Maintaining original date when exporting Photos uploaded to iCloud from another device

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Level 1

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Maintaining original date when exporting Photos uploaded to iCloud from another device

When I try to export photos from the Photos app on my Mac, and use the "Export Unmodified Original for _ photos" option, the file dates (date created/date modified) of photos taken on an iPhone are not the original dates, but (I think) the dates when the photos were uploaded to iCloud from the iPhone. Exports of photos taken on (Fuji/Nikon) cameras and imported into the Photos app on the Mac are fine and show the original date.

Similarly, if I go to the Photos app on my iPhone, and try to export photos (e.g. by using Airdrop), the same thing happens, but in reverse. For photos taken with a camera and uploaded to iCloud, the file date is the date of upload to iCloud, not the original date, while export files of photos taken on the iPhone show the original date.

Has anyone come across this issue? Is there a fix i.e. when exporting a file, to get the original date of the photo rather than when it was uploaded to iCloud?

I am running Photos 6.0 on MacOS 11.6, and have selected 'Download Originals to this Mac'. I am running iOS 15.0.1 and have selected 'Optimise iPhone Storage' and 'Automatic' for Transfer to Mac.

Posted on Oct 5, 2021 11:47 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

TonyCollinet

Level 7

23,861 points

Oct 5, 2021 1:48 PM in response to RLX97

Hi

You need to distinguish between the file metadata (information about the file) and the image metadata (information about the image in the file)

If you copy a file the copies creation date will normally be set to the date the file was copied. The image metadata inside the file (which you can view in preview with the inspector window, iptc tab) will show the image capture date.

Summary:

The File metadata is kept in the file system, and represents when that copy of the file is created or modified

The image metadata is kept inside the file, as exif and IPTC data. This won't change when you copy / move the file.

(Depending on your system version, if you export unmodified original from photos, you will usually get a file with the same creation date as the image) 

You can also see the two different dates in finder, as shown in the screenshot with finder in column view. This is from an image I exported from photos in july 2019 - so the file has been created and last modified then, but the content creation date is still showing 2011...

However, finder (which is a file manager) can only sort by file dates, not by the photo metadata. You need a photo app for that.

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Answer 2

Oct 5, 2021 12:37 PM in response to RLX97

The correct date should be in the EXIF metadata. If you want, you can copy it to the file creation & modification dates with 3rd party apps like GraphicConverter, Better Finder Rename (AFAIR) etc.

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Maintaining original date when exporting Photos uploaded to iCloud from another device

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