Missing date in MOV files

exifzarko · January 06, 2015, 06:21:22 AM

Hello!

I am using Carousel by Dropbox as a service to store my pictures and videos. Everything is fine except that some videos (particularly the ones with the .MPG extension) are shown outside of the timeline and categorized as "missing dates" (please see the attachment). I do not know what "date is missing", since there is a creation date and the modified date written as metadata in each of those files.

Does anyone know if there is a solution to this problem (without converting the file to a newer file format)?

Many thanks in advance!

Cheers,

Zarko.

Phil Harvey · January 06, 2015, 07:11:45 AM

Hi Zarko,

I don't know what you were trying to show with your attachment, but I think the creation date and modified date you are talking about are from the filesystem, and not metadata in the file itself. Use "exiftool -G1" to see where the tags are coming from. "System" tags are not metadata in the file. It could be that your software is correct, and there is no date/time metadata in the file.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 06, 2015, 05:22:01 PM

Thanks Phil!

I did what you told me and got the following result (in a screenshot):

======== ./MOV03521-1.MPG
[ExifTool] ExifTool Version Number : 9.79
[System] File Name : MOV03521-1.MPG
[System] Directory : .
[System] File Size : 25 MB
[System] File Modification Date/Time : 2015:01:06 23:04:28+01:00
[System] File Access Date/Time : 2015:01:06 23:01:01+01:00
[System] File Creation Date/Time : 2015:01:06 23:01:01+01:00
[System] File Permissions : rw-rw-rw-
[File] File Type : MPEG
[File] MIME Type : video/mpeg
[MPEG] MPEG Audio Version : 1
[MPEG] Audio Layer : 2
[MPEG] Audio Bitrate : 64 kbps
[MPEG] Sample Rate : 32000
[MPEG] Channel Mode : Single Channel
[MPEG] Mode Extension : Bands 4-31
[MPEG] Copyright Flag : True
[MPEG] Original Media : True
[MPEG] Emphasis : None
[MPEG] Image Width : 640
[MPEG] Image Height : 480
[MPEG] Aspect Ratio : 1:1
[MPEG] Frame Rate : 30 fps
[MPEG] Video Bitrate : Variable
[Composite] Image Size : 640x480
1 image files read
1 files could not be read
File not found: exiftool
<-END-

You are right about the file system dates, but why are those dates not good enough for Carousel? Where should other dates be written and how could this be done?

Thanks a million for your help!

Regards,

Zarko.

Phil Harvey · January 06, 2015, 07:04:06 PM

Quote from: exifzarko on January 06, 2015, 05:22:01 PM
why are those dates not good enough for Carousel?

You're asking the wrong person. I can answer questions about ExifTool.

QuoteWhere should other dates be written and how could this be done?

Hmm. Looking at the MPEG tags documentation, there don't seem to be any date time tags that ExifTool recognizes in MPEG videos. So you may need to convert them to a newer format as you first mentioned.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 07, 2015, 03:43:41 PM

Dear Phil!

You were my last hope...I was hoping you would pull off some kind of a magic exiftool script line that would "insert a date" in the MPG file, but now I understand that it is impossible and that it is actually a limitation of the MPG documentation itself :-(

Thanks for your feedback anyway.

Cheers,

Zarko.

P.S. Would you know what file format would be best to convert this MPG file (I would like to retain everything and have the time tag associated).

Phil Harvey · January 07, 2015, 07:51:01 PM

I believe there are various container formats that may support the MPEG codec, and so the video may not require recoding, but I'm no video expert. I would recommend you look into MP4.

- Phil

StarGeek · January 07, 2015, 09:29:26 PM

You might take a look over at VideoHelp.com. I noticed that there were a couple of threads where people suggested that you might be able to remux your mpg into a mkv or mp4. Basically just changing the container and not having to recompress it. For example, check this thread.

This is not something I've done, so I don't know how well it would work.

exifzarko · January 08, 2015, 09:14:38 AM

Thanks guys!

I have tried remuxing it but have not succeeded. Seriously, I thought it would be a piece of cake to add the date into the metadata and now even the conversion does not help :-( I do not believe that mp4 files do not allow change of metadata once the conversion has been done.

Phil Harvey · January 08, 2015, 09:22:40 AM

ExifTool will write XMP to MP4 videos, and may be used to edit many of the existing date/time tags.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 08, 2015, 10:32:09 AM

Phil, could I please then ask you to guide me on how I could add a metadata date to the converted file?

