What tools do investigative/OSINT journalists use to find images online by metadata or other traces?

Hi all — I’m looking to learn more about the tools and workflows investigative journalists, OSINT researchers, and verification folks use to trace images back to their origin or find related copies online.

Specifically, I’m interested in tools or methods for:

• Extracting and reading image metadata.
• Finding original sources or earlier versions of images.
• Identifying where an image has appeared online.
• Checking whether an image has been altered, reposted, or stripped of metadata.
• Working with geotags, camera data, or other embedded clues when they exist.

I’m especially interested in practical, real-world tools people actually use in investigations, not just general reverse image search. Browser tools, desktop apps, scripts, workflows, and any favorite techniques are all welcome.

If you use different tools for public images versus sensitive material, I’d also be interested in hearing how you handle privacy and operational security.

Thanks in advance — I’d appreciate any recommendations, examples, or lessons learned.