cannot change the date on MP4 file

[fuyang]

I tried to change the date tags on MP4 files, but I kept getting the error renaming file message. See my file info and my commands:

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F:\OtherCam\Insta360\20201220>exiftool -a -G -s -time:all 20201224_094802_814.mp4
[File]          FileModifyDate                  : 2020:12:24 09:49:07-07:00
[File]          FileAccessDate                  : 2022:06:22 22:08:23-06:00
[File]          FileCreateDate                  : 2020:12:25 15:13:51-07:00
[QuickTime]     CreateDate                      : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     ModifyDate                      : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00

F:\OtherCam\Insta360\20201220>exiftool -quicktime:time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40" 20201224_094802_814.mp4
Error renaming 20201224_094802_814.mp4

F:\OtherCam\Insta360\20201220>exiftool -time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40" 20201224_094802_814.mp4
Error renaming 20201224_094802_814.mp4

Can you help me to identify the problem? Much appreciated!

[StarGeek]

Full drive or a permissions problem are the most likely problem in these cases.  For some reason, when exiftool fails when it gets to the point where it tries to rename the original by adding _original to the end or renaming the temp file back to the original file.

Try moving the the file onto a different drive and edit it there to see if that helps.

[fuyang]

Hello StarGeek,

Thanks for pointing me to the right direction! It is the permission problem of F drive. This is my PC. I am the Administrator of this PC. F partition is on the same physical drive of C. I don't know why I have access problem.

When I moved the file to D drive. Things start to work. See the screen display below:

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D:\Insta360>exiftool -a -G -s -time:all 20201224_094802_814.mp4
[File]          FileModifyDate                  : 2020:12:24 09:49:07-07:00
[File]          FileAccessDate                  : 2022:06:23 00:11:35-06:00
[File]          FileCreateDate                  : 2022:06:23 00:01:44-06:00
[QuickTime]     CreateDate                      : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     ModifyDate                      : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 0000:00:00 00:00:00

D:\Insta360>exiftool -quicktime:time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40" 20201224_094802_814.mp4
    1 image files updated

D:\Insta360>exiftool -a -G -s -time:all 20201224_094802_814.mp4
[File]          FileModifyDate                  : 2022:06:23 00:13:14-06:00
[File]          FileAccessDate                  : 2022:06:23 00:13:16-06:00
[File]          FileCreateDate                  : 2022:06:23 00:01:44-06:00
[QuickTime]     CreateDate                      : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     ModifyDate                      : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     TrackCreateDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     TrackModifyDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     MediaCreateDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     MediaModifyDate                 : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     ReleaseDate                     : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     ContentCreateDate               : 2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00
[QuickTime]     EncodingTime                    : 2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00
[QuickTime]     DateAcquired                    : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
[QuickTime]     DateTimeOriginal                : 2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00
[QuickTime]     CreationDate                    : 2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00
[QuickTime]     LocationDate                    : 2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00
[QuickTime]     Year                            : 2020:12:20 14:11:40
The video is an exported 2D video from an insta360 360 video. When insta360 export the video, it didn't copy the date info over. I found the original date info on the original 360 video. I know the time is local time not UTC time. I wrote all local time to the all the time tags. I am not sure if it is right thing to do. StarGeek, can you comment on this?

The info for the other users, I want to share what I found the difference between tag "time:all" and "quicktime:time:all", "quicktime:time:all" only write time tags in quicktime group. But "time:all" write all time tags in xmp group as well. It is a much longer list of tags to write. It should be straight forward but I don't know.

Thank StarGeek again for the huge help!

[StarGeek]

I know the time is local time not UTC time. I wrote all local time to the all the time tags. I am not sure if it is right thing to do. StarGeek, can you comment on this?

If you are setting the times manually, then you can add the time zone when you set the tag and add the -api QuickTimeUTC option.
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC -quicktime:time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00" 20201224_094802_814.mp4

or if the video was taken in the same time zone as the computer, ignoring differences for Daylight savings, just add the api option
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC -quicktime:time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40" 20201224_094802_814.mp4

For the file that are already set and the time zone is correct, you can copy from the DateTimeOriginal tag, as exiftool would have added the local time zone to that.
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC "-quicktime:time:all<Quicktime:DateTimeOriginal" /path/to/files/

The info for the other users, I want to share what I found the difference between tag "time:all" and "quicktime:time:all", "quicktime:time:all" only write time tags in quicktime group. But "time:all" write all time tags in xmp group as well. It is a much longer list of tags to write. It should be straight forward but I don't know.

Personally, I just set the CreateDate, ModifyDate and the track time stamps.  But for simplicity, AllDates is easy to write to.
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC "-AllDates=2022:06:23 12:00:00" "-Track*Date=2022:06:23 12:00:00" "-Media*Date=2022:06:23 12:00:00" /path/to/files/

Or that is how I would do it on a system other than my own.  I actually have a shortcut setup that writes to all these with a single tag name.  In my .exiftool_config file, I've added this to the %Image::ExifTool::UserDefined::Shortcuts section

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VidTime => ['Quicktime:CreateDate','Quicktime:ModifyDate','Quicktime:TrackCreateDate','Quicktime:TrackModifyDate','Quicktime:MediaCreateDate','Quicktime:MediaModifyDate'],

So all I have to do is
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC "-VidTime=2022:06:23 12:00:00" /path/to/files/

[fuyang]

Hello StarGeek,

Thanks again for your help!

I used your command line command:
exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC -quicktime:time:all="2020:12:20 14:11:40-07:00" 20201224_094802_814.mp4
to change date of many of my Mp4 files. It works well for most of the mp4 files EXCEPT for extra large files that is over 4gb in size. I received the following error message:
Error: End of processing at large atom (LargeFileSupport not enabled)

I guess there is a limit how big the mp4 file is that exiftool or options or tags can handle. I not not sure what (LargeFileSupport not enabled) mean.

[StarGeek]

Add the -api LargeFileSupport option.

[fuyang]

Thanks, StarGeek!