EXIF Data Lost After Saving in SPM? The ExifTool Method That Keeps It
You batch-processed a folder of pairs and the output files came back without their EXIF data — no camera model, no date, no exposure. StereoPhoto Maker’s own saving can strip metadata in some paths, but there is a reliable route that keeps it, using StereoAutoAlign and ExifTool.
Why it happens
SPM is an image editor from an era when EXIF handling was partial: it has EXIF support for JPEG, PNG and TIFF (extended in v6.28), but batch conversion paths do not guarantee your metadata survives the round trip. Assume a batch output is metadata-free until you check.
The StereoAutoAlign + ExifTool method
- Place a copy of ExifTool renamed to
Exiftool.exein the SPM program folder (this exact arrangement is what StereoAutoAlign looks for; the link between the tools exists since v6.19). - Run your alignment/conversion through StereoAutoAlign batch (Shift+A from SPM).
- StereoAutoAlign then copies the EXIF data from each original file to its processed output automatically.
If you already processed without EXIF
The originals still have their data — never overwrite originals with processed output. Re-run the batch with the setup above, or copy metadata file-by-file with ExifTool’s own command line if only a few files are affected.
Check before you archive
Verify one output file’s properties after every new batch setup. Metadata loss is silent; catching it on file one is free, catching it after archiving a card is not. Archive hygiene for stereo originals is in Back up your MPO library.