How to read image into base64 without losing EXIF data?

I'm trying to read one local image created with a different exif.Orientation based on the degrees that it was rotated.

const exifData = piexif.load(data.toString("binary"));

    // Set the desired orientation value in the EXIF data
    exifData["0th"][piexif.ImageIFD.Orientation] = exifOrientation;

    // Encode the modified EXIF data
    const modifiedExifBytes = piexif.dump(exifData);

    // Update the image buffer with the modified EXIF data
    const modifiedImageBuffer = piexif.insert(
      modifiedExifBytes,
      data.toString("binary")
    );

    // Write the modified image buffer to the output file
    const newPath = path.replace("binary.", "binary-rotated.");
    fs.writeFileSync(newPath, modifiedImageBuffer, {
      encoding: "binary",
    });
    const imageFile = fs.readFileSync(newPath);
    const base64Data = Buffer.from(imageFile).toString("base64");

But, my base64Data is constantly losing the EXIF metadata. Can I read it in a different way? I need the base64 encoded with the exif orientation to make an API call.

Solution

The intention for this was processing OCR with google vision so was able to workaround this issue by:

Where data is my buffer.

Retrieving EXIF metadata Orientation from the image with piexif

// Reads EXIF data from the file
const exifData = piexif.load(data.toString("binary"));

// Get the angle to rotate the image by its EXIF orientation
// If the image does not have EXIF orientation, will be rotate to 0
let angleToBeRotated = getImageAngle(
 exifData["0th"][piexif.ImageIFD.Orientation]
);

Bake/Burn in image EXIF orientation with piexif

const bakedImageBinary = piexif.remove(data.toString("binary"));

// Write the modified image buffer to the output file
const newPath = path.replace("binary.", "binary-rotated.");
fs.writeFileSync(newPath, bakedImageBinary, {
 encoding: "binary",
});
);

Rotate the image with Jimp to the EXIF orientation

const image = await Jimp.read(newPath);

image.rotate(angleToBeRotated);

image.quality(90);

const base64 = await image.getBase64Async(Jimp.AUTO);

In that way, I can ensure the base64 created is rotated with the correct orientation. Hope this can give a north for anywho in the future. If I manage to find a better way to do that, will update this.