	Custom fields, editing history

The Image Info plugin focuses on structural metadata and EXIF data, which are the most commonly needed for storage management and asset organization.

What is EXIF Data?

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard for storing metadata within image files. Originally developed for digital cameras, EXIF data is now embedded by smartphones, scanners, and image editing software.

EXIF data answers questions like:

What camera or device captured this image?
When was this image taken?
Where was this image taken (GPS coordinates)?
What exposure settings were used?
Who created or owns this image?

Why EXIF Data Matters

Audience	Value of EXIF Data
Photographers	Track equipment usage, organize by capture date, find images from specific locations
Digital Asset Managers	Catalog images by source, verify authenticity, manage rights
IT Administrators	Audit image sources, identify device types, detect unauthorized content
Compliance Officers	Verify image provenance, track data lineage, support legal discovery

Common EXIF Tags

The plugin extracts EXIF tags and stores them with an exif_ prefix. Here are the most commonly used tags:

Camera and Device Information

EXIF Tag	Indexed Field	Description
Make	`image_info.exif_make`	Camera/device manufacturer (e.g., "Canon", "Apple")
Model	`image_info.exif_model`	Camera/device model (e.g., "EOS 5D Mark IV", "iPhone 14 Pro")
Software	`image_info.exif_software`	Software used to process the image
LensMake	`image_info.exif_lensmake`	Lens manufacturer
LensModel	`image_info.exif_lensmodel`	Lens model name

Date and Time

EXIF Tag	Indexed Field	Description
DateTime	`image_info.exif_datetime`	Date/time the file was last modified
DateTimeOriginal	`image_info.exif_datetimeoriginal`	Date/time the image was originally captured
DateTimeDigitized	`image_info.exif_datetimedigitized`	Date/time the image was digitized

Exposure Settings

EXIF Tag	Indexed Field	Description
ExposureTime	`image_info.exif_exposuretime`	Shutter speed (e.g., "1/250")
FNumber	`image_info.exif_fnumber`	Aperture f-stop value (e.g., "2.8")
ISOSpeedRatings	`image_info.exif_isospeedratings`	ISO sensitivity (e.g., "400")
FocalLength	`image_info.exif_focallength`	Lens focal length in mm
Flash	`image_info.exif_flash`	Flash status and mode

GPS and Location

EXIF Tag	Indexed Field	Description
GPSLatitude	`image_info.exif_gpslatitude`	GPS latitude coordinates
GPSLongitude	`image_info.exif_gpslongitude`	GPS longitude coordinates
GPSAltitude	`image_info.exif_gpsaltitude`	GPS altitude

Rights and Ownership

EXIF Tag	Indexed Field	Description
Artist	`image_info.exif_artist`	Creator/photographer name
Copyright	`image_info.exif_copyright`	Copyright notice
ImageDescription	`image_info.exif_imagedescription`	Image description/caption

Note: Not all image formats support EXIF data. JPEG and TIFF files typically contain rich EXIF metadata, while PNG files have limited EXIF support. Images may also have had EXIF data stripped for privacy reasons.

Requirements

Python Dependencies

Package	Version	Purpose
Pillow	10.4.0+	Image processing library for reading image files and EXIF data

System Requirements

Python 3.9 or higher
Diskover indexer with plugin support enabled
Read access to image files during indexing
Write access to cache directory (if caching enabled)

Storage Considerations

Cache directory requires disk space proportional to the number of unique images indexed
Initial indexing may have higher I/O as the cache is populated
Consider using a local SSD for the cache directory when indexing network storage

Installation

Step 1: Install Python Dependencies

Linux:

python3 -m pip install pillow==10.4.0

Windows:

python -m pip install pillow==10.4.0

If the pip install fails due to missing build dependencies:

RHEL/CentOS:

yum install python3-devel libjpeg-devel zlib-devel
python3 -m pip install pillow==10.4.0

Debian/Ubuntu:

apt-get install python3-dev libjpeg-dev zlib1g-dev
python3 -m pip install pillow==10.4.0

Step 2: Configure the Plugin

Navigate to Diskover Admin Panel → Plugins → Index Plugins → Image Info
Enable the plugin and configure parameters as needed (see Configuration section below)
Save the configuration

Step 3: Enable in Index Task Configuration

Navigate to Diskover → Configurations → select your configuration (e.g., Default)
Scroll to the bottom to find Index Plugins Enablement
Enable the Image Info plugin
Save the configuration

The plugin will now run automatically during scans using this configuration.

Configuration

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`extensions`	list	`['jpeg', 'jpg', 'tif', 'tiff', 'png']`	File extensions to process. Only files with these extensions will have image metadata extracted.
`enable_cache`	bool	`True`	Enable SQLite caching of extracted metadata. Dramatically improves re-indexing performance.
`cache_dir`	string	See below	Directory for SQLite cache database. Can be absolute or relative path.
`cache_expire_time`	int	`0`	Cache entry TTL in seconds. Set to `0` for entries that never expire (recommended).

