The easiest way to become familiar with PhotoSanitize is to sanitize a single JPEG photograph using the Standard profile. This introduces the main parts of the application without requiring you to configure advanced options.
For this example, imagine that you want to email a photograph taken with your smartphone. You want to remove unnecessary location and device information while keeping the visible picture as close to the original as possible.
Add and analyze the photograph
- Open PhotoSanitize and choose Add Image(s).
- Select the photograph in the Windows file dialog and confirm.
- Make sure its checkbox is selected in the Photo Queue.
- Choose Analyze Selected and allow the inspection to finish.
When analysis completes, select the image in the queue. The Inspector shows information about the file, including its format, dimensions, and detected findings.
Open Summary for a general overview, then Findings to see whether any potentially sensitive information was identified. Depending on the photograph, this might include GPS coordinates, capture dates, device information, or embedded previews.
The inspection does not modify your photograph. It gives you information to consider before processing it.
Check the visible picture
Open Visual Privacy and examine the image. Metadata removal will not conceal anything visible in the photograph, so look for details such as street addresses, documents, faces, or other information you would not want the recipient to see.
If an area needs to be concealed, use Add Manual Redaction and draw a rectangle around it. You can adjust the selected region before processing. If nothing in the picture requires concealment, no visual redaction is necessary.
Automatic visual detection is available in Pro and Enterprise, but you do not need it to complete this example.
Sanitize the image
- Open Options and select Standard (Recommended).
- Leave the predefined settings unchanged for this first operation.
- Choose Sanitize Selected.
- When processing finishes, select the image and open Verification.
The Standard profile removes supported nonessential metadata, auxiliary content, and unwanted container information while preserving encoded image data where possible.
PhotoSanitize creates a new file rather than modifying the original. A photograph named Vacation.jpg, for example, normally produces Vacation_sanitized.jpg in the same directory.
Check the result
The Verification tab shows whether the resulting image passed the applicable checks. A VERIFIED result means those checks succeeded. If verification failed, examine the reported problem before using the output.
Choose Open Sanitized to view the new photograph. Compare it with the original, particularly if you applied any visual redactions. Check that the picture looks correct and that any information you intended to conceal is no longer visible.
You can also inspect the input and output SHA-256 fingerprints in the verification information. Different fingerprints are normal because removing metadata changes the file’s contents even when the visible photograph is preserved.
Share the sanitized version
When you are satisfied with the result, select the file ending in _sanitized for your email, website, or other destination. Keep the original if you need it for personal records or future editing.
For business photographs, this is also the point at which any required internal approval should take place. The person responsible for publication should inspect the finished sanitized file, not rely solely on the processing status.
Once you are comfortable with this workflow, you can add several files to the Photo Queue and repeat the process as a batch.