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Picture a wedding photographer about to send 400 CR3 files to a retoucher abroad. The retoucher needs pixels. The files also announce the street where the ceremony took place, the photographer's full name, the serial numbers of two bodies and three lenses, and the minute every frame was taken. This page takes those things out and leaves the pixels alone. Because RAW files are large and need ExifTool, the work is done on our server; your original is deleted when the job ends.
What is in a RAW file besides the image
A JPEG from a phone is already a summary. A RAW file is the full record, and the camera adds to it in several places at once. Here is how it breaks down.
Where and when
GPS latitude, longitude and altitude arrive from the body's own receiver or from a phone paired over Bluetooth. They are normally exact enough to find a front door. Next to them come capture time and the file's creation and change dates.
Who and what
Serial numbers of body, lens and internal parts, often placed inside vendor-specific maker notes. The owner, artist and copyright strings typed into the camera menu long ago. A user comment, the firmware version, the program that last wrote the file, sometimes the computer's name.
Hidden extras
XMP written by catalog software: keywords, ratings, captions, geotags added later and, in a DNG, the develop settings. And the embedded pictures: thumbnails, a full-frame preview, sometimes a full-size JPEG, each possibly carrying its own copy of the EXIF.
Cleaning rules in plain words
| Group of fields | What the cleaner does | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| GPS, all tags | Deletes | A location is the most identifying thing in the file |
| Capture, creation and change dates | Deletes | Places you somewhere at a certain time |
| Body, lens and internal serial numbers | Deletes; if the camera insists on a field it is overwritten with zeros; copies hidden in unlisted corners of maker notes are found by their bytes and zeroed | Links every frame to one kit |
| Owner, artist, copyright, image ID, user comment, software, host computer | Deletes | Names a person or a workflow |
| XMP and IPTC | Deletes | Keywords, captions and edit history |
| Personal tags in embedded previews | Deletes (see below) | The same details hide a second time |
| Sensor data | Never rewritten | It is your photograph |
| Make and model, lens model, exposure values, white balance | Keeps | Your converter needs them for colour profiles and lens corrections |
| Other maker notes (autofocus, colour data, shutter count) | Keeps | Editors read them and they describe the camera, not you |
| Nikon serial number | Keeps and names it in the report | Nikon uses it with the shutter count as the key to an encrypted part of its maker notes; see the NEF page |
Why not wipe every tag?
On a JPEG that is fine. A RAW file's maker notes feed the software that develops the picture, and some formats keep offsets inside the metadata area. A blanket wipe may produce a file that opens with wrong colours, or does not open. ExifTool therefore deletes a defined list of identifying fields and leaves the remainder, which makes the file slightly smaller and the raw data unchanged: on our five camera files the saving was between 1 KB and 175 KB.
The small pictures inside the big one
ExifTool edits the tags of the RAW file but does not look inside the JPEG previews embedded in it. Those previews are complete pictures and may include the camera's EXIF with capture time, owner and serials. So we extract every embedded preview after the main cleaning and scan it separately.
- A preview with personal tags is rewritten with its metadata cut out. The picture stays identical and your file manager's thumbnails keep working.
- If the format will not accept the rewrite, the preview is removed.
- If that fails too, the report says so and the file does not get the clean label.
Does this matter? In our five test files, one preview leaked: the 5.3 MB preview inside an iPhone ProRAW held the same 14 GPS tags as the file, plus the phone model and date. The previews in the Canon, Nikon and Sony files were clean. Dedicated cameras seldom leak this way; phones do. The report calls these entries “embedded preview”.
What we tested
Five real files from the CC0 collection at raw.pixls.us went through the production cleaner, and ExifTool then compared the raw image data byte by byte, the maker notes tag by tag, and validated the cleaned files.
- Canon EOS 450D, CR2, 17.6 MB. Three dates, the body serial and an internal serial found, none left. Raw data identical.
- Canon EOS R10, CR3, 30.2 MB. Dates, body and lens serials, an internal serial and a per-image ID found, none left. Identical.
- Nikon D40, NEF, 5.8 MB. Firmware string, dates and serial found. Only the serial remains, by design. Identical.
- Sony DSLR-A200, ARW, 11.4 MB. Firmware string and dates, including the thumbnail's, found, none left. Identical.
- iPhone 12 Pro, DNG (ProRAW), 29.2 MB. 14 GPS tags, iOS version, dates, XMP and a preview with its own metadata found, none left. Identical across 64 tiles.
Every maker-note tag that is not an identity field read the same before and after, and ExifTool validated the cleaned files as well as the originals, or better.
These real files taught us things synthetic ones had not, and the cleaner now handles them: Canon stores its body serial twice and ExifTool could not see the second copy; a date in a thumbnail directory survived the first pass; a colour profile's copyright line was mistaken for personal data; and a phone's preview was deleted instead of cleaned. Not tested yet: RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF and SRW files, drone DNGs, a DNG with the original RAW embedded, and how Lightroom or Capture One treat the cleaned files. Open a cleaned copy in your own software before relying on it, and keep your originals.
Formats
Canon CR2 and CR3; Nikon NEF and NRW; Sony ARW; DNG from Adobe, many cameras and phones including ProRAW; Fujifilm RAF; Olympus and OM System ORF; Panasonic and Leica RW2; Pentax PEF; Samsung SRW; and TIFF. What is possible depends on what ExifTool can write for each format. If a file cannot be edited safely, the job is refused with a message instead of returning something half cleaned.
Four steps
- Start without an account. Guests may clean 5 RAW photos a month, a free account 10.
- Add the file by drag and drop or with the picker. A bar shows the upload.
- Wait while the server removes fields, handles the previews and scans the result.