Phil Harvey · January 08, 2015, 11:05:53 AM

The command could look something like this.

exiftool -createdate="2015:01:08 11:05:06" some.mp4

- Phil

exifzarko · January 08, 2015, 12:52:52 PM

Perfect Phil!!! It worked (I tested it on the converted mp4 file).

Do you know what command should be used for the MOV files?

As you can see from the log below (line in bold red) the command changed the "createdate", but the other dates seem to dictate the ball game in this MOV file (photo taken by iPhone). What parameter should be changed: media create date, content create date or something else? Please write me a command of what you think it will work! Thanks in advance!

ExifTool Version Number : 9.79
File Name : novi.mov
Directory : S:/test
File Size : 5.0 MB
File Modification Date/Time : 2015:01:08 18:32:05+01:00
File Access Date/Time : 2015:01:08 18:32:05+01:00
File Creation Date/Time : 2015:01:08 18:23:55+01:00
File Permissions : rw-rw-rw-
File Type : MOV
MIME Type : video/quicktime
Major Brand : Apple QuickTime (.MOV/QT)
Minor Version : 0.0.0
Compatible Brands : qt
Movie Data Size : 5244910
Movie Data Offset : 36
Movie Header Version : 0
Modify Date : 2013:08:26 15:31:13
Time Scale : 600
Duration : 0:00:54
Preferred Rate : 1
Preferred Volume : 100.00%
Preview Time : 0 s
Preview Duration : 0 s
Poster Time : 0 s
Selection Time : 0 s
Selection Duration : 0 s
Current Time : 0 s
Next Track ID : 3
Track Header Version : 0
Track Create Date : 2013:08:26 15:30:58
Track Modify Date : 2013:08:26 15:31:13
Track ID : 1
Track Duration : 0:00:54
Track Layer : 0
Track Volume : 100.00%
Balance : 0
Audio Format : mp4a
Audio Channels : 1
Audio Bits Per Sample : 16
Audio Sample Rate : 44100
Purchase File Format : mp4a
Matrix Structure : 0 1 0 -1 0 0 272 0 1
Image Width : 480
Image Height : 272
Clean Aperture Dimensions : 480x272
Production Aperture Dimensions : 480x272
Encoded Pixels Dimensions : 480x272
Media Header Version : 0
Media Create Date : 2013:08:26 15:30:58
Media Modify Date : 2013:08:26 15:31:13
Media Time Scale : 600
Media Duration : 0:00:54
Media Language Code : und
Graphics Mode : ditherCopy
Op Color : 32768 32768 32768
Handler Class : Data Handler
Handler Vendor ID : Apple
Handler Description : Core Media Data Handler
Compressor ID : avc1
Source Image Width : 480
Source Image Height : 272
X Resolution : 72
Y Resolution : 72
Compressor Name : H.264
Bit Depth : 24
Video Frame Rate : 30
Camera Identifier : Back
Frame Readout Time : 32082 microseconds
Make (hrv) : Apple
Software Version (hrv) : 6.1.3
Content Create Date (hrv) : 2013:08:26 11:27:09+02:00
GPS Coordinates (hrv) : 45 deg 50' 30.48" N, 16 deg 3' 15.48" E, 132 m
Above Sea Level
Model (hrv) : iPhone 4
XMP Toolkit : Image::ExifTool 9.79
Create Date : 2015:01:01 12:05:06
Handler Type : Metadata Tags
Make (hrv-HR) : Apple
Creation Date (hrv-HR) : 2013:08:26 11:27:09+02:00
GPS Coordinates (hrv-HR) : 45 deg 50' 30.48" N, 16 deg 3' 15.48" E, 132 m
Above Sea Level
Software (hrv-HR) : 6.1.3
Model (hrv-HR) : iPhone 4
Make : Apple
Software Version : 6.1.3
Content Create Date : 2013:08:26 11:27:09+02:00
GPS Coordinates : 45 deg 50' 30.48" N, 16 deg 3' 15.48" E, 132 m
Above Sea Level
Model : iPhone 4
Creation Date : 2013:08:26 11:27:09+02:00
Software : 6.1.3
Avg Bitrate : 777 kbps
GPS Altitude : 132 m
GPS Altitude Ref : Above Sea Level
GPS Latitude : 45 deg 50' 30.48" N
GPS Longitude : 16 deg 3' 15.48" E
GPS Position : 45 deg 50' 30.48" N, 16 deg 3' 15.48" E
Image Size : 480x272
Rotation : 90
-- press any key --

Phil Harvey · January 08, 2015, 01:00:54 PM

The command for MOV files is the same.

