EXIF tag · -

SensingMethod

Sensor type, e.g. one-chip colour area sensor.

0x9217
Tag ID (37399 decimal)
-
IFD / group
no
Data type
EXIF
Table

What SensingMethod means#

Sensor type, e.g. one-chip colour area sensor.

Defined values#

ValueMeaning
1Monochrome area
2One-chip color area
3Two-chip color area
4Three-chip color area
5Color sequential area
6Monochrome linear
7Trilinear
8Color sequential linear

Read, write and remove it#

# read
exiftool -SensingMethod photo.jpg
# all files in a folder, as CSV
exiftool -csv -SensingMethod -r ./photos > sensing-method.csv

In Python with Pillow:

from PIL import Image
exif = Image.open("photo.jpg").getexif()
value = exif.get(0x9217)  # SensingMethod
print(value)

Frequently asked questions#

What is the EXIF tag ID of SensingMethod?

0x9217 (37399 decimal), in the - directory.

How do I see SensingMethod in a photo?

Run exiftool -SensingMethod photo.jpg, or open the file's info panel in Lightroom, Photoshop, Windows (Properties → Details) or macOS Preview (Tools → Show Inspector).

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources