Created Date problem

[javiavid]

I need help with the write-back metadata option.

Last night I used the "metadata write back for all pending files" option. Today I have been reviewing and the creation date of the files has been changed for today.
I have detected 3700 files with the date changed, the vast majority are videos, the change was in the xmp, not in the original file. But about 300 files were jpg that if its creation date was modified.

Luckily I have everything in a NAS ...

I explain the complete process I did in case I am doing something wrong.
-Import my collection from lightroom (30,000 files approx.)
-Check in collections / pending metadata write-back and mark me 17,000 files.
-I left him working all night
-Now I have the dates changed

I tried to restore a database from a backup yesterday before using this option. When you open the database everything is correct, but imatch starts reading metadata and changes the dates again.

-Is it possible to cancel this reading and use the one in the database to overwrite XMP of the changed videos and jpg?
-Why when I import from the lightroom database does the program tell me that I have to write back 17000 files?

Thank you

[Mario]

I'm not sure that I can follow...

What do you mean by "creation date." One of the metadata dates? The "file created" timestamp in the file system?

I guess the problem are your video files and that they don't contain a usable timestamp. See How IMatch uses Date and Time Information

If a file has absolutely no usable timestamp for the XMP dates IMatch manages (and which it shows in the MD Panel and also uses for the FileDateTime) IMatch falls back to the "last modified on disk" timestamp as reported by Windows. If you don't update the XMP dates in IMatch to something "real" and you later modify the file in IMatch or elsewhere, this timestamp will change - because the "last modified" timestamp of the file changes.

But this should not happen for video files, unless IMatch / ExifTool has updated your video files. ExifTool does not write changes to many video formats, although support has got better over the past month.

Hence:

More details. Which date to you mean? What does the Metadata Panel show? Where does the data come from (see link above).
Some videos may contain QuickTime metadata which may (!) contain some usable dates. Or not.
So many variables, not much info to work with.

Upload a sample video and include a link in your reply. This will answer many questions.

Video files are generally a major PITA because all the companies and organizations meddling with video formats only care for technology and patents, but they were never able to setup a usable metadata standard for video files which really works and is supported by all.

[javiavid]

I am restoring the complete library of files from the NAS and when I finish I will create a new imatch database regardless of lightroom database to keep calm in case there are more things modified.
I have all the metadata in the JPG files and the videos have their correct creation date in the file, especially I will lose the GPS location of the videos, but it is all well sorted by folders.
I do tests and I tell you if I still have problems.

Thanks Mario

[Mario]

videos have their correct creation date in the file

How so? Which metadata format do your video files (which format do you use?) and is this supported by ExifTool?

[javiavid]

When the video files do not have the correct creation date use advanced renamer, if you have the correct date in the file name.
https://www.advancedrenamer.com/

I think you use exiftool, it's in the installation folder. It is also portable and has a command line mode.
It is an interesting software.

[Mario]

I don't understand.

Do you know about the powerful integrated IMatch Renamer?
If can do probably anything the external software you are advertising and more.

[javiavid]

I've been with imatch for 5 days ... haha, I'm sure imatch has many interesting options hidden.
It is what I like most about imatch, I see it very customizable and with many interesting details.
I will try it.

[Mario]

Start with this help topic:Visual Index

[javiavid]

Is Renamer just to rename files or is it able to read the file name and change the creation date?

For example:
Original
2018-05-04 10-43.mov
Created date: 2011/05/12 14:15

Add a string like this:
<Year> - <Month> - <Day> <Hour> - <Min>

Output
2018-05-04 10-43.mov
Created date: 2018/05/04 10:43

[Mario]

The Renamer renames files. It does not read file names to change metadata. You can use metadata to control the file names produced, though.

If you really have a video date as part of the file name, you can use a Metadata Template to produce a valid date from file name and copy it in a datetime metadata tag. XMP::xmp\CreateDate\CreateDate would be the best target.

Since Metadata Templates use Variables as the source you can extract individual sections of the file name as needed to produce the proper YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS ISO standard format used by IMatch and ExifTool. Running your template then would use the file name of all selected files to set the XMP date. Easy, only needs to be done once.

Of course you could just set the date of your video files in the IMatch Metadata panel and be over with.
This stores whatever date you want into the XMP data, updates the IMatch FileDateTime attribute which is used for many things including the timeline etc.

[javiavid]

Thanks for the info.
Although the program I suggest changes the date in the original file, with mp4 it works perfectly. If they work with exiftool maybe it can also be done in imatch.

XMP files seem like a good idea for video metadata problems, but maybe there are programs that don't read them, so I always try to use metadata inside if possible.

[jch2103]

XMP files seem like a good idea for video metadata problems, but maybe there are programs that don't read them, so I always try to use metadata inside if possible.

Unfortunately there are (many/most) programs that don't read internal video metadata either. As Mario says, video metadata is a mess.

[Mario]

Thanks for the info.
Although the program I suggest changes the date in the original file, with mp4 it works perfectly. If they work with exiftool maybe it can also be done in imatch.

ExifTool has only limited support for writing video files and I still don't know what you consider as the "date in the original file"´- because most videos have none. Except some fragment QuickTime metadata perhaps.
You are not providing any of the information requested so we cannot help you further.

[javiavid]

I mean I like to try to make the metadata in the original file and not in an external XMP file.
In the attached you can see a video that originally did not have the correct creation date (it is a transcoded file), with Advanced Renamer is possible to change it, but I am not sure if this can be done by exiftool.

[Mario]

There are the file system timestamps, managed by Windows.
They will change when you modify the video file. IMatch does not manipulate these timestamps, this is not metadata.

[javiavid]

Thanks Mario, I was wrong about the metadata.

I see that the videos on mp4 that I thought had metadata inside mp4 is not real. I was simply modifying the creation date of the file, not the metadata.
iMatch and Lightroom when they do not have metadata in a file use that value as the capture date to use it in the database, right?

[Mario]

iMatch and Lightroom when they do not have metadata in a file use that value as the capture date to use it in the database, right?

Not necessarily, for IMatch. This depends on whether or not the file has usable date and time information. See the corresponding link in my very first reply to your question.