Metadata Only and Standard are available in all PhotoSanitize editions. Both are intended to remove unwanted information from images without unnecessarily changing their visible content, but Standard applies a broader cleanup policy.
The difference becomes especially relevant with photographs that contain auxiliary media or additional information beyond conventional camera metadata.
Metadata Only
Metadata Only concentrates on the hidden information carried by the image file. It removes supported nonessential metadata, embedded previews, unwanted container structures, and unexpected trailing data while favoring preservation of the original encoded picture.
Its approach is useful when avoiding additional compression is important. For example, a photographer may have already exported a JPEG at the desired quality and want to remove location or device information before delivering the file. If a supported structural cleanup operation can be used, PhotoSanitize can retain the existing encoded picture rather than decode and recompress it.
The profile does not enable auxiliary-media removal as an additional operation. It also leaves automatic visual detection disabled.
This does not mean that Metadata Only ignores ordinary privacy metadata. GPS and other nonessential information are within its intended cleanup scope.
Standard (Recommended)
Standard applies the same general principle of removing unnecessary hidden information but extends the cleanup to supported auxiliary media. This can matter with photographs that carry additional video, audio, or related content.
A Motion Photo is a good example. What appears to be a single still photograph may also contain additional media captured around the time the picture was taken. If you intend to distribute only the still image, retaining that extra content may be unnecessary.
Standard is designed for this broader cleanup while still preserving encoded image data when it can be done safely. It is therefore a sensible default for photographs being prepared for websites, email attachments, marketing material, or ordinary personal sharing.
What happens to image quality?
Both profiles favor avoiding unnecessary changes, but neither guarantees byte-for-byte preservation of the visible picture data in every situation.
The source format, selected options, and any required pixel operations determine whether PhotoSanitize can use structural cleanup or must produce a newly encoded image.
For example, a JPEG that needs only supported metadata cleanup may be processed without recompression. An image requiring visual redaction must have the selected pixels changed, which may require reconstruction and encoding.
Likewise, an HEIC photograph may be written as PNG when a new output is required, even though the original was not a PNG.
Which should you choose?
Metadata Only is appropriate when your priority is hidden metadata and conservative handling of the source image.
Standard is preferable when you want general-purpose cleanup that also addresses supported auxiliary content. It is the recommended profile for most everyday photographs.
Neither profile automatically scans the visible picture for sensitive content. If you are preparing photographs involving people, workplaces, property interiors, or confidential documents, examine Visual Privacy and add manual redactions where required.
For more comprehensive image reconstruction or automatic visual detection, use the advanced profiles available in Pro and Enterprise.