I have mp4 files copied from iPhone. I wanted to modify FileModifyDate and FileCreateDate of every mp4 according to QuickTime:CreateDate. So I used:
exiftool.exe "-FileModifyDate<QuickTime:CreateDate" "-FileCreateDate<QuickTime:CreateDate" -api QuickTimeUTC -progress -m -ext mov -ext mp4 .Most files were processed properly, but those that were from WhatsApp had their date changed to "1904-01-01 01:00:00". And some of them showed this warning:
Warning: Unknown trailer with truncated '\x16\x00\x00\x01' data at offset 0x1ad275 - ./2023-11__PXLR3104.mp4
I checked them with MediaInfo and either they don't have Encoded Date or show "Conformance errors".
From my point of view, this looks like a bug in exiftool. When there is no QuickTime:CreateDate or it's corruped, then exiftool should just print error/warning and skip the file instead of modifying the date to some arbitrary date.
Quote from: kapela86 on January 11, 2025, 02:12:08 PMFrom my point of view, this looks like a bug in exiftool. When there is no QuickTime:CreateDate or it's corruped, then exiftool should just print error/warning and skip the file instead of modifying the date to some arbitrary date.
The
Quicktime:CreateDate/
Quicktime:ModifyDate tags must
always exist in the file. Things like WhatApp will strip away metadata for privacy, but since these tags cannot be removed, they are set to
0000:00:00 00:00:00. So there is a date and it is not corrupted.
When the
-api QuickTimeUTC option (https://exiftool.org/ExifTool.html#QuickTimeUTC) is used with this all 0 time stamp, then result is a time stamp in 1904/1905.
You can either first set a correct time stamp in the WhatsApp files, usually by copying the data from the file (see this post (https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?msg=77199) for an example command) or you can skip those files with the
-if option (https://exiftool.org/exiftool_pod.html#if-NUM-EXPR)
Assuming Windows CMD
exiftool -if "$CreateDate gt '1906'" "-FileModifyDate<QuickTime:CreateDate" "-FileCreateDate<QuickTime:CreateDate" -api QuickTimeUTC -progress -m -ext mov -ext mp4 .
Quote from: StarGeek on January 11, 2025, 02:31:07 PMThe Quicktime:CreateDate/Quicktime:ModifyDate tags must always exist in the file.
They don't exist in those files. I uploaded one of those files that I can safely share:
https://mega.nz/file/6p8w2JyB#gvlSDAKCT7-ze_kPPtEx07gpNrFpQFqyn3_ZAiRNzxs (https://mega.nz/file/6p8w2JyB#gvlSDAKCT7-ze_kPPtEx07gpNrFpQFqyn3_ZAiRNzxs)
Check it with MediaInfo, even with Text + Advanced Mode it doesn't show them. They just aren't there.
That "if" statement is a nice solution for this, I will implement it in my cmd files. But regardless, this bug should be fixed by dev.
> exiftool LOQH7561.MP4 -quicktime:createdate -api quicktimeutc
Create Date : 1903:12:31 19:00:00-05:00
That is the QuickTime time zero.
So ExifTool is setting the filesystem date/time as expected.
- Phil
Quote from: kapela86 on January 11, 2025, 03:13:44 PMThey don't exist in those files.
Your other programs are hiding the 0 date from you. Look at the file with exiftool. Phil's command shows the output with
-api QuicktimeUTC. Without it you see
C:\>exiftool -time:all -G1 -a -s Y:\!temp\x\y\LOQH7561.MP4
[System] FileModifyDate : 2025:01:11 13:06:45-08:00
[System] FileAccessDate : 2025:01:11 13:09:25-08:00
[System] FileCreateDate : 2025:01:11 13:06:45-08:00
[QuickTime] CreateDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime] ModifyDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track1] TrackCreateDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track1] TrackModifyDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track1] MediaCreateDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track1] MediaModifyDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track2] TrackCreateDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track2] TrackModifyDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track2] MediaCreateDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[Track2] MediaModifyDate : 0000:00:00 00:00:00You can also use exiftool
-v3 (
-verbose3) option (https://exiftool.org/exiftool_pod.html#v-NUM--verbose) to look directly at the location of the time stamps
+ [Movie directory]
| MovieHeader (SubDirectory) -->
| - Tag 'mvhd' (100 bytes):
| 0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ac 44 [...............D]
| 0050: 00 07 0c 00 00 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
| 0060: 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
| 0070: 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
| 0080: 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [....@...........]
| [snip 20 bytes]
| + [BinaryData directory, 100 bytes]
| | MovieHeaderVersion = 0
| | - Tag 0x0000 (1 bytes, int8u[1]):
| | 0040: 00 [.]
| | CreateDate = 0
| | - Tag 0x0001 (4 bytes, int32u[1]):
| | 0044: 00 00 00 00 [....]
| | ModifyDate = 0
| | - Tag 0x0002 (4 bytes, int32u[1]):
| | 0048: 00 00 00 00 [....]
Even if what you are saying is true (I'm not saying it isn't), then exiftool shouldn't just blindly set that obviously incorrect date.
Also, mp4box shows Created: UNKNOWN DATE, not some arbitrary date or 0000:00:00 00:00:00.
And "0" can also mean null.
mp4box.exe -info LOQH7561.MP4
[iso file] Unknown top-level box type beam
[ODF] Error reading descriptor (tag 6 size 2): Invalid MPEG-4 Descriptor
# Movie Info - 2 tracks - TimeScale 44100
Duration 00:00:10.472
Fragmented: no
Progressive (moov before mdat)
Major Brand mp42 - version 0 - compatible brands: mp42 isom
Created: UNKNOWN DATE
# Track 1 Info - ID 1 - TimeScale 30000
Media Duration 00:00:10.466
Track flags: Enabled In Movie In Preview
Media Samples: 313
Visual Track layout: x=0 y=0 width=480 height=864
Media Type: vide:avc1
Visual Sample Entry Info: width=480 height=864 (depth=24 bits)
AVC/H264 Video - Visual Size 480 x 864
AVC Info: 1 SPS - 1 PPS - Profile High @ Level 3
NAL Unit length bits: 32
Chroma format YUV 4:2:0 - Luma bit depth 8 - chroma bit depth 8
SPS#1 hash: 380F112ADAEB88576A7EDF8035A79E1C41648173
PPS#1 hash: F275FDD4B47B1ABC876430F678C8B6ED3A300732
RFC6381 Codec Parameters: avc1.64001E
Average GOP length: 313 samples
Max sample duration: 2000 / 30000
# Track 2 Info - ID 2 - TimeScale 44100
Media Duration 00:00:10.472
Track flags: Enabled In Movie In Preview
Media Samples: 451 - CFR 43.066406/sec
Media Type: soun:mp4a
MPEG-4 Audio AAC LC (AOT=2 implicit) - 2 Channel(s) - SampleRate 44100
RFC6381 Codec Parameters: mp4a.40.2
All samples are sync
Max sample duration: 1024 / 44100
I've just released ExifTool 13.12 which will avoid returning zero QuickTime date/time values when the -api strictdate option is used.
- Phil