Get time code from timed metadata track in QuickTime MOV

[doodspav]

I was looking at this SO post and it says that the still image from a Live Photo is at the timed metadata track's presentation timestamp.

Is there a way to get this presentation timestamp using ExifTool? (Or have I misunderstood the SO post?)
Currently I can just see the metadata track's value which is as described in the SO post:

Code Select Expand

Still Image Time                : -1

[Phil Harvey]

There is a note about StillImageTime here.  Use the -ee option to extract all the live photo info with the corresponding SampleTime values.  This information is largely a mystery, and I only have one live photo sample so far.  But if I get a chance maybe I can investigate this now because my wife just got a new iPhone.

- Phil

[Phil Harvey]

Wow.  What a pain in the ass to transfer photos from iPhone to my Mac.  Back in the good old days you could just plug in the USB, and drag the files acrosss.  The only way I could find out to do this now was this 10-step process: 1. Take the picture on the iPhone, 2. Open the picture in the Photos app, 3. Select the photo, 4. Click "Export Unmodified Original", 5. Click "Copy iCloud Link", 6. Open Mail, paste the link, and mail it to myself, 7. Open mail on my Mac and copy the link, 8. paste the link into Firefox (the URL doesn't work in Safari 14.0.3). 9. Download the .zip file. 10. Unzip the file to get the image.

Isn't progress wonderful?

It goes without saying that I won't have the patience to run through a set of test files like this to decode more of the metadata.

Comparing the two live photos with different key frames that I did download, it looks to me as if Track4:Duration in the live-photo MOV file contains the time of the key frame.  There were no other significant differences that I could see in the metadata between these two photos.  The SampleTime values were both 0, so my previous post wasn't helpful.

- Phil

[wywh]

I usually connect the iPhone via USB to the Mac, launch /Applications/Image Capture and import all or selected images and movies, and the usually delete them from the iPhone with Image Capture (or first make sure that very important files were transferred properly).

Via USB only the original images are transferred. If you want to preserve metadata that has been edited on the iPhone, use AirDrop with the desired setting or iCloud.

- Matti

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Matti,

Thanks.  Unfortunately, the Image Capture app for MacOS 10.14.6 doesn't seem to recognize an iPhone15 when plugged in.

- Phil

[wywh]

Image Capture app for MacOS 10.14.6 doesn't seem to recognize an iPhone15

I never had any trouble importing with Image Capture.

But some people have and below is some troubleshooting voodoo that might help:

Put the phone in Airplane mode before plugging in the USB cable (maybe also turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Hotspot).

Move ~/Librarary/Preferences/com.apple.imagecapture.plist to the Desktop, (just in case you need it later) reboot, and try again.

Reset iPhone's Network settings.

Change your settings for trusted computers. Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device] > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy.

Plug in the iPhone, open Image Capture, click the three dots in the top right, and select "No application" when connecting this iPhone. Close Image Capture, unplug and re-plug iPhone, and launch Image Capture.

Keep the phone plugged to USB and reboot the Mac.

Connect to the Mac's USB-A inputs, not USB-C Thunderbolt 3 inputs.

Turn off iCloud Photos in iPhone settings.

If all else fails, use Use AirDrop instead USB.

Cannot get any photos of my iPhone with image capture

- Matti