Can PNG files store a "Date Taken" value, and can ExifTool copy file modified time into it?
Asked 6/12/2015
8 views
2 answers
0
I want PNG files to show a date in Windows' "Date Taken" property. I’m using ExifTool and wondered whether PNG supports a usable date tag, and if so, how to copy each file’s modified date into that metadata field.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
10
What Windows displays under the "Date Taken" property isn't an embedded tag. It fills that property from a number of tags depending upon the file type. For example, for a JPG, Windows will use any of these tags: EXIF:DateTimeOriginal, XMP:DateTimeOriginal, EXIF:CreateDate, and the system FileCreateDate.
ExifTool can create an EXIF:DateTimeOriginal tag in a PNG for you, but Windows doesn't support reading EXIF data in PNGs. Most software doesn't as the EXIF standard in PNG files is only a few years old.
It looks like the tag you want to use is PNG:CreationTime. That shows up in Windows as the "Date Taken" property for me (Win 8.1). So your command would be:
ExifTool "-PNG:CreationTime<FileModifyDate" FILE/DIR
Originally by user37960. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37960
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, but with an important caveat: Windows’ "Date Taken" field is not a single universal EXIF tag. It maps that property from different metadata fields depending on file type.
PNG can contain EXIF in newer implementations, but Windows and many apps do not reliably read EXIF from PNG files. For PNG, the more useful field here is typically PNG:CreationTime, which Windows may display as "Date Taken".
With ExifTool, you can copy the file’s modified time into that PNG metadata field using:
exiftool "-PNG:CreationTime<FileModifyDate" FILE_OR_FOLDER
This writes the PNG CreationTime from the filesystem modification date.
Notes:
DateTimeOriginalis common for JPEG/EXIF workflows, but it may not help for PNG in Windows.- PNG metadata support is less consistent across software than JPEG or TIFF.
- If you need broader metadata compatibility in a lossless format, TIFF is often better supported.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I set a file’s modified date to the photo’s original capture date with ExifTool?
How can I set a PNG's "Date Taken" from its filename using ExifTool?
Why does Lightroom Classic keep showing “metadata has been changed” after saving metadata to file?
How do I use ExifTool in PowerShell only when DateTimeOriginal is missing?
How can I organize photos and videos into date folders using the file modification date on Windows?