Export photo creation date

How does one preserve the original creation date on photos exported from iPhoto? My wife and I use different cameras and want to integrate our pictures. The only way to do so is by creation date. But when I export my photos from iPhoto the creation date of the photo is changed to the date I export the photo, not the date I took it. This should not be. Is there a way to fix it?

There are two kinds of metadata involved when you consider jpeg or other image file.
One is the file data. This is what the Finder shows. This tells you nothing about the contents of the file, just the File itself.
The problem with File metadata is that it can easily change as the file is moved from place to place or exported, e-mailed, uploaded etc.
Photographs have also got both Exif and IPTC metadata. The date and time that your camera snapped the Photograph is recorded in the Exif metadata. Regardless if what the file date says, this is the actual time recorded by the camera.
Photo applications like iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, Picasa, Photoshop etc get their date and time from the Exif metadata.
When you export from iPhoto to the Finder new file is created containing your Photo (and its Exif). The File date is - quite accurately - reported as the date of Export.
However, the Photo Date doesn't change.
The problem is that the Finder doesn't work with Exif.
So, your photo has the correct date, and so does the file, but they are different things. To sort on the Photo date you'll need to use a photo app.

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Hello experts: I'm trying to create an archival, file-based image storage structure outside of iPhoto 08 (7.1.5). When I use File/Export to add images to the archival file in the Finder, the resulting image is fine but the original creation date of the image is lost, being changed to a different, and later, date. I've tried ways of moving the image, including dragging, cut and paste, transferring the image to Aperture 2 and exporting, etc. and there's no joy. Any suggestions other than manual redos with A Better Finder Rename 8?
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Why do you think that the date is lost?
I suspect that you are confusing photos dates (stored in the EXIF data of the photo and viewable by photo programs) with the file dates which are viewable in file programs like the finder - the finder does not look at photo dates (EXIF) and photo programs do not look at the file date unless there is no EXIF data - the the file date is used by iPhoto
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When I export photos, the dates are sometimes changed

When I export photos from iPhoto, the date information seems to get lost for some of my photos. For example, I have an event with four photos taken on January 30, 2006. In iPhoto they show up with that date. When I export the original photos from the event, I get jpeg image files with a creation date of January 1, 2000, and with no date information in the EXIF data.
I understand that the creation date of the file may not be date/time that the photo was taken, but in that case the info should be in the EXIF data, shouldn't it? iPhoto has that data somewhere. How do I get it to export it?
This only happens with some of my photos, btw.
I'm using iPhoto '11, version 9.4.3.

If you changed the dates in iPhoto then when you did it you had the option to write to the Original. You could try that again, say, adding an hour to the time or somesuch, and this time check the box to 'Modify Original Files'.
Otherwise, exporting the originals will export precisely that... Tha files as imported.
Current has poor support for metadata. That's what you get from a media browser - so it's designed for dragging images into word processing documents or a casual email to grandma - in other words times when the exif doesn't matter.
If you export as Jpeg (or tiff) you should get the dates.
This User Tip
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921
has details of the options in the Export dialogue.

Export photos retaining date. time and other EXIF info

When I export photos to folders outside of IPhoto (so that these duplicates can be opened by folks who may not have Macs). I lose the time, date and camera information. How do I export JPGs that retain this info?

If you simply select the photos in iPhoto and export them (file menu ==> export) as JPEGs they will have that information in the EXIF fields within the JPEG - you can not see the EXIF data using the finder - you need a program like Preview or EXIF viewer - http://homepage.mac.com/aozer/EV/ - to view the EXIF data
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Wrong photo creation date

Hi,
I have just created a new intelligent album that should only contain photos from 1999. The creation date in the Finder's Get Info window is 1999. But as I worked on these pix yesterday in Photoshop as Aperture didn't recognize those old JPEGs at all, Aperture insists that these pix were created yesterday, not in 1999.
Is there any way to change the metadata manually so that A. recognizes the correct creation date?
Thanks a lot!
Peter

Can you not select the files in Aperture then go-to Metadata in the top main menu bar, then change Date and time. There is also a little button to click that says change master files. This works for me.

How can I change the file creation date?

