I have a collection of 4000 camera photos stored in the Photos app on MacOS. I now want to export them from Photos to a folder on my computer. It is very important to me that they retain their original "created date" - preferably retaining all the original metadata. Is there a way to do this?
/stocke
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.4
There are two sets of metadata that are associated with an image file:
1 - EXIF metadata which is embedded in the file by the camera and travels unchanged with the image as it's copied and moved about.
2 - the file metadata which included the file creation data which can change when the file is coped or moved between volumes (which is the same as copying).
The Finder only sees the file metadata except in the column view where it can see the EXIF metadata.
When you export a photo like this the EXIF and added IPTC metadata is embedded in the file:
There are two sets of metadata that are associated with an image file:
1 - EXIF metadata which is embedded in the file by the camera and travels unchanged with the image as it's copied and moved about.
2 - the file metadata which included the file creation data which can change when the file is coped or moved between volumes (which is the same as copying).
The Finder only sees the file metadata except in the column view where it can see the EXIF metadata.
When you export a photo like this the EXIF and added IPTC metadata is embedded in the file:
How are you checking the capture date after exporting out of the library?
Try opening the exported photo with Preview and check the metadata via the Inspector button:
The date digitized will be the creation date of the photo.
Thank you for your swift answer and fine explanation.
However I still do not see a way to export my photos so they retain their metadata. I have tried several methods and they are all given a creation date matching the export date. When exporting I can select an option to get a .xmp-file. Reading it in a text editor I can see the correct timestamp inside the file (in the code). But it's a separate file and not connected to the image.
My end result should be a collection of images stored in a folder, where I can do usual folder manipulation (like sorting based on capture date).
The actual metadata should be exported with the files.
The File System data will be the date the file was created (time of export).
The Finder metadata should contain content creation date metadata, and the file should contain the EXIF data if the photos was created with a camera which writes the EXIF data. Finder also stores the EXIF data in metadata.
Old Toad has provided a good way to check the EXIF data in Preview.
In Terminal, you can view Finder's metadata with the metadata list command,
mdls
Just type mdls, leave a space, and drag in a photo. Hit return.
On Monterey 12.5 (Intel), I can option drag and drop a DNG image from the Photos application to an arbitrary folder and the DNG image retains both its original Finder creation date/time stamp, and internal metadata.
If I click and drag that same image to the folder, then the Finder applies a current date/time stamp to the image while the internal metadata remains intact. Choosing the first Export > Export 1 file option also allows Finder to set the current date/time stamp to the image when exported to a folder.
If I click to select the same DNG image in Photos, and then choose Export > Export Unmodified Original for Export 1 and choose File Name: [ Use File Name ], Subfolder Format: [ None ] and click Export, then the original creation date/time is retained. Same result if I choose Export IPTC as XMP on that export panel.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I must say I have still not solved my problem.
Using the Exporting options provided by the app - the image creation date is the same as the export date.
Using the drag-and-drop method "kMDItemFSCreationDate" is used - which is not the same as "kMDItemContentCreationDate".
With your help, I have now gained a better understanding of the metadata. The capture date is carried on unaltered - but it's not visible in Finder. It lives deeper in the metadata. A little disappointing. I am leaning towards a command line solution, where the timestamp will be in the filename.
Once you have done your export, A Better Finder Attributes may be the solution to changing the file creation dates to match the original image created dates (EXIF DateTimeOriginal metadata). See this article for more information about how ABFA works with EXIF & file timestamps -> Embedded Image & Movie Timestamps & Dates and the ABFA manual.
There are apps that will edit the file data to match the Exif. This is one:
https://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderAttributes/index.html
I'd prefer this free solution instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNNbIWXdzk
A small tip:
I'd prefer this free solution instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNNbIWXdzk
is an excellent way to rename files. This suggestion is for editing the creation date. You're welcome
Move folders to folder with original capture date
