Exporting photos with full meta data

Question

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

Answer 1

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