I have ~2600 photos in iPhoto '11 9.4.3 on a late 2006 iMac running OS X Lion 10.7.5. I'd like to import those photos to the existing Photos 6.0 library on my MacBook Pro mid-2015 running macOS Big Sur 11.4. When I export photos from the iMac library, I lose the original photo date, which is replaced by the export date. How can I preserve the original photo date? Thanks very much for your help.
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.4
Don't export them.
Copy the iPhoto Library to the MBP and simply open it with Photos. Now you have two Photos Libraries. These can be merged with PowerPhotos. Or, wait until the new OS is released in the Autumn and just import them over then. V7 of Photos allows importing from one Library to another.
On another note: Are you sure you're losing the date?
What export setting are you using?
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. You can see this using a photo application, or even just view it in Preview, using the Tools -> Get Info command. Is that Information there?
Don't export them.
Copy the iPhoto Library to the MBP and simply open it with Photos. Now you have two Photos Libraries. These can be merged with PowerPhotos. Or, wait until the new OS is released in the Autumn and just import them over then. V7 of Photos allows importing from one Library to another.
On another note: Are you sure you're losing the date?
What export setting are you using?
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. You can see this using a photo application, or even just view it in Preview, using the Tools -> Get Info command. Is that Information there?
Frankly, I would wait for macOS 12 Monterey to be released in the autumn, where you will be able to import directly from another Photos Library. Then you can import the edited versions paired with the originals and are able to revert to the original. All metadata you added will be preserved. And while you are waiting for Photos 7.0 with the capabilities of merging libraries, use Yer_Man's excellent advice to open your iPhoto Library in Photos for access to your older photos. And you will be able to check, if all photos and videos are compatible with Photos 6 and later, so you can convert problematic items to a more compatible format.
Instead of copying the entire library to the MBP, can I Show Package Contents, copy just the Originals folder, and import from that folder into Photos
Yes you can, but then you lose all the work you may have done on the images in the past: any edits, any aded metadata, any organisation.
If you import an original to Photos, is the date preserved? Were these photos from camera or from a scanner?
Yer_Man, this is very helpful, thank you. Instead of copying the entire library to the MBP, can I Show Package Contents, copy just the Originals folder, and import from that folder into Photos?
Re: export settings, iPhoto '11 offers these options: Kind (I chose JPEG), Quality (Maximum), Title and keywords (checked), Location information (checked), Size (full size), File Name (use filename), Prefix for Sequential (no selection) and Subfolder format (event name).
Pretty sure I'm losing the original date. I tried exporting and importing a handful of photos from 2008, and they all present in Photos with the export date and, in Years view, appear as part of the 2021 album. Finder > Get Info > General for the exported file on the iMac shows the export date, and there is no date shown in the More Info section where the camera make and model are displayed.
Thanks again for your help.
Export from iPhoto 9.4.3 to Photos 6.0
