Image file formats and their metadata
The same EXIF block sits in a different place in every format: a JPEG segment, a PNG chunk, a HEIF item, a TIFF directory. That placement decides which tools can read it, what a converter silently drops, and how much an export leaks.
Each page covers one format from the metadata side, with real ExifTool output. JPEG and TIFF can be edited here; PNG and WebP can be read and cleaned.
Formats
JPG file format: segments, metadata and what survives an export
.jpg .jpeg .jpe
How a JPG file stores metadata: Exif and XMP in APP1, ICC and MPF in APP2, IPTC in APP13, C2PA in APP11, and how to edit it without recompressing the image.
PNG metadata: what a PNG file can carry, chunk by chunk
.png
Where PNG metadata lives: eXIf for EXIF, iTXt for XMP, tEXt and zTXt for text, plus iCCP, pHYs and tIME. Why most PNG files carry almost nothing at all.
HEIC file: how an iPhone photo stores its metadata
.heic .heif
A HEIC file is an HEVC-coded HEIF image. Where iPhone EXIF, XMP and GPS sit inside it, how to read or strip them with ExifTool, and what a JPEG copy loses.
WebP metadata: how EXIF and XMP fit into a WebP file
.webp
WebP stores EXIF, XMP and ICC in RIFF chunks, but only in the extended format. Why most WebP files carry none, and which encoders and CDNs throw it away.
TIFF file format: where the tags live and what converters lose
.tif .tiff
A TIFF file is a header plus tag directories. Where EXIF, IPTC, XMP and ICC sit, why some converters drop the EXIF, and what multi-page and BigTIFF change.
AVIF metadata: what an AVIF file keeps from the original photo
.avif
AVIF metadata uses the HEIF item model: an Exif item, an XMP item and an ICC color property. What encoders keep and why converted files carry stale values.
GIF metadata: what the GIF file format can and cannot hold
.gif
GIF has no EXIF and no IPTC. What the GIF file format does hold: comment blocks, XMP and ICC in application extensions, loop counts, and what converters drop.
DNG file metadata: inside Adobe's open raw format
.dng
A DNG file is a TIFF-based raw format that keeps EXIF, IPTC and XMP inside the file. How DNG metadata is laid out, how to edit it, and what ProRAW adds.
CR2 file metadata: Canon raw layout, maker notes and sidecars
.cr2
A CR2 file is Canon's TIFF-based raw format. Where its EXIF and Canon maker notes sit, why ExifTool cannot fully strip it, and how XMP sidecars handle edits.