- Download and read the report. It lists what was found and how many fields remain. Verified clean shows only at zero; a Nikon file ends with one field, the serial.
A report, line by line
For a camera with built-in GPS and an owner name, a report could include these lines (invented values).
- GPSLatitude 24 deg 51' 38.5" N → removed
- DateTimeOriginal 2026:09:28 18:42:10 → removed
- SerialNumber (Canon) 0123456789 → overwritten with zeros
- LensSerialNumber 000012345678 → removed
- OwnerName A. Khan and Copyright (c) A. Khan 2026 → removed
- PreviewImage, a full-size JPEG with its own EXIF → rewritten without metadata
- SerialNumber (Nikon) 1234567 → kept and named in the report
What our server does with the file
- The original is deleted the moment cleaning ends.
- The clean copy is kept 15 minutes at most, for your download.
- We do not open or look at the picture. The account keeps usage counts for limits and billing, and the file name until the file is deleted.
| Account | Largest file | RAW photos per month |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | 25 MB | 5 |
| Free | 25 MB | 10 |
| Starter | 100 MB | 100 |
| Pro | 500 MB | 1,000 |
| Business | 1,000 MB | 10,000 |
Check the result with ExifTool
exiftool -a -G1 -s "-*serialnumber*" -ownername -artist -copyright -gps:all -alldates photo.nefTo look inside the embedded pictures, pull them out and run the check on those files:
exiftool -a -b -W "%f_%t.%s" -PreviewImage -JpgFromRaw -ThumbnailImage photo.nef
exiftool -a -G1 -s -gps:all -alldates -ownername *_PreviewImage.jpgPhones, drones and sidecars
Apple ProRAW is a DNG: the iPhone 12 Pro file lost its GPS, dates, device details and XMP, had its preview cleaned and kept identical image data. Other phones and drones write DNG as well and the method is the same, though we have not tested those files; they are usually recorded with location on, so clean them before sharing and check your size limit first, since they run from 25 MB to well over 100 MB.
Editing programs store settings, ratings, keywords and sometimes GPS beside the RAW in a sidecar file: .xmp for Lightroom, Camera Raw and darktable, .pp3 for RawTherapee. Cleaning the RAW does not touch them, so leave sidecars out of what you send or read them first. Lightroom catalogs also contain keywords and locations; share exports, not the catalog, if those are private.
Record less at the source
- Leave owner, artist and copyright empty in the camera menu, unless you want them in every frame.
- Turn off built-in GPS or phone sync when you do not need geotags.
- Files that are already recorded keep their data, so clean copies before they leave your hands.
Where this tool stops
- Not every field in every model. Some makers keep values in blocks that ExifTool can read but not write. The scan afterwards counts and names what is left.
- Nikon's serial number is a decryption key for Nikon's own data, so it stays and the report says so.
- Anonymity. Faces, places and your style are in the picture itself.
- New formats work once ExifTool can write them.
- Shutter count and model remain; editors read them and they describe the camera.
A safe hand-over in five moves
- Copy the files into a separate folder; never clean your only original.
- Clean the copies and confirm each report says verified clean.
- Spot-check one file with the ExifTool command above.
- Leave sidecars and catalogs out unless you know what they hold.
- Archive the originals with serials and locations, because insurance, a theft report or your own records may need them.
A whole shoot, every week
RAW photos have a monthly allowance of their own, apart from video. For a full shoot the API cleans a RAW file with one request, and the MCP server, included on every plan, lets an assistant such as Claude or Cursor clean the files in a folder on your computer when you ask. The article on cleaning many files at once compares them. Finished JPEGs belong in the image tool, which works in your browser.
Questions photographers ask
Do the sensor data or the image change?
No. Only metadata fields are edited and the raw data is never rewritten, so the file develops the same as before, apart from edit settings that were stored in XMP.
Does my RAW file leave my computer?
Yes. RAW needs ExifTool, so it goes over HTTPS to our server. The original is deleted when cleaning ends and the clean copy within 15 minutes. We never open the picture.
Are GPS and serial numbers really removed?
GPS, yes. Serial numbers are deleted or overwritten wherever ExifTool can write the field, including Canon's body number and its repeated copy. Nikon is the exception, because its serial number is a decryption key. The report names anything that could not be removed.
Why is the camera model still there?
Make and model stay on purpose: converters use them to pick colour profiles and lens corrections, and they describe equipment, not the owner.
What happens to the preview inside the file?
Each embedded preview is checked on its own. One with personal tags is rewritten without them, or removed if the format will not allow a rewrite, and the report lists it as an embedded preview.
Will I lose my Lightroom edits?
XMP goes, including develop settings stored in a DNG. Edits kept in sidecar files or a catalog are not touched.
Which RAW formats are supported?
CR2, CR3, NEF, NRW, ARW, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF and SRW, plus TIFF. CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW and DNG are tested on real camera files; the others depend on ExifTool's support. A file that cannot be edited safely is refused with a message.
My files are bigger than 25 MB. Does the free plan work?
No, the Free limit is 25 MB per file. Starter allows 100 MB, Pro 500 MB and Business 1,000 MB.
Can I do a whole shoot in one go?
Add as many files as your plan's batch size permits, or use the API or MCP for folders. RAW photos count against their own monthly allowance (5 for guests, 10 on a free account).
Does it remove the shutter count?
No. It lives in the maker notes that editors read and describes the wear of the camera. On Nikon bodies it also forms a decryption key together with the serial number, which is why neither is changed.
Why does my Nikon file say one field is left?
It is Nikon's serial number, which doubles as the key for the encrypted part of its maker notes. Changing it could leave a file that decodes wrongly elsewhere, so we leave it and name it. See the NEF page.