The command to change other date/time tags is the same, but just use the other tag name instead of CreateDate.

See FAQ 2 for help with this.

Also, you can write as many tags as you want in a single command.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 09, 2015, 07:42:51 AM

Thanks Phil! I have realized that it is even better to use the m4v format for the file conversion, as it does not require additional tagging and is correctly displayed in the iOS/carousel timeline :-)

Cheers!

exifzarko · January 14, 2015, 09:38:40 AM

Hi Phil! Could it be that the MKV format is not supported by EXIFTOOL? I have tried using the same command as for MP4 files (exiftool -createdate="2014:09:23 11:05:06" mov03521.mkv), but it seems as if MKV file inherits the "absence of createdate" from the remuxed MPG1 inside of MKV.

Phil Harvey · January 14, 2015, 09:48:42 AM

ExifTool does not yet have MKV write support. See the Supported File Types on the ExifTool home page for a complete list.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 14, 2015, 09:54:05 AM

Thanks for a quick answer! Regards, Zarko.

exifzarko · January 15, 2015, 07:41:50 PM

Phil - one more question. If I have three MP4s that should be inserted a specific date in time, do I need to EXIFTOOL them one by one or is there a smarter way? My files are: MOV03521.mp4, MOV03552.mp4, MOV03553.mp4 and I would like to EXIFTOOL them in the same alphabetical order to the same date but not the same time (e.g. it could be a difference in seconds or minutes in between them, it does not matter, as long as they are assigned different time tags). Do you know if it can be done and by what command?

Phil Harvey · January 15, 2015, 09:07:41 PM

I recall a few threads in the forum with this exact question. Here is one.

You could do what you want with 2 commands. First set all the date/time tags to the same value, then increment them using FileSequence as in the thread linked above.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 16, 2015, 01:00:54 PM

It's magic :-) Thanks for the tip as well as for the link. I succeeded in inserting the same 'createdate' in all mp4 files (exiftool -createdate="2014:09:23 11:05:06" *.mp4). Then I changed the time (exiftool "-createdate+<0:0:$filesequence" -ext mp4 s:\test). Now, the files are having 1 second difference in 'createdate'. If I want to increase the time difference in between the files (e.g. 5 min difference or 1 hour difference, what parts in the command should be changed?

Phil Harvey · January 16, 2015, 01:11:56 PM

See the ExifTool Date/Time shift documentation for help with the syntax of the date/time shift string. The FileSequence tag is an Extra tag, and the +< is used to add to the date/time value (ie. shift) from a string containing the values of other tags (ie. the -tagsFromFile redirection feature).

But reading my explanation above, I suspect that I may have just muddied the waters for you. I was trying to teach you how to fish, but instead maybe I'll just throw you a couple of fish...

1) A 5 minute difference:

exiftool "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -ext mp4 s:\test

2) A 1 hour difference:

exiftool "-createdate+<filesequence" -ext mp4 s:\test

- Phil

exifzarko · January 17, 2015, 12:19:33 PM

I appreciate the fish

)) Thanks a lot Phil!

exifzarko · January 17, 2015, 12:55:40 PM

Phil, would it be possible to create a sidecar/xmp for the original MPG file? What I am aiming at is to trick or rather help Carousel to position the MPG file in the timeline according to the same-named xmp file? It is a long shot but I would still like to try it. Does EXIFTOOL offer that possibility? Can EXIFTOOL create an empty XMP file and then populate the createdate field with this command: exiftool -createdate="2014:09:23 11:05:06" mov03521.xmp?

