In all this, it is important to realize that there are several dates involved in this whole situation.
With regard to the file itself, there are of course (at least in Windows) the Date Created and the Date Modified. We most often see (and think of) the latter, but both exist.
Then, in the Exif metadata, there are the DateTime (sometimes spoken of as the metadata date/time), the DateTimeOriginal, and the DateTimeDigitized (both for the image) (which show up with different names in different reading applications).
Then when a file has been passed through Photoshop, it typically transcribes into the XMP metadata area these dates:
This is all based on the notion that, Adobe having invented XMP, nothin' counts if it ain't in the XMP.
So when we start adjusting dates, we need to be certain which ones we are adjusting, and when we see dates, we need to be aware which ones we are seeing.
Thanks for the post Doug. I started to post the same thing but erased it after I re-read it. Mine would have just added to the confusion.
You hit the nail on the head.
I've run into reading the wrong dates a few times and it can become very confusing to know what is what. In my experience different softwares can say they are showing you one date/time, but are actually showing you the wrong one. My solution has been to renumber images upon uploading and forget date/time altogether.
The last few weeks of Daylight Savings changes hasn't helped any with computers, clocks, cell phones and cameras all disagreeing with each other by one hour until this past weekend. PITA
White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
The utility ExifTool will allow you to change at will the following Exif metadata items:
• Modify date (the so-called "metadata date" - not the one for the file)
• Image original date
• Image digitized date
It will also provide for changing the file modified date to match the Image original date (as changed, if applicable).
It will not allow you to modify dates written into the XMP area by Photoshop. (It will allow modification of IPTC XMP metadata, and also IPTC IIM (legacy) metadata.)
Johan,
looked like great fix. IN lightroom I changed from 9/30/09 to 10/30/09, just as you said. So in lightroom they now say 10/30/09
But in Bridge Metadata the images still say 9/30/09. So I'm lost. Don't get it.
In Lightroom 2 you have to define in the preferences that date changes are written to proprietary RAW files. If you don't, the change will only be written to the XMP file inside the Lightroom catalog, so other applications don't see it. In Lightroom 2 you can find it in the Catalog Settings, under the 'Metadata' tab. I don't think that option exists in Lightroom 1 however. Time to upgrade!
Thanks Johan and Doug.
I have a small app reveal, that I think can do this, but I was hoping LR1 could do it, or maybe CS3 or 4, I guess not?
Doug, is exif tool for Mac?
Also, I'm trying to change the creation date. the date you see when the file is in PS and do a info on the file.
These are sometimes jpegs or DNG's hence often xmp is not an issue
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White Balance so easy, even our 5 year old can do it.- Melissa Strickland
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