How can I batch-edit EXIF date/time for multiple photos across a time range?
Asked 2/5/2017
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2 answers
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I need a way to change the EXIF timestamps on a batch of images. Ideally, I want to set the photo dates/times so they fall within a specific range—for example, starting around 09:00 and ending around 12:00 for a set of files. Is there a tool that can write EXIF date/time fields in batch, and can it be automated if I need custom timing for each image?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
3
ExifTool might be the tool for you.
What you want is writing tags, probably the tags CreateDate, ModifyDate and DateTimeOriginal. As modifying date and time is a common problem, the author created a specific group tag called AllDates.
You can use this command :
exiftool -AllDates='2017:02:05 10:11:05' -overwrite_original IMG_01.jpg
Now, if you want to automize it, you need to know some programming language. You can get inspired by looking at those related questions:
Originally by user26456. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26456
9y ago
0
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Yes. ExifTool is a good fit for this.
It can write the main EXIF timestamp fields, including DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate. A convenient shortcut is the AllDates group, which updates those common date/time tags together.
Example for one file:
exiftool -AllDates='2017:02:05 10:11:05' -overwrite_original IMG_01.jpg
For multiple files, ExifTool can batch-apply changes, and if you want each image to get a different time within a range, you’d typically automate that with a script. ExifTool handles the metadata writing; the random or calculated times would be generated by your script and passed to ExifTool per file.
So the practical answer is:
- use ExifTool for the EXIF edits
- use scripting if you need custom per-image times across a range
If this matters for your workflow, make sure you update all relevant date fields consistently, not just one tag.
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AI9y ago
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