Subsec time causing issue with IPTC date tags

[ghelfrich919]

I have a moto G7 cell-phone that records subsec times to 6 digits.  See below. 

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[EXIF:ExifIFD]  SubSecTimeOriginal              : 938977
[EXIF:ExifIFD]  SubSecTimeDigitized             : 938977

[Composite:MWG] CreateDate                      : 2023:02:10 18:58:03.938977-05:00
[Composite:MWG] DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 18:58:03.938977-05:00
When I update the IPTC date tags, it seems the exiftool truncates the last 4 digits of the subsec time and uses this as the date value in the IPTC tags.  See below.

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[IPTC]          DateCreated                    : 8977:05:00
[IPTC]          TimeCreated                    : 18:58:03-05:00
[IPTC]          DigitalCreationDate            : 8977:05:00
[IPTC]          DigitalCreationTime            : 18:58:03-05:00
This seems to then propagate to the corresponding composite tags as well.

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[Composite]    DateTimeCreated                : 8977:05:00 18:58:03-05:00
[Composite]    DigitalCreationDateTime        : 8977:05:00 18:58:03-05:00
Is the solution to initially truncate the subsec time to 2-3 digits so it doesn't cause an issue with the IPTC tags?  If so, how?  Or ...?

Gerry

[StarGeek]

The IPTC date/time tags do not hold subseconds.  It only holds 10 digits and ± for the time zone with no formatting, e.g. ########±####

Here's the entry from the IPTC_IIMV4.1_Specs.pdf

[ghelfrich919]

Thanks for the info.  Let me explain further what I am trying to do and what I am experiencing.

I am trying to update the IPTC:DateCreated and IPTC:TimeCreated tags with the MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag.  For example, below are 2 photos and their associated MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag values.  For the first, you can see the subsec time is 2 digits and the second it's 6 digits.

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PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> (exiftool path)\exiftool.12.6.4.0 -MWG:DateTimeOriginal -a -G0:1 -s -ext JPG -ext mp4 c:\drivers
======== c:/drivers/IMG_0404.jpg
[Composite:MWG] DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 21:22:10.30
======== c:/drivers/IMG_20230210_194314371.jpg
[Composite:MWG] DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
    1 directories scanned
    2 image files read
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>
Below is the command I am using.

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C:\WINDOWS\system32>(exiftool path)\exiftool.12.6.4.0.exe -ext jpg -ext jpeg -ext xmp  "-IPTC:DateCreated<MWG:DateTimeOriginal" "-IPTC:TimeCreated<MWG:DateTimeOriginal" -P -overwrite_original_in_place c:\drivers
    1 directories scanned
    2 image files updated
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>
The results I get for each of these are shown below.  For the first photo with the 2 digit subsecs, you can see the date and time appear to be parsed correctly into the corresponding ITPC tags.  For the second photo with the 6 digit subsecs, the last 4 digits of the subsec time is being used for the date.

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PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> (exiftool path)\exiftool.12.6.4.0 -iptc:all -a -G0:1 -s -ext JPG -ext mp4 c:\drivers
======== c:/drivers/IMG_0404.jpg
[IPTC]          DateCreated                     : 2023:02:10
[IPTC]          TimeCreated                     : 21:22:10-05:00
[IPTC]          ApplicationRecordVersion        : 4
======== c:/drivers/IMG_20230210_194314371.jpg
[IPTC]          DateCreated                     : 4176:05:00
[IPTC]          TimeCreated                     : 19:43:15-05:00
[IPTC]          ApplicationRecordVersion        : 4
    1 directories scanned
    2 image files read
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>
Now, using the MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag to update these IPTC tags may be the totally incorrect way to update these fields.  I assumed it was ok to do it this way since most of my photos have 2 digit subsec times and these IPTC tags had been correctly populating.

Please advise.  Thanks

Gerry

[StarGeek]

I understand what you want but it doesn't change the facts. IPTC date/time tags do not allow for subseconds, so if you absolutely need to use only the IPTC date/time tags, you will not be able to write/read the subseconds.

For example, below are 2 photos and their associated MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag values.  For the first, you can see the subsec time is 2 digits and the second it's 6 digits.

Yes, you see subseconds here because the MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag extracting the data from the Composite:SubSecDateTimeOriginal, which is a tag that combines the EXIF:DateTimeOriginal, EXIF:OffsetTimeOriginal, and the EXIF:SubSecTimeOriginal tags.  See the MWG tags page for which tags the MWG tags will extract data from and will write to.

