How to Get Metadata for Instagram Photos (EXIF and XMP)?

PixelPeeper can reverse-engineer Lightroom edits from photos, but it needs JPGs with metadata (EXIF for camera settings and XMP for Lightroom edits).

Does Instagram strip EXIF data?

Photos downloaded directly from Instagram won‘t work with PixelPeeper, because they don‘t contain EXIF data. Instagram strips it to save up on bandwidth (metadata makes files bigger) and to address serious privacy concerns: photos taken with smartphones usually contain the exact location they were taken at.

So, there‘s no way to get EXIF metadata directly from Instagram, but there are a few tricks and workarounds you can try. For example: if the author has a website, there‘s a chance they upload the same photos there as well — and you have a much bigger chance finding original photos with metadata on their website.

Use Google Image Search

Another trick is to use Google Image Search to find different versions of the photo you want to check.

When you`'re on instagram (website, not the app), download the photo (the link is hidden in the source code), or take a screenshot of it and save it on your desktop.

Next, go to Google Image Search , click on "Search by Image" icon and upload the file.

Click on "Search by Image" and Google will show you different websites where this (or similar) photo is published. Follow the links and check the images you find on PixelPeeper.

More workarounds for EXIF data

For more details, tips and tricks, see: How to Find Photos with EXIF data