Is it possible to identify the graphics program from the image?

Question

Is there a good way to identify (or at least approximate) the graphics program used to obtain a particular image? For instance, I want to know if there is a certain signature that these programs embed into an image. Any suggestions?

If not, is there a reference where I can find what all meta-information can be extracted out of an image?

Answer 1

Certain image file formats do have meta-data. It is format dependent. Digital cameras usually write some of their information into the meta-data. EXIF is what comes to mind. Images not acquired through a digital camera may or may not have relevant meta-data, so you can't consider meta-data of any sort to be a guaranteed reliable identifier. That's about as much as I can give as an answer, alas. I'm sure someone else may have more details.