Exiftool issue

Sometimes the exiftool module doesn't get loaded, and this is solved by restarting the application.
I can't reproduce the issue, which seems to occur randomly. However, this morning I managed to get a gif for an MP4 file:

https://i.postimg.cc/W1376nq3/MP4-2024-09-25-13- 09-36.gif

Reply to #1:
When Advanced Renamer starts, it will ask ExifTool which file formats it supports. If ExifTool doesn't respond, the integration will not work until the program is restarted. I often see that ExifTool takes a very long time to start. One reason could be that the author of the tool hasn't digitally signed the executable, resulting in Windows Defender spending more time doing more checks on first boot up. It is annoying, but it is difficult for me to speed up an external tool created by a different author. I can let the program wait longer, resulting in longer boot times for Advanced Renamer.
The only really good solution is to not use ExifTool at all and have as many metadata features implemented natively in Advanced Renamer. Which fields did you want to use through ExifTool which are not supported by the program itself?

Reply to #2:
In previous versions 3.xx, Exiftool was loaded "on demand" after opening ARen. Is it possible to load Exiftool after opening ARen, even in the new versions 4.xx?