I recently downloaded more than 1,000 photos from my vacation. I'm preparing to burn DVDs for a friend, and I noticed that when I copy the photos to the desktop, they don't all have the same date. I have read a couple of discussions here about the difference between photo creation date and file creation date, and I understand the difference. But something seems odd to me.
For purposes of illustration, let's take two photos: "A" was taken with the camera in the landscape position (how one normally holds a point-and-shoot); "B" was taken with the camera held in the portrait position (rotated 90 degrees). The photos were taken on April 24, about three minutes apart, but not imported into iPhoto until May 19.
In iPhoto, both files show the actual creation date. Yay!
The problem is with the files after having been copied to the desktop.
When copied to the desktop, the info panel for photo "A" shows April 24 for both the "created" and "modified" dates. Photo "B," however, shows May 19 for the "created" and "modified" dates.
Apparently, when the "B-style" photos were imported into iPhoto, the app automatically rotated them so that they are viewed correctly (without having to turn your head sideways). This is a very nice feature, but the result is that the file date changes.
Is there any way to change this? I want the DVD to show the date the photo was created, not imported to iPhoto. Picky, I know … but I'm like that.

Apparently, when the "B-style" photos were imported into iPhoto, the app automatically rotated them so that they are viewed correctly (without having to turn your head sideways). This is a very nice feature, but the result is that the file date changes.
Correct. Your camera has an Auto-Rotate feature. However, the camera does not actually rotate any pixels in the file, but instead flags it with an instruction: "Display me this way". This is a tag in the Exif metadata. When you import a file with this tag iPhoto creates a modified version. It does this because most of the apps that integrate with it - email clients, word processors etc - simply don't understand this Exif tag. So if you used the shot in a word processing doc, uploaded it to many Web site etc, the shot would come out sideways.
iPhoto has nothing to say about File dates. There are various file utilities that will edit the dates on Files
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11143/a-better-finder-attributes
for instance. But there are otheers, search on MacUpdate
Regards
TD

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How do I export photos in iPhoto 11 and keep the creation date for the exported photo?

There are two kinds of metadata involved when you consider jpeg or other image file.
One is the file data. This is what the Finder shows. This tells you nothing about the contents of the file, just the File itself.
The problem with File metadata is that it can easily change as the file is moved from place to place or exported. Emiled, uploaded etc.
Photgraphs have also got both Exif and IPTC metadata. The date and time that your camera snapped the Photograph is recorded in the Exif metadata. Regardless if what the file date says, this is the actual time recorded by the camera.
Photo applications like iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, Picasa, Photoshop etc get their date and time from the Exif metadata.
When you export from iPhoto to the Finder new file is created containing your Photo (and its Exif). The File date is - quite accurately - reported as the date of Export. However, the Photo Date doesn't change.
The problem is that the Finder doesn't work with Exif.
So, your photo has the correct date, and so does the file, but they are different things. To sort on the Photo date you'll need to use a photo app.
Regards
TD

Exporting photos with full meta data

Hi all, I'm trying to export some pics. I'm exporting them to a folder on my desktop, after the export I go to any of the pics and click CDM+I to check the info on the pics and it is showing the pic as having been created now, not when it taken. I would like to be able to keep the original data on the pic. What an I doing wrong ? I've tried several ways under file-export but always lose the date and time when the pic was taken, all other camera info is intact.. Thanks for any help.
Randy