Phil Harvey · January 17, 2015, 02:59:26 PM

ExifTool can do that too. read here for details.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 17, 2015, 05:31:04 PM

That's great Phil! Unfortunately it did not work with Carousel :-( I think they can learn something from you :-) Thanks for the great support!

exifzarko · January 17, 2015, 06:58:12 PM

Phil, could you please explain this phenomenon: I have EXIFTOOLed my MP4 files and they should now have the correct createdate (but in reality they do not - they are shown with one hour difference! This difference (timestamp) is only shown in Carousel and not in EXIFTOOL). I guess either Carousel is misreading the EXIFTOOL createdate or we should have indicated during the conversion that the createdate should be formatted in the Central European Time (Zagreb). The still photo and the video should be next to each other in the timeline, but they are not, since there is an hour of difference that I do not have an explanation for. Here is an EXIFTOOL info about the still photo: ExifTool Version Number : 9.79
File Name : 2014-09-19 10.43.34.jpg
Directory : E:/Users/Owner/Desktop/test
File Size : 805 kB
File Modification Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:50:11+01:00
File Access Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:50:10+01:00
File Creation Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:50:10+01:00
File Permissions : rw-rw-rw-
File Type : JPEG
MIME Type : image/jpeg
JFIF Version : 1.01
Exif Byte Order : Little-endian (Intel, II)
Image Description :
Make : SONY
Camera Model Name : DSC-H50
Orientation : Horizontal (normal)
X Resolution : 72
Y Resolution : 72
Resolution Unit : inches
Modify Date : 2014:09:19 10:43:34
Y Cb Cr Positioning : Centered
Exposure Time : 1/125
F Number : 3.5
Exposure Program : Portrait
ISO : 160
Exif Version : 0221
Date/Time Original : 2014:09:19 10:43:34
Create Date : 2014:09:19 10:43:34
Components Configuration : Y, Cb, Cr, -
Compressed Bits Per Pixel : 4
Exposure Compensation : 0
Max Aperture Value : 2.7
Metering Mode : Multi-segment
Light Source : Unknown
Flash : On, Return detected
Focal Length : 22.1 mm
Face Info Offset : 72
Sony Date Time : 2014:09:19 10:43:34
Sony Image Height : 1080
Sony Image Width : 1920
Faces Detected : 1
Face Info Length : 32
Meta Version : DC5303320222000
Face 1 Position : 420 1338 384 384
Creative Style : Standard
Macro : Off
Focus Mode : AF-C
AF Area Mode : Face Tracking
AF Illuminator : Auto
JPEG Quality : Standard
Flash Level : Normal
Release Mode : Normal
Sequence Number : Single
Anti-Blur : On (Continuous)
Dynamic Range Optimizer : Off
High ISO Noise Reduction 2 : Normal
Intelligent Auto : Off
Flashpix Version : 0100
Color Space : sRGB
Exif Image Width : 1080
Exif Image Height : 1920
Interoperability Index : R98 - DCF basic file (sRGB)
Interoperability Version : 0100
File Source : Digital Camera
Scene Type : Directly photographed
Custom Rendered : Normal
Exposure Mode : Auto
White Balance : Auto
Scene Capture Type : Portrait
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : Normal
PrintIM Version : 0300
Compression : JPEG (old-style)
Thumbnail Offset : 9794
Thumbnail Length : 8643
Image Width : 1080
Image Height : 1920
Encoding Process : Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample : 8
Color Components : 3
Y Cb Cr Sub Sampling : YCbCr4:4:0 (1 2)
Aperture : 3.5
Image Size : 1080x1920
Shutter Speed : 1/125
Thumbnail Image : (Binary data 8643 bytes, use -b option to extr
act)
Focal Length : 22.1 mm
Light Value : 9.9
-- press any key -- An here is an EXIFTOOL info about the MP4 video: ExifTool Version Number : 9.79
File Name : MOV03521.MPG.mp4
Directory : E:/Users/Owner/Desktop/test
File Size : 11 MB
File Modification Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:51:00+01:00
File Access Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:51:00+01:00
File Creation Date/Time : 2015:01:17 23:51:00+01:00
File Permissions : rw-rw-rw-
File Type : MP4
MIME Type : video/mp4
Major Brand : MP4 Base Media v1 [IS0 14496-12:2003]
Minor Version : 0.2.0
Compatible Brands : isom, iso2, avc1, mp41
Movie Data Size : 11195248
Movie Data Offset : 48
Movie Header Version : 0
Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Time Scale : 1000
Duration : 20.16 s
Preferred Rate : 1
Preferred Volume : 100.00%
Preview Time : 0 s
Preview Duration : 0 s
Poster Time : 0 s
Selection Time : 0 s
Selection Duration : 0 s
Current Time : 0 s
Next Track ID : 3
Track Header Version : 0
Track Create Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Track Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Track ID : 1
Track Duration : 20.10 s
Track Layer : 0
Track Volume : 0.00%
Image Width : 640
Image Height : 480
Graphics Mode : srcCopy
Op Color : 0 0 0
Compressor ID : avc1
Source Image Width : 640
Source Image Height : 480
X Resolution : 72
Y Resolution : 72
Bit Depth : 24
Video Frame Rate : 30
Matrix Structure : 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Media Header Version : 0
Media Create Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Media Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Media Time Scale : 32000
Media Duration : 20.16 s
Media Language Code : und
Handler Description : SoundHandler
Balance : 0
Audio Format : mp4a
Audio Channels : 2
Audio Bits Per Sample : 16
Audio Sample Rate : 32000
Handler Type : Metadata
Handler Vendor ID : Apple
Encoder : Lavf56.18.100
XMP Toolkit : Image::ExifTool 9.79
Create Date : 2014:09:19 10:45:06
Avg Bitrate : 4.44 Mbps
Image Size : 640x480
Rotation : 0
-- press any key --

