HEIF plugin missing EXIF

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CameronD
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:28 pm
Location: Australia

HEIF plugin missing EXIF

Post by CameronD »

I just installed the x64 heif plugin with XnViewMP 0.95 on window 10.
I also installed the windows 10 support at the same time.

I exported the .heic image files as jpeg and there are a couple of issues:
  • exif data is missing. - temporary solution below
  • It is very slow - not sure this is a problem with xnviewMP or the plugin, or windows itself. Windows explorer is also slow listing files, and in some situations slower than XnviewMP.
Exif data:
XnviewMP displays the Exif data within the exiftool tab, but there is no separate Exif tab, and Exif data is not shown in the details listing of XnviewMP.

When a batch convert to jpeg is done, the resulting jpegs have no Exif block.
To fix this I used exiftool as follows to copy the exif block from the source heic file to the jpeg:

Code: Select all

exiftool   -overwrite_original -TagsFromFile  file.heic  -EXIF:all -EXIF:orientation=normal  file.jpg   
Note that copying the orientation flag would be a mistake, as xnviewmp rewrites portrait images in normal orientation. I suppose I could have reset the xnview options beforehand to not do the rotation, but I prefer my files to not require the orientation flag anyway.

Slowness:
  • the first time I visit a folder full of heic images in the XnviewMP browser it takes about one second per image to read the properties, and I presume, create the thumbnail. Each time after that then the information seems to be obtained from the image DB.
  • When I select a group of files for a batch conversion, and start the conversion, there is a length of time, greater than one second per image, before the conversion progress window pops up. Task manager shows XnviewMP chewing up a single core, split about 50/50 between user space and kernel.
    This still happens even after the file detail has been cached. The conversion itself is much faster, so it does not seem to be related to file i/o.
Windows Explorer slowness:
This is probably irrelevant, but I just thought I'd add my observations.

Explorer has a similar issue with taking about 1 second per image caching the original thumbnails. Then, even after caching the right size thumbnail, it repeatedly takes one second per image every time I return to the folder - provided the window is set to display details, including something like dimensions, or exif date taken. The same thing probably applies to jpegs, but that happens at least 10 times, maybe 100 times faster
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xnview
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Re: HEIF plugin missing EXIF

Post by xnview »

CameronD wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 4:04 am [*] exif data is missing. - temporary solution below
yes, currently not supported
[*]It is very slow - not sure this is a problem with xnviewMP or the plugin, or windows itself. Windows explorer is also slow listing files, and in some situations slower than XnviewMP.[/list]
Slower than in windows explorer?
Pierre.
CameronD
Posts: 308
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:28 pm
Location: Australia

Re: HEIF plugin missing EXIF

Post by CameronD »

xnview wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 11:07 am
CameronD wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 4:04 am [*] exif data is missing. - temporary solution below
yes, currently not supported
I thought that was the case, which is why I offered the workaround using exiftool in case anybody else could make use of it.
xnview wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 11:07 am
[*]It is very slow - not sure this is a problem with xnviewMP or the plugin, or windows itself. Windows explorer is also slow listing files, and in some situations slower than XnviewMP.[/list]
Slower than in windows explorer?
Delays are about the same on entering a folder without cached thumbnails - I have not done any very accurate measurements. Once cached then Xnview is faster.

The thing that Windows Explorer does not do is batch conversion. I don't understand what XnviewMP might be doing at that time to give the extra delay - it has already loaded the file details for the browser.
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xnview
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Re: HEIF plugin missing EXIF

Post by xnview »

CameronD wrote: Tue Feb 25, 2020 1:27 pm Delays are about the same on entering a folder without cached thumbnails - I have not done any very accurate measurements. Once cached then Xnview is faster.
I means to have the listing or thumbnails in windows explorer
Pierre.
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