What is "Software" field in image file properties?

When we right click on a jpg, a modal "Properties" form pops up. One of the tabs is named "Image".

On this tab, for most of my jpgs I see the following property names: Image Type, Width, Height, Camera Brand, Camera Model.

However, for a few of my images, I see an additional line: Software. For example, one img I have has the Software property set to the following value: Shotwell 0.30.10. Does the Software property indicate that additional processing related to that software must be executed in order to render the image?

I am asking because this image (and others with this Shotwell "software" property) are doing strange things in different browsers. I have a Javascript setInterval() method that progressively changes an img width property (for zooming in or out). The code runs smoothly in Chrome, but in Firefox, images with this Software property are not rendering a the timer interval pace.

I can't recall for sure, but it seems plausible that I used Shotwell on this particular image to flip it. If I have to redo images and avoid Shotwell, so be it. But regardless, I am hoping to get a better understanding of what might actually be going on here, and what the significance is of having a "Software" property on an Image file.

Solution 1:

In addition to image type and dimensions, you may see metadata that are stored in a dedicated section of the file. "Software" give information about what software has worked with the file. The information will be there only if the software is designed to write out that information in the file.

That you have issues with files processed by Shotwell may indeed be related to how Shotwell handels the files, or perhaps even a bug. The metadata in that case have helped you to identify problem files. Rest assured, though, that the metadata serve no other purpose than to store descriptive, technical and administrative information information about the graphics file.