I exported pictures from Photos Version 8.0 (511.0.180) using export unmodified original, but the file exported had the current date and time. How to get around that? I used to be able to do that in my old MacBook, but I just got a new MacBook Pro and it doesn't allow it. Any idea? Really don't want to lose the original dates when the pictures were taken.
Thanks
The original date the photo has been taken will still be embedded in the EXIF tags of the photo and most photo applications will be able to show it to you.
Are you using iCloud Photos? When Photos is syncing photos to iCloud and from there to your devices, the creation date of the photo will be changed to the date, when the photo has been downloaded from iCloud, even for the unmodified originals. All the originals of my photos and videos in my iCloud Photos Library have lost original file creation date by now, but Photos is still showing the correct capture date for these items.
There is no way to export the photos from Photos with the original file creation date, even when exporting the unmodified originals. You can add the date back after exporting with third-party software.
The original date the photo has been taken will still be embedded in the EXIF tags of the photo and most photo applications will be able to show it to you.
Are you using iCloud Photos? When Photos is syncing photos to iCloud and from there to your devices, the creation date of the photo will be changed to the date, when the photo has been downloaded from iCloud, even for the unmodified originals. All the originals of my photos and videos in my iCloud Photos Library have lost original file creation date by now, but Photos is still showing the correct capture date for these items.
There is no way to export the photos from Photos with the original file creation date, even when exporting the unmodified originals. You can add the date back after exporting with third-party software.
I have Version 8.0 (541.0.120), Ventura 13.3.1, and after exporting unmodified original to a desktop folder Finder gives the original date listed in the Info window in Photos. I'm using an M1 Air, but that shouldn't matter, of course.
Open the exported image in Preview and look at Tools>Show Inspector> Exif to see how it lists the "Date Time Original" to see if that's been changed.
If it continues to not make sense, I'd restart the computer. If that doesn't help, I'd restart in Safe Mode.
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
The date changes, whenever Photos is downloading an original from iCloud - when we use "Optimize Storage" or are migrating the library to a new device fusing iCloud Photos, downloading a fresh copy from iCloud, or when we are syncing the same library with several macs or other devices. If an original, that a Mac is trying to upload is already in iCloud, iCloud has to solve conflicts between identical files from several devices and will keep only one for all devices. This may change the creation date on the other devices. It is not documented, as far as I know, but what I observed on my Macs.
And I am using my iPhone more and more for taking Photos. when I am travelling, it may take several days, before I can connect to a decent internet and sync the photos from my iPhone to my mac. Most iPhone photos are showing the date as the creation date, when they have been downloaded to from iCloud to my Mac, several ays after they have been taken.
léonie said: When Photos is syncing photos to iCloud and from there to your devices, the creation date of the photo will be changed to the date, when the photo has been downloaded from iCloud, even for the unmodified originals.
Wow! I did not know that! On my Mac, I only sync a "Favorites" library, so all my iCloud pictures are also in other Libraries, and I'm now very happy about that. But I just checked, and the dates on my old iCloud pictures are unchanged-- they are the original dates. When and how does this date change take place?
How to keep the original date when exporting from Photos?