Is there a bug in Carousel that we should just ignore and re-EXIFTOOL the MP4 files with the negative shift of time (minus 1 hour). Then the createdate in EXIFTOOL would be: 2014:09:19 09:45:06 and in Carousel 2014:09:19 10:45:06? Or does EXIFTOOL have the capability to format the date in the Central European Time format (Zagreb)?

Phil Harvey · January 17, 2015, 08:34:34 PM

I think your problem may be solved if you write the XMP:CreateDate with a time zone. See FAQ number 5 if you need help with this.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 18, 2015, 09:58:56 PM

Thanks Phil, but it does not work :-( Unless I change the createdate deliberately wrong (exiftool -createdate="2015:01:17 22:38:06" test3.mp4) I could not see it properly displayed in Carousel as 2015:01:17 23:38:06. I followed your advice (https://exiftool.org/faq.html#Q5), but there seems to be something else defining the date other than createdate. To put it the other way, why does Carousel add 1 hour to my mp4 videos and is there anything EXIFTOOL can do to prevent it (like indicating the time zone). I have tried with this, but it did not help: exiftool -createdate="2015:01:17 23:38:06-01:00" test3.mp4. It seems as if Carousel is incapable of "reading" the additional parameters in the createdate (-01:00) and automatically adds +1 h to my videos (but based on what???). Here is the EXIFTOOL info: ExifTool Version Number : 9.79
File Name : test3.mp4
Directory : E:/Users/Owner/Desktop/test
File Size : 4.6 MB
File Modification Date/Time : 2015:01:19 03:54:40+01:00
File Access Date/Time : 2015:01:19 03:54:40+01:00
File Creation Date/Time : 2015:01:19 03:54:40+01:00
File Permissions : rw-rw-rw-
File Type : MP4
MIME Type : video/mp4
Major Brand : MP4 Base Media v1 [IS0 14496-12:2003]
Minor Version : 0.2.0
Compatible Brands : isom, iso2, avc1, mp41
Movie Data Size : 4775049
Movie Data Offset : 48
Movie Header Version : 0
Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Time Scale : 1000
Duration : 6.33 s
Preferred Rate : 1
Preferred Volume : 100.00%
Preview Time : 0 s
Preview Duration : 0 s
Poster Time : 0 s
Selection Time : 0 s
Selection Duration : 0 s
Current Time : 0 s
Next Track ID : 3
Track Header Version : 0
Track Create Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Track Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Track ID : 1
Track Duration : 6.30 s
Track Layer : 0
Track Volume : 0.00%
Image Width : 640
Image Height : 480
Graphics Mode : srcCopy
Op Color : 0 0 0
Compressor ID : avc1
Source Image Width : 640
Source Image Height : 480
X Resolution : 72
Y Resolution : 72
Bit Depth : 24
Video Frame Rate : 30
Matrix Structure : 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Media Header Version : 0
Media Create Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Media Modify Date : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
Media Time Scale : 32000
Media Duration : 6.33 s
Media Language Code : und
Handler Description : SoundHandler
Balance : 0
Audio Format : mp4a
Audio Channels : 2
Audio Bits Per Sample : 16
Audio Sample Rate : 32000
Handler Type : Metadata
Handler Vendor ID : Apple
Encoder : Lavf56.18.100
XMP Toolkit : Image::ExifTool 9.79
Date/Time Original : 2015:01:19 03:09:01+01:00
Create Date : 2015:01:17 23:38:06-01:00
Avg Bitrate : 6.03 Mbps
Image Size : 640x480
Rotation : 0
-- press any key --

