Exporting photo, keeping metadata.... STUPID APPLE!!!!

[snowatom]

How come people aren´t more upset about this ?

If I wasn't so deep in the Apple's ecosystem, I would throw my iPhone in the trash...

What kind of sick disregard to data discipline is Apple doing ???

How come it's impossible to export a photo or video, keeping the metadata "Date Created".

Every file, back from 2007 are now all from 2021... And yes I know that there is still a picture taken metadata. But not for video. Also, DATE CREATED, is still not changing just because I choose to get my photo out of the stupid Apple eco system.....

Please prove me wrong....

P.S. maybe I could have written this a bit more subtle, but I'm just to angry, and it needs to show.

/snowatom

 

[Slartibart]

If you export a photo in Apple Photos, Google Snapseed, Pixelmator Photo &Co. existing EXIF-data like e.g. the date it was taken or the camera model is maintained (at least on iOS/iPadOS 13-14.4). Metadata is even maintained when creating a panorama from a bunch of RAWs and then export the result as TIFF or whatever (see attached screen shot. PP on iPadOS 14.4)

I don’t do videos, somebody else likes to contribute (?)

EDIT: just recognised that you posted in MacOS... but you’re ranting about your iPhone... maybe you can kindly rephrase your problem? you talk about iOS or MacOS(x)? Or both? (Which version?)

 

[snowatom]

EDIT: just recognised that you posted in MacOS... but you’re ranting about your iPhone... maybe you can kindly rephrase your problem? you talk about iOS or MacOS(x)? Or both? (Which version?)

Well My iPhone takes the pictures and saves them in iCloud. If I had a camera, I would just pop-out the SDcard, no problem. But now I have to get them down from iCloud og Photo from Mac, and that causes major issues.

 

[Slartibart]

Well My iPhone takes the pictures and saves them in iCloud. If I had a camera, I would just pop-out the SDcard, no problem.

well, still angry? 🤓 Aaaaanyway:
I guess your problem is that on system level the photos you downloaded have a file creation date which is the export date and not the date on which a photo was taken?

So: Can you kindly check with this tool for a photo you have taken with your iPhone and downloaded from iCloud wether EXIF data is included?

If yes:

1. Download and install Photo Exifer on your Mac. Adjust it’s preferences (particularly the storage option).

2. Import download iCloud photos into Photo Exifer

3. Select photos in the Photo Exifer, and click the Quick Action button, then choose the "Copy exif date to the create date" menu item.

This is indeed tedious, “eats” time and temporarily drive space and Apple probably should implement some option for the iCloud export - one can suggest it here. 😎

Maybe simply using a different solution to manage your photos on your Mac is the easier solution? Adobe’s Bridge, darktable... just to mention 2 free options...

 

[snowatom]

I found a tool, and fixed it by simple commands.

For Video:
exiftool -v "-MediaCreateDate>FileCreateDate" *
exiftool -v "-MediaCreateDate>FileModifyDate" *


For Photo:
exiftool -v "-DateTimeOriginal>FileCreateDate" *
exiftool -v "-DateTimeOriginal>FileModifyDate" *

But that still does not excuse Apple for such a stupid thing. Every other OS system handles it just fine. Even Apple's own iCloud Sync for Windows, which sadly is way to slow and buggy. So even though it got that one thing right, it does every other thing wrong.

Just for comparison. If I upload a photo to my NAS, or any other website, and download the photo using the web, just like one would in iCloud, the Created and Modified Date stays untouched, as the file simply is untouched.

This is just a stupid way of handling files, and it messes up the hash value, for other jobs like Robocopy, that sees the file as new ones (as they are, but shouldn't be).

Apple should be ashamed of this.

 

[snowatom]

Just a short update... Apple screws with the video data much more than I noticed at fist. There are a lot more tags that needs changing. And to ensure timezone is correct, you also need to use another parameter "-api QuickTimeUTC".

Also made the photo command contain both needed changes..

For Video:
exiftool -v -api QuickTimeUTC "-CreationDate>FileCreateDate" "-CreationDate>FileModifyDate" "-CreationDate>CreateDate" "-CreationDate>ModifyDate" "-CreationDate>TrackCreateDate" "-CreationDate>TrackModifyDate" "-CreationDate>MediaCreateDate" "-CreationDate>MediaModifyDate" *

For Photo:
exiftool -v "-DateTimeOriginal>FileCreateDate" "-DateTimeOriginal>FileModifyDate" *

Hope it helps all of you, if so, please give me a like 👍

 

[snowatom]

Well, its been a while, and the issue is still the same.

I have a friend who wanted to download some of his photos from iCloud to pass on to his daughter, and was pissed that it was converted from HEIC to JPG. I calmed him down, showing how he can download in original HEIC format.

But then he ran in to the issue in question, as all his photos where change to file-created-date at time of download. So now all the photos from the daughters birth back in 2006 is now in the timeline 2022, as the program and her iPhone uses file-created-date for sorting photos.

What advise can I give to a non-IT gifted guy, to make photos appear in correct order, when Apple choses to mess with the file-created-date ?

 

[NoBoMac]

Left as an exercise, but something along these lines. Exiftool to extract/format date and call "touch" command.

But that might not work: not sure if will use import date or file timestamp. But should be easy enough to whip up a small test case.