Possible to make Timeline use Date/Time original?

[sampson]

For the attached image, under Timeline, it is shown under 2017/08/15 .

From exiftool output, it has a Date/Time original of 2009/01/16

Can I make Timeline to use Date/Time original if available?

MODERATOR: Junk data removed from post and attached.

Please do not include large bulks of data in your posts. This fills the community search engine with junk and makes it harder to use for everyone.
We have an attachment function you can use for that.

This once I have converted your ExifTool dump into a text file and attached it.

[Mario]

IMatch uses the File.DateTime value for the time line. This value is derived from the data in your file as explained in How IMatch uses Date and Time Information This cannot be changed by the user.

[sampson]

My file do have a Date/Time original, as the help document said it will be used.

But not here.

[sinus]

For the attached image, under Timeline, it is shown under 2017/08/15 .

Here it is under 2009-januar-16, see attachement.

[Mario]

My file do have a Date/Time original, as the help document said it will be used.
But not here.

Your file contains this metadata:


[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2009:01:16 08:27:23
[ExifIFD]       Create Date                     : 2009:01:16 08:27:23


The dates are both the same.

This is the data used by IMatch to fill the corresponding XMP data (in the Metadata Panel), the IMatch FileDateTime attribute used for the timeline and the {File.DateTime} variable.
I checked all this and IMatch is performing perfectly.

[Mees Dekker]

I may have a simular problem. Quite a few pictures are shown in the timeline on a wrong date. The attached file is just one example of this "problem".

The attached file has a number of date/time stamps. This file is the result of an original picture taken in CR2, postprocessed for the first time (to get an jpg) and postprocessed for the second time (to make it smaller). The CR2-file and the first postprocessing are still available and could be uploaded if needeed. The original date of (taking) the picture is 08-09-2019. When back at home from this trip, I postprocessed the file in PS (original picture was in CR2) on 18-09-2019. A further postprocessing took place on 27-02-2020.

Metadata-panel in IMatch shows the following composite timestamps:

• GPSDateTime is 08-09-2019,
• Composite createdate is 18-09-2019,
• Modifydate is 27-02-2020.

In some peculiar way, the modifydate or the createdate are used for displaying the pictures in the timeline. So the 3 pictures are displayed on 3 different dates in the timeline, but all should be shown on the same date in the timeline (which should be 08-09-2019).

Two questions now:

• Why are these 3 pictures shown in the timeline by their modifydate and not by their createdate?
• Is there a way to correct this? (rescan the image with "force update" or "Reload metadata" does not change the dates)

[Mario]

This file contains a variety of XMP timestamps here and there. Some EXIF, but nothing complete. Some XMP, but nothing complete.

Since it has no EXIF or XMP EXIF or XMP TIFF timestamps, ExifTool / IMatch settle on using the modify date and time to preset the date subject created and date created during import.
These are algorithms which need to work with a wide range of incomplete or fuzzy date and time information. The algorithm is several hundred lines and explained here: How IMatch uses Date and Time Information

I would need to check this in detail because I don't remember all the ifs and whens and thens in that code anymore. It is usually right.


To fix the wrong date, just enter a proper date in the Metadata Panel. IMatch then uses this for the timeline automatically.