exifzarko · January 19, 2015, 06:21:52 AM

Phil, one more thing - I have also tried to change the contentcreatedate (exiftool -contentcreatedate="2015:01:17 23:38:06-01:00" test3.mp4), but realised that EXIFTOOL does not write that piece of information. Could it be that it is the contentcreatedate, which defines the "real date of creation" and is there a way to deep scan the test.mp4 file with EXIFTOOL (in order to see all metadata info about the file, including the hidden info)?

Phil Harvey · January 19, 2015, 07:00:04 AM

I think these questions are all more appropriately asked in a Carousel forum.

Try the -v3 option to see all of the hidden metadata.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 19, 2015, 07:14:29 AM

Thanks, I just tried it, but it seems as if the -v3 command (exiftool -v3 test3.mp4) did not make the complete output in my win8 command prompt. It seems as if the output was cut - please see the attached .txt. Do you know how I can get the complete output out in the command prompt or in a txt file? FYI: I sent the feedback to the Carousel team and asked for support. No reply yet :-(

Phil Harvey · January 19, 2015, 08:20:37 AM

This is because of the scroll back limit in your cmd window. You could change these settings, but a better solution is to send the output directly to a text file:

exiftool FILE -v3 > v3.txt

Then open the file in a text editor.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 19, 2015, 08:51:19 AM

Thanks Phil! It worked, but unfortunately I could not locate the so-called ContentCreateDate within the extracted file. I guess it is even beyond the almighty EXIFTOOL :-(

Phil Harvey · January 19, 2015, 09:19:28 AM

From this output, I am guessing that Carousel is reading the QuickTime:CreateDate, and not the XMP:CreateDate.

In this case, try setting -api quicktimeutc=1 in your command when writing the date. It could be that Carousel is expecting the QuickTime date/time tags in UTC.

- Phil

exifzarko · January 19, 2015, 09:35:39 AM

I don't believe you did it and figured it out!!!! It works!!!! You're genius Phil!

exifzarko · January 19, 2015, 09:36:40 AM

And apology to the almighty EXIFTOOL, of course ;-)

exifzarko · January 20, 2015, 07:48:30 AM

Phil, something went wrong when I changed the date and then sequenced the files. I am probably to blame as I am not sure if I applied EXIFTOOL commands correctly. First I did this: exiftool -createdate="2014:09:19 10:50:56" -api quicktimeutc=1 *.mp4 and then this: 5-min time sequence: exiftool "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -api quicktimeutc=1 -ext mp4 s:\test. Needless to say, I created a mess, and I do not know how to correct it. Whatever I do, I cannot get the time right. I tried moving the part with "-api quicktimeutc=1" elsewhere in the command, but either I get the time in Carousel to be 09:50:56 or 11:50:56, but never 10:50:56. Could you please help resolve this nightmare?

Phil Harvey · January 20, 2015, 08:02:07 AM

Try this for your first command:

exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 -quicktime:createdate="2014:09:19 10:50:56+01:00" -ext mp4 .

- Phil

exifzarko · January 20, 2015, 08:48:00 AM

It works!!! Thanks a million Phil! The f****** files finally have correct dates and are displayed correctly in the timeline. Cheers!

exifzarko · January 20, 2015, 09:34:18 AM

Phil, when I now apply a sequence command (any of the below), I am getting a strange error by exiftool (warning sec too big...). Could you please correct what I am doing wrong? I have tried with three different options, but none of them worked :-( This s*** is driving me crazy!!!!

a) 1-sec time sequence:
exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 "-createdate+<0:0:$filesequence" -ext mp4 s:\test\

b) 5-min time sequence:
exiftool "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -ext mp4 s:\test\

c) 1-hour time sequence:
exiftool -createdate+<filesequence -api quicktimeutc=1 -ext mp4 s:\test\

If you could re-write the commands for the three examples mentioned it would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

Phil Harvey · January 20, 2015, 10:35:35 AM

It would be useful if you gave the exact error message. Your commands all look good, except that you don't need the "-api quicktimeutc=1" for commands a) and c), and you need quotes around -createdate+<filesequence in command c).

