A sanitization profile is a predefined collection of options that determines how PhotoSanitize processes an image. It defines the types of hidden information to remove, whether the picture should be reconstructed, and which visual privacy operations are available or required.
PhotoSanitize provides five profiles: Metadata Only, Standard, Rebuild, Maximum Privacy, and Custom. The first two are available in every edition, while the remaining profiles require Pro or Enterprise.
You select the profile in Options or through the corresponding application commands. The displayed settings reflect the selected profile.
Metadata Only
Metadata Only focuses on removing supported nonessential metadata and unwanted container information while minimizing changes to the visible picture. Where possible, PhotoSanitize preserves the original encoded image data without recompression.
This is a good choice when hidden information is your primary concern. For example, you may want to remove GPS coordinates and camera information from a photograph while retaining its existing JPEG compression.
The profile does not enable automatic visual detection or the broader auxiliary-media cleanup provided by Standard.
Standard (Recommended)
Standard builds on metadata cleanup by also addressing supported auxiliary media. It is intended for ordinary image-sharing situations where you want broader cleanup without automatically reconstructing every image.
This is the default profile and a suitable starting point for most personal and business photographs. It can remove unnecessary information associated with modern smartphone images while preserving encoded picture data when the format and operation allow it.
Standard does not automatically identify faces, documents, or other sensitive visible information. Manual redaction remains available when needed.
Rebuild
Rebuild creates a fresh output image from decoded pixels rather than relying on preservation of the source container. It removes unnecessary source-associated information through reconstruction and is available in Pro and Enterprise.
This profile is useful when the original file’s technical packaging is not needed and you want a new image containing the intended picture.
Reconstruction may require recompression or affect image characteristics. Rebuild also defaults to flattening multiframe images to the first frame, so examine its frame settings if animation or multiple pages are important.
Maximum Privacy
Maximum Privacy combines image reconstruction with automatic detection of faces, license plates, visible text, QR codes, and barcodes. It requires you to review the visual findings before sanitization.
This is appropriate when an image may contain sensitive information both inside the file and in the visible scene. Examples include photographs taken inside workplaces, images of people attending events, or pictures containing documents and vehicle plates.
The automatic detectors help identify areas requiring attention, but they do not decide which information is appropriate to publish. The required review remains an essential part of the profile.
Custom
Custom allows Pro and Enterprise users to select individual supported options rather than accepting a predefined combination. You can adjust metadata and auxiliary-content handling, reconstruction, color and transparency settings, visual detection, output format, destination, and verification preferences.
Custom is useful when a professional workflow has specific requirements. It also requires closer attention because an unsuitable combination of settings may change an image unexpectedly or be incompatible with its format.
Choosing the right profile
For a personal photograph that only needs location and camera metadata removed, Metadata Only may be sufficient. For general sharing, Standard is usually the best starting point.
Choose Rebuild when you want a newly constructed output rather than a conservatively cleaned version of the original container. Choose Maximum Privacy when visible information also needs automatic detection and human review.
For specialized photographs, including high-precision TIFF images or animations, Custom may be useful when you need to retain particular characteristics.
Regardless of the profile, inspect the completed image and its verification result before distribution. The profile describes how PhotoSanitize processes the file, not whether every visible detail is appropriate for its intended audience.