Metadata and pixels edited in iOS and transferred to the computer

I always try to copy originals from the iOS device and edit metadata on the Mac. I tested different workflows to avoid mistakes.

There are some variations: edit metadata vs edit pixel data. And transfer via the default AirDrop settings vs AirDrop "All imageinfo" option vs via USB with Image Capture.

I don't import straight to Photos.app so I did not test it now. But I noticed that AirDrop "All imageinfo" option prompts to "Save to Downloads" or "Open in Photos" and they differ at least in that copying straight to Photos preserves the edited location while importing from a folder does not.

iOS now allows to edit metadata and/or pixel data:

a) If iPhone Photos Info "i" button is used to edit image or movie metadata (date, caption, location) in iOS 15.7.7, and the default AirDrop setting is used to send it to the Mac, then image ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal and movie Keys:CreationDate is the modified date but somewhat confusingly movie QuickTime:CreateDate remains the original date (a recent exiftool forum post wondering why on earth those movie dates were different prompted me to test this when I remembered léonie's note about AirDrop vs USB transfer differences). I have not tested but AFAIK via iCloud Photos library it is the same.

I now noticed that AirDrop has an "All imageinfo" option which always sends the original without any of those metadata edits.

Via USB to Image Capture the original is always copied without any metadata edits (date, caption, location) done on the iOS device.

BTW Caption goes to IPTC:Caption-Abstract and IFD0:ImageDescription (I wonder why Apple uses that old legacy ImageDescription tag).

b) On the other hand, if image or movie pixel data is edited on an iOS device ("Edit" button besides Info "i" button), the edited copies have a filename like IMG_E####.MOV (and there is also *.AAE adjustmentData sidecar file).

The original and edited version can be copied to the Mac via Image Capture. Via default AirDrop settings only the edited version is copied. Via AirDrop "All imageinfo" option it sends the original and pixel-edited version but both without any of those metadata edits (I'd expect the IMG_E####.* versions to carry edited metadata).

Such pixel-edited image has the original date in ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal.

Such pixel-edited movie has the original date in Keys:CreationDate and somewhat confusingly the edit date in QuickTime:CreateDate. In Mac apps (QuickTime Player, Photos.app) Keys:CreationDate overrides QuickTime:CreateDate.

I tested this also in Win 10 via VMWare Fusion and File Explorer > Apple iPhone > Internal Storage > DCIM > YYYYMM_ behaves the same as Image Capture in macOS.

I don't know if there is an AirDrop equivalent for Windows that would allow also date, caption, location edits to copy to the computer (also the edited IMG_E####.* do not copy edited metadata via Image Capture or File Explorer). AFAIK iCloud Photos in Windows should do that.