exifsort

A photo hierarchical sorting Linux CLI Python-based tool that organizes photos based on EXIF metadata using multi-level hierarchical sorting.

Features

• Recursive photo discovery: Searches folders and subfolders for JPEG/TIFF images
• EXIF data extraction: Extracts date/time, artist, camera/lens model, and image dimensions
• Hierarchical sorting: Organizes photos using strict multi-level hierarchy based on EXIF properties
• Four-level hierarchy: Camera model → Artist → Date (day granularity) → Picture size (L/M/S)
• Size classification: Automatically classifies photos as Large (12MP+), Medium (3MP+), or Small (<3MP)
• Unknown value handling: Gracefully handles missing EXIF data with "unknown" placeholders
• Organized folder structure: Creates descriptive folder names based on hierarchical sorting
• Symlink organization: Creates symlinks to original photos (preserving original file structure)
• Relative paths: Uses relative symlinks for portability

Installation

pip install -e .

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Pillow (for image processing)
• click (for CLI interface)

Usage

exifsort SOURCE_FOLDER OUTPUT_FOLDER [OPTIONS]

Arguments

• SOURCE_FOLDER: Path to folder containing photos to sort
• OUTPUT_FOLDER: Path where hierarchical folder structure will be created

Options

• -v, --verbose: Enable verbose logging
• --dry-run: Show what would be done without creating files
• --help: Show help message

Examples

# Basic usage - hierarchical sorting by camera model > artist > date > size
exifsort /path/to/photos /path/to/output

# Dry run to see what would happen
exifsort /path/to/photos /path/to/output --dry-run --verbose

# Verbose output to see detailed sorting process
exifsort /path/to/photos /path/to/output --verbose

How It Works

1. Discovery: Recursively scans the source folder for supported image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .tiff, .tif)
2. EXIF Extraction: Extracts relevant EXIF properties:
   • Date and time (DateTime, DateTimeOriginal, DateTimeDigitized)
   • Artist information
   • Camera/lens model (Model, LensModel, Make)
   • Image dimensions (width, height) for size classification
3. Hierarchical Sorting: Organizes photos using strict 4-level hierarchy:
   • Level 1: Camera model (including "unknown" for missing data)
   • Level 2: Artist (including "unknown" for missing data)
   • Level 3: Calendar date (day granularity: YYYY_MM_DD)
   • Level 4: Picture size (L: 12MP+, M: 3MP+, S: <3MP)
4. Organization: Creates folders with hierarchical names and creates symlinks to original photos

Output Structure

The tool creates folders with hierarchical names following this pattern: camera_{MODEL}_artist_{ARTIST}_date_{YYYY_MM_DD}_size_{L|M|S}

Examples:

• camera_Canon_EOS_R5_artist_John_Doe_date_2023_08_15_size_L
• camera_Nikon_D850_artist_Jane_Smith_date_2023_08_16_size_M
• camera_Sony_A7_III_artist_Bob_Johnson_date_2022_12_25_size_S
• camera_unknown_artist_unknown_date_2024_01_01_size_S (for missing EXIF data)

Size Classification:

• L (Large): 12MP+ (12,000,000+ pixels)
• M (Medium): 3MP+ (3,000,000+ pixels)
• S (Small): Less than 3MP

Each folder contains symlinks to the original photo files, preserving the original file structure while creating an organized hierarchical view.

Supported Formats

• JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
• TIFF (.tiff, .tif)

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.