Nepenthe

Nepenthe removes identifying information from images before you publish them: faces, number plates, and the text and metadata that can put a stranger at someone's front door. HOW IT WORKS Open a photo. Nepenthe proposes the faces, number plates and sensitive text it finds, and you confirm or remove each one — and draw over anything it missed. Nothing is written until you have looked. The redaction is destructive. Covered pixels are removed and a new file is encoded: no layers, no overlays, nothing recoverable underneath. Your original file is never modified, so you finish with two files. Then every export is verified. The written file is read back and scanned again, and if anything is still detectable the file is held back and you are told what remains. METADATA REMOVED BY DEFAULT EXIF, GPS, XMP and IPTC are removed on export, in the free version, always. So are EXIF thumbnails and HEIC auxiliary images — the hidden copies that have leaked redacted content before. If a RAW original or a sidecar file travels with your photo, Nepenthe tells you rather than leaving it behind quietly. If you open a Live Photo, Nepenthe redacts and exports the still picture alone, and tells you plainly that the moving part was not touched. FREE • Unlimited single-image redaction, full resolution, no watermark • Automatic face detection • Rectangle and freehand regions • Metadata removal and hidden-copy handling • Verification after every export • PNG and JPEG export PRO — one-off purchase, no subscription, on every platform • Automatic number-plate detection • Text redaction by search term, pattern, or detected type: email addresses, phone numbers, card-like numbers, API keys • Batch folders with a review grid (Mac) • Saved detection profiles • HEIC and TIFF export, with quality control • Shortcuts actions — which still route through review (Mac) Pro buys automation, volume and breadth. A free export is exactly as thorough as a Pro one. ON YOUR DEVICE Processing happens entirely on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. No image is uploaded or transmitted, and there is no account. WHAT THIS APP CANNOT DO Detection is not perfect. Faces in profile, faces in reflections, partly hidden number plates and unusual text can all be missed. That is why every proposed region is shown for your review, why you can draw regions yourself, and why each export is re-scanned and reported. You are responsible for confirming the result before you publish it.