Default Cache Directory Paths:

Linux: /opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__/
Windows: C:\Program Files\Diskover\__imageinfo_plugin_cache__\

Configuration Examples

Default Configuration

Standard settings suitable for most environments:

{
  "extensions": ["jpeg", "jpg", "tif", "tiff", "png"],
  "enable_cache": true,
  "cache_dir": "/opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__/",
  "cache_expire_time": 0
}

Extended Format Support

Include additional image formats for comprehensive coverage:

{
  "extensions": ["jpeg", "jpg", "tif", "tiff", "png", "gif", "bmp", "webp"],
  "enable_cache": true,
  "cache_dir": "/opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__/",
  "cache_expire_time": 0
}

Photography Workflow

Focus on professional photography formats:

{
  "extensions": ["jpeg", "jpg", "tif", "tiff", "cr2", "nef", "arw", "dng"],
  "enable_cache": true,
  "cache_dir": "/var/cache/diskover/imageinfo/",
  "cache_expire_time": 0
}

High-Volume Environment

Optimized settings for environments with millions of images (limit extensions to reduce processing time):

{
  "extensions": ["jpeg", "jpg", "png"],
  "enable_cache": true,
  "cache_dir": "/fast-ssd/diskover/imageinfo_cache/",
  "cache_expire_time": 0
}

Understanding the Extensions Setting

The extensions parameter controls which files are processed. Consider the following when configuring:

Include only the formats you need to reduce indexing time
Common photography formats: jpeg, jpg, tif, tiff
Web graphics: png, gif, webp
RAW formats may require additional Pillow plugins or libraries

Indexed Fields

The Image Info plugin adds an image_info object to indexed documents containing the extracted metadata.

Elasticsearch Field Mappings

Field Path	ES Type	Description
`image_info`	object	Root container for all image metadata
`image_info.width`	keyword	Image width in pixels
`image_info.height`	keyword	Image height in pixels
`image_info.format`	keyword	Image format (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, etc.)
`image_info.mode`	keyword	Color mode (RGB, RGBA, L, CMYK, P, etc.)
`image_info.is_animated`	keyword	True if image contains animation
`image_info.n_frames`	keyword	Number of frames (1 for static images)
`image_info.exif_*`	keyword	EXIF tags with `exif_` prefix (dynamic)
`image_info.error`	keyword	Error message if extraction failed

Color Mode Values

Mode	Description
`RGB`	True color (24-bit, 16.7 million colors)
`RGBA`	True color with alpha/transparency channel
`L`	Grayscale (8-bit, 256 shades)
`LA`	Grayscale with alpha channel
`CMYK`	Print color space (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)
`P`	Palette/indexed color (256 colors max)
`1`	Black and white (1-bit)

Example Document

Here's an example of a JPEG file indexed with the Image Info plugin:

{
  "name": "vacation_photo.jpg",
  "extension": "jpg",
  "size": 4523891,
  "image_info": {
    "width": 4032,
    "height": 3024,
    "format": "JPEG",
    "mode": "RGB",
    "is_animated": false,
    "n_frames": 1,
    "exif_make": "Apple",
    "exif_model": "iPhone 14 Pro",
    "exif_datetime": "2024:06:15 14:32:18",
    "exif_datetimeoriginal": "2024:06:15 14:32:18",
    "exif_exposuretime": "1/120",
    "exif_fnumber": "1.78",
    "exif_isospeedratings": "50",
    "exif_focallength": "6.86",
    "exif_gpslatitude": "40.7128",
    "exif_gpslongitude": "-74.006"
  }
}

Searching in Diskover

Use these search queries in the Diskover web interface to find files based on image metadata.

Basic Image Property Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.width:4032`	Find images with exact width of 4032 pixels
`image_info.width:[1920 TO *]`	Find images wider than 1920 pixels (HD or larger)
`image_info.height:[1080 TO *]`	Find images taller than 1080 pixels
`image_info.format:JPEG`	Find all JPEG images
`image_info.format:PNG`	Find all PNG images
`image_info.format:TIFF`	Find all TIFF images
`image_info.mode:RGB`	Find images in RGB color mode
`image_info.mode:RGBA`	Find images with transparency (alpha channel)

Finding Animated Images

Query	Description
`image_info.is_animated:true`	Find all animated images
`image_info.is_animated:false`	Find static images only
`image_info.n_frames:[2 TO *]`	Find images with multiple frames

Camera and Device Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.exif_make:Canon`	Find images from Canon cameras
`image_info.exif_make:Apple`	Find images from Apple devices
`image_info.exif_make:Nikon`	Find images from Nikon cameras
`image_info.exif_model:iPhone`	Find images from any iPhone model
`image_info.exif_model:EOS`	Find images from Canon EOS cameras

Date-Based Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.exif_datetimeoriginal:2024*`	Find images captured in 2024
`image_info.exif_datetimeoriginal:2024:06`	Find images captured in June 2024

Photographer and Rights Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.exif_artist:John`	Find images by photographer name
`image_info.exif_copyright:*`	Find images with copyright information

GPS and Location Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.exif_gpslatitude:*`	Find images with GPS data
`image_info:* AND NOT image_info.exif_gpslatitude:*`	Find images without GPS data

Exposure and Settings Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.exif_isospeedratings:100`	Find images shot at ISO 100
`image_info.exif_isospeedratings:[3200 TO *]`	Find high ISO images (potential low-light shots)
`image_info.exif_focallength:50`	Find images shot at ~50mm focal length

Combined Searches

Query	Description
`image_info.format:JPEG AND image_info.width:[3000 TO *]`	Find high-resolution JPEG files
`image_info.exif_make:Canon AND size:>=5242880`	Find Canon photos larger than 5MB
`image_info.format:PNG AND image_info.mode:RGBA`	Find PNG files with transparency
`parent_path:/photos/2024/ AND image_info.exif_make:*`	Find images in a specific directory with EXIF data
`image_info:* AND mtime:[now-7d TO now]`	Find images modified in the last 7 days
`image_info.error:*`	Find images that had metadata extraction errors

Finding All Files with Image Metadata

Query	Description
`image_info:*`	Find all files with any image metadata
`image_info.exif_make:*`	Find all files with EXIF data

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Pillow module not found	Python dependency not installed	Run `python3 -m pip install pillow==10.4.0`
No metadata for valid images	File extension not in configured list	Add the extension to the `extensions` parameter
EXIF data missing	Image format doesn't support EXIF, or EXIF was stripped	Expected behavior for PNG files or privacy-scrubbed images
Cache permission errors	Diskover service user lacks write access	Create cache directory with proper ownership (see below)
Memory issues with large images	Very large TIFF or RAW files	Consider excluding large file directories or processing separately
Stale cache data	File modified but mtime preserved	Clear the cache directory (see below)

Verifying Pillow Installation

Linux:

python3 -c "from PIL import Image; print('Pillow OK')"

Windows:

python -c "from PIL import Image; print('Pillow OK')"

Fixing Cache Permission Issues

Linux:

mkdir -p /opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__
chown diskover:diskover /opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__
chmod 755 /opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__

Windows:
Ensure the Diskover service account has read/write access to:
C:\Program Files\Diskover\__imageinfo_plugin_cache__\

Clearing the Cache

If you need to force re-extraction of metadata (e.g., after configuration changes), clear the cache:

Linux:

rm -rf /opt/diskover/__imageinfo_plugin_cache__/

Windows:

rmdir /s /q "C:\Program Files\Diskover\__imageinfo_plugin_cache__\"

Debug Logging

To enable verbose logging for troubleshooting:

Check the Diskover logs for plugin activity:

Linux:

tail -f /var/log/diskover/diskover.log | grep -i imageinfo

Look for cache hit/miss patterns:

grep -E "CACHE (HIT|MISS)" /var/log/diskover/diskover.log | tail -100

External Verification Tools

These tools can help verify image files and metadata outside of Diskover:

Tool	Purpose	Example Command
`file`	Verify file type	`file /path/to/image.jpg`
`exiftool`	View all EXIF data	`exiftool /path/to/image.jpg`
`identify`	ImageMagick info	`identify -verbose /path/to/image.jpg`

Support

Last Updated: January 2026
Diskover Data, Inc.

Image Info

Overview

Use Cases

For Digital Asset Managers and Photographers

For IT and Storage Administrators

Understanding Image Metadata and EXIF

What is Image Metadata?

What is EXIF Data?

Why EXIF Data Matters

Common EXIF Tags

Camera and Device Information

Date and Time

Exposure Settings

GPS and Location

Rights and Ownership

Requirements

Python Dependencies

System Requirements

Storage Considerations

Installation

Step 1: Install Python Dependencies

Step 2: Configure the Plugin

Step 3: Enable in Index Task Configuration

Configuration

Configuration Parameters

Configuration Examples

Default Configuration

Extended Format Support

Photography Workflow

High-Volume Environment

Understanding the Extensions Setting

Indexed Fields

Elasticsearch Field Mappings

Color Mode Values

Example Document

Searching in Diskover

Basic Image Property Searches

Finding Animated Images

Camera and Device Searches

Date-Based Searches

Photographer and Rights Searches

GPS and Location Searches

Exposure and Settings Searches

Combined Searches

Finding All Files with Image Metadata

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Verifying Pillow Installation

Fixing Cache Permission Issues

Clearing the Cache

Debug Logging

External Verification Tools

Support

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