The results I get for each of these are shown below.  For the first photo with the 2 digit subsecs, you can see the date and time appear to be parsed correctly into the corresponding ITPC tags.

That's not what is shown by your output.  The DateCreated shows 2023:02:10 and the TimeCreated shows  21:22:10-05:00.  The 30 subseconds doesn't show in either of these.

For the second photo with the 6 digit subsecs, the last 4 digits of the subsec time is being used for the date.

What version of exiftool are you using?  I cannot replicate this with either ver 12.64 or 12.65.

My output

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C:\>exiftool -P -overwrite_original -all= -SubSecDateTimeOriginal="2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176" y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
    1 image files updated

C:\>exiftool -time:all --system:all -G1 -a -s -use MWG y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
[ExifIFD]       DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15
[ExifIFD]       SubSecTimeOriginal              : 094176
[Composite]     SubSecDateTimeOriginal          : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
[MWG]           DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176

C:\>exiftool -P -overwrite_original  "-IPTC:DateCreated<MWG:DateTimeOriginal" "-IPTC:TimeCreated<MWG:DateTimeOriginal" y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
    1 image files updated

C:\>exiftool -time:all --system:all -G1 -a -s -use MWG y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
[ExifIFD]       DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15
[ExifIFD]       SubSecTimeOriginal              : 094176
[IPTC]          DateCreated                     : 2023:02:10
[IPTC]          TimeCreated                     : 19:43:15-08:00
[Composite]     SubSecDateTimeOriginal          : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
[Composite]     DateTimeCreated                 : 2023:02:10 19:43:15-08:00
[MWG]           DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176

Now, using the MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag to update these IPTC tags may be the totally incorrect way to update these fields.

It's a perfectly fine way to update them.  And if any IPTC tag already exists, then you don't even need to specifically copy them as the MWG tags will add and update IPTC tags

Example, I clear all data and add the IPTC:ApplicationRecordVersion tag, creating a bare minimum IPTC block.  Then I set MWG:DateTimeOriginal.  The MWG tag will update the appropriate EXIF tags, add the XMP tags, and because the IPTC block already exists, it will add the IPTC tags.

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C:\>exiftool -P -overwrite_original -all= -ApplicationRecordVersion=4 y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
    1 image files updated

C:\>exiftool -G1 -a -s -EXIF:all -IPTC:all -XMP:all y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
[IPTC]          ApplicationRecordVersion        : 4

C:\>exiftool -P -overwrite_original -MWG:DateTimeOriginal="2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176" y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
    1 image files updated

C:\>exiftool -use MWG -time:all --system:all -G1 -a -s y:\!temp\Test4.jpg
[ExifIFD]       DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15
[ExifIFD]       SubSecTimeOriginal              : 094176
[IPTC]          DateCreated                     : 2023:02:10
[IPTC]          TimeCreated                     : 19:43:15-08:00
[XMP-photoshop] DateCreated                     : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
[Composite]     SubSecDateTimeOriginal          : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
[Composite]     DateTimeCreated                 : 2023:02:10 19:43:15-08:00
[MWG]           DateTimeOriginal                : 2023:02:10 19:43:15.094176
My only advice is, if at all possible, ditch the IPTC IIM tags.  Modern software will read EXIF and XMP tags.

[ghelfrich919]

Once again, thanks for the great info. 

I do realize and wasn't expecting the subseconds to show in either the IPTC date/time tags.  I was just saying when populating these tags with the MWG:DateTimeOriginal tag, which appears to be an ok way to do it from what you say, that I was experiencing a different result when the MWG tag had 2 vs 6 subsecond digits.

And I also realized the MWG tag would add/update the IPTC date/time tags, but only if something already existed in the IPTC block like you said.  In my case, I don't have anything already in the IPTC block.  And I was setting the MWG tag as you mentioned, but it wasn't setting the IPTC tags since the block was empty.  Thus I was then adding the IPTC tags from the MWG tag which we've already been discussing.

I had toyed with the idea of adding something to the IPTC block in advance.  I hadn't taken that route as I wasn't sure which tag would be best to set.  However, setting the IPTC:ApplicationRecordVersion tag in advance so something exists in the block seems like a viable solution before I set the MWG tag so it also populates the ITPC tags.  Then I wouldn't need to set them separately and would avoid my problem. 

And to answer your question, I am using exiftool version 12.64

Gerry

[StarGeek]

However, setting the IPTC:ApplicationRecordVersion tag in advance so something exists in the block seems like a viable solution before I set the MWG tag so it also populates the ITPC tags.

Yes, exiftool will automatically set IPTC:ApplicationRecordVersion to