Hard to recall when I last so so much incorrect material in a single post. It's quite obvious that you have little understanding of how digital photography works, the relationship between photos, files, Exif and IPTC metadata and how a Photo Manager works. Indeed, you seem clueless as to how the forum works too.
There is no bug in iPhoto. Yes you do get out what you originally put in, plus whatever you added.
First misunderstanding: A File is not a Photo. A file is a collection of data. The file has a creation date, a file has modification date. Neither of these things necessarily reflect the date of the Photograph. Simple example: When you copy a file from a camera to your computer a +new file is made+. That's a simle fact. One file cannot be both on your camera and your computer.
To overcome this difficultly Exif metadata was created. This is part of the Photo. It records - along with a lot of other data - the date and time the Photo was taken. As you copy files this data is copied and so, even though the dates on the file may change the dates on the photo doesn't.
Exif is standard metadata supported by every camera manufacturer, every computer OS and any significant photo applications out there. Perhaps you should read up a little on it. It might help clear up your thinking.
Also an export might appear to fail when 90% done due to a volume error.
A volume error has nothing to do with Metadata, nothing to do with where you imported files from, nor indeed where the files are stored. This is utter twaddle. It's a bit like saying "If the children are in the back seat, the front wheel might fall off your car". Rubbish.
The Folder Structure of the Library - or indeed the one the files are imported from - matters not a single whit. A photo app gets +no information whatever+ about a photo from the folder it is in. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
Now as well as not understanding much about Photos, files and metadata, you demonstrate that you are equally clueless about iPhoto.
. You will see two folders named Originals and Modified and if you want to just bail on iPhoto and possibly retain some organization of your photos, you can just drag these out of the iPhoto library to your hard drive
Now there's an excellent way to lose lots and lots of metadata. For a start you lose any metadata you've added in iPhoto - titles, descriptions, keywords. The only way to get this data is to export from iPhoto. Really, there is never a need to enter the library in this way. What you suggests causes data loss and you might take the time to warn folks: "Oh by the way, doing what I suggest will cause dataloss."
The error people keep getting... is likely because the export combines all your photos into one folder,
Export will not do this +unless you tell it to+
and most people have multiple duplicate file names like 1.jpg or family.jpg etc.
Most people?
so iPhoto can't complete an export of "originals" and your only other likely option is to do an export in numeric sequence, which will likely lose all the original file names.
A really basic misunderstanding. This is a (very sensible) limitation of the Finder You can't have two files of the same name in one folder. One will overwrite the other and so you lose data. If you ask iPhoto to export two files of the same name to a single folder it won't do it as the second would overwrite the first. You wouldn't want that would you? So, your "bug" is a simple and sensible precaution against dataloss.
There are several possible naming schemes within iPhoto to avoid this problem, but the easiest is the one is sequential. Why? Because you can choose your Prefix. So, if you have two files called "Family" then you can give them the Prefix family and export sequentially. Result: two files called Family1 and Family2.
But all this can be avoided simply by not exporting into one large folder. If, instead, you export Event by Event (something that can be done manually, or automated with Automator or with a free 3rd party app) then the problem doesn't arise at all.
This IS a bug in iPhoto IMHO and there should have been a warning that you could lose all your original organization when doing a destructive "Import" and a warning that you will become locked into iPhoto without making tedious exports and renaming.
So, no bug, no need of a warning, no lock into iPhoto.
The problem with ignorance, as someone once said, is that it gains confidence as it goes along. And so, to your misunderstanding of how this forum works.
What these cryptic mods
Cryptic? Mods? No one posting here is a Moderator. We're all just iPhoto users. This is explained clearly in the Terms of Use you agreed to when you signed up to the forum. Read them sometime.
...is that your original photo metadata is still in the photo,
Oh but it is... see that whole Exif metadata thing above...
you need some third party program to read it.
No. For a start, on your Mac, iPhoto and Preview will read it. Whatever software came with your camera will read it.
Apple made NEW file dates when it imported them.
Yes. But as explained above, the photo date is not the fie date.
Regards
TD

How to Export from iPhoto 6 with Creation Date

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Loosing CREATION dates of pictures when EXPORTING

Hi,
When exporting pictures into other folders I loose the creation dates of these pictures. For the exported pictures I get the date of exporting instead of the dates when the pictures were taken.
Drag and drop doesn't help either.
Is there a way to keep this valid information for the exported pictures?
Thomas
Dual 2.7 GHz Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1.5 GB DDR SDRAM

Thomas
You need to distinguish between the FILE info and the PHOTO info.
The Finder quite correctly gives the creation date for the file: that file is created when you export the pic.
The Photo data is preserved in the EXIF information, and although the file is a copy, the correct EXIF data is exported along with the Photo.
For an example of an EXIF viewer check out EXIFViewer
Bear in mind, that if you have edited the photo it will reflect the date of editing in the EXIF data. If you want to the actual data you'll need to examine the Original File.
If you want to edit the Finder info on the File to reflect the EXIF data, there are several apps that will do this, including A Better Finder Attributes X . But there are others.
Regards
TD
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Hi Keith,
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Does this make more sense?
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I want to be able to export photos which keep their metadata/exif data, including the location data that is acquired when the photo is taken. I have location services turned on for the Camera app. When I view the photos in the Photos app it appears to have kept some location services because it accurately identifies the place the photo was taken. How do I export these photos so they retain that location information?
I have previously exported the photos by using the iphone and ipad as an external hardrive and just copied the files off the devices. When I open these photos in windows explorer they do not appear to have maintained more than the time the photo was taken. They do not show any location information in third party software like Picasa or Geosetter (My previous experience has been exporting images from a non apple camera and then syncing it with a handheld gps to update the exif data). I don't find syncing photos through Itunes very intuitive.
What are my options? What are the solutions? If you have a solution can you please explain a little about what is happening to the files and the metadata/exif data at each stage of the process.
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Export the project to iTunes
Copy the project file to your computer
Rename <File>.IMovieMobile as <File>.zip
Extract the contents of the .zip file
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(111457)

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John,
That was my problem! Thank you so much!
I was seeing the problem with the JPG files that were created by the Export command. Since I was later adding tags and keywords with Elements, I was concerned when all the shoot information was being wiped.
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Export photo creation date

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