- Phil

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 05:10:23 AM

Thanks Phil! It works now. I cleaned my cache directory, deleted all the converted files, and started from scratch. No problem and worked like a breeze :-) I was not sure which "createdate" fields EXIFTOOL would actually fill out. I guess I need to run three EXIFTOOL commands one at a time: 1) exiftool -createdate="2014:09:19 10:45:56" *.mp4 (in order that the file gets the real createdate), then 2) exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 -quicktime:createdate="2014:09:19 10:45:56+01:00" -ext mp4 . (in order that the file get the encoded UTC createdate for Apple-centric programs) and finally 3) exiftool "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -ext mp4 s:\test (in order to sequence the files). Do you know if these three EXIFTOOL commands could be combined in one command and how would it look like?

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 05:48:13 AM

Or if it is not feasible, do you know if a Windows batch file could be set up that would execute these three commands one at a time?

Phil Harvey · January 21, 2015, 07:28:35 AM

I am fairly certain that your software is reading the QuickTime:CreateDate. (This is Apple-centric only because the MP4 format is based on the Apple QuickTime container.) The other ("real"?) CreateDate written by ExifTool is XMP:CreateDate, but my feeling is that this would not be as widely supported.

The single command to do this would be:

exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 -quicktime:createdate="2014:09:19 10:45:56+01:00" -execute "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -common args -ext mp4 .

Or in a .bat file, use the exact same command but replace the "." with "%1", then drag and drop the folder containing the images onto the .bat file.

- Phil

Edit: If you want to write both CreateDate tags, you don't need another command. Just drop the "quicktime:" from the command above, and both will be written (both with the time zone, as they should have).

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 08:07:56 AM

Thanks Phil - I am testing it now...You are absolutely right that Carousel uses the QuickTime:CreateDate. The reason why I would also like to have ExifTool's XMP:CreateDate is that is shown whichever program you use to examine the file and is not hidden as is the case with QuickTime:CreateDate. Last but not least, it bears the right time format with time shown in my time zone (for eventual reference later on in the future). Could you please tell me if it is possible to "squeeze" the ExifTool's XMP:CreateDate in the same command somehow?

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 09:10:13 AM

Phil, the combined command (exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 -quicktime:createdate="2014:09:19 10:45:56+01:00" -execute "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -common args -ext mp4 .) unfortunately did not work. Here is the message from the command prompt:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.2.9200]
(c) 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

S:\test\New>exiftool -api quicktimeutc=1 -quicktime:createdate="2014:09:19 10:45
:56+01:00" -execute "-createdate+<0:${filesequence;$_*=5}" -common args -ext mp4
.
No file specified
File not found: args
Warning: Sorry, filesize is not writable - ./MOV03521.MPG.mp4
Warning: Sec too big - 2932865 > 11647 when shifting CreateDate - ./MOV03521.MPG
.mp4
Warning: Sorry, filesize is not writable - ./MOV03552.MPG.mp4
Warning: Sec too big - 2932865 > 11647 when shifting CreateDate - ./MOV03552.MPG
.mp4
Warning: Sorry, filesize is not writable - ./MOV03553.MPG.mp4
Warning: Sec too big - 2932865 > 11647 when shifting CreateDate - ./MOV03553.MPG
.mp4
1 directories scanned
0 image files updated
3 image files unchanged

Could it be that it is impossible for ExifTool to write a tag and then at the same time create a sequence?

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 09:13:57 AM

I tried with both solution (command prompt and .bat) - same result :-(

exifzarko · January 21, 2015, 09:25:27 AM

But you know what works: creating a simple .bat file in which all three commands are lined up one after another) :-)

Phil Harvey · January 29, 2015, 07:01:54 AM

Sorry. It should have been -common_args on the command (I somehow replaced the underline with a space).

- Phil

exifzarko · February 03, 2015, 05:19:26 AM

You are right Phil - I have just tested it and it works fine. Though I still prefer to run a batch file with all three commands, as only then I get the EXIFtool createdate also written in. Apple's quicktime create date gets written in both cases (with your combined command line as well as in my batch file) and it is enough for Carousel to index it properly. However, I really like to have the EXIFtool createdate written. With the power of exiftool(-k) I can easily see the "real date", while the "hidden date" used by Apple gets used by Carousel and all are happy :-) Thanks and cheers, Zarko.

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