When I first came over from Firefox to Chrome, I spent some amount of time duplicating my browsing tools so that I wouldn’t have to change the way I browse too much. Now, it’s as easy as holding up a mirror because for every feature and add-on that Firefox has, the Chrome Web Store gallery can come up with something similar and in some cases even better. But then even the best laid plans sometimes go wrong.

Being a blogger and an editor there was one feature I missed. Firefox has a default image properties feature that gives you the basic dope on any image on a webpage. It is as easy as right-clicking on any image and selecting View Image Info. It is not even an add-on.

Strangely, Chrome lacks this feature, or let’s say that Chrome’s Inspect Element isn’t actually user friendly and is lacking when it comes to straight-up information. So, I guess it’s time to run to an extension.

Why Would I Want To Know About Image And Its Properties?

That’s also valid. After all, most us would be satisfied if the darned image just loads quickly on the webpage. If you belong to this category, stop reading. As a blogger, I sometimes need to know the dimensions of the image that has been used. Then there are file size limitations also. If you are interested in photography, a right-click tells you the EXIF information on a photograph (wherever it is available). Web developers literally need this sort of information in a snap.

So, if you need to know image properties like the actual dimensions of the image, the source URL, the file size, or the EXIF data, then head for the Chrome Web Store and take a second to download the Image Properties Context Menu Chrome extension. It is a very simple extension and this is how it looks when you right-click on an image:

A pop-up is displayed which displays the information as you can see in the screenshot below. Information displayed includes…

• The location of the image and the source URL which is the actual absolute path to the image on the web server.
• The dimensions of the image in pixels.
• The Alternate text of the image, the Data URI, and the image’s MIME type would be of interest to webmasters.
• The size of the image which is also a useful webmaster /editor tool because it shows at a glance if the image upload is within any prescribed image size guidelines.
• EXIF data is one of the data points that only comes in if the said image has any associated with it. Not all do as many image upload processes strip out the data to keep sizes in check. But when you get to see the EXIF data, it is the quickest way to know more about the way the photo was shot.

   

• Last but not the least, the display window also showcases the image with an accompanying slider which lets you adjust the size.

The Image Properties Context Menu is a very simple extension, and when one compares it with Firefox, it is richer in information. Firefox does not give you the EXIF data or the Data URI. I am still surprised that Google does not give these features as a default. But till they do, you can head to the Chrome Web Store and install the extension. Don’t miss it because it has also been featured on our Best Chrome Extensions page under Developer Tools. If you are a web developer, tell us if this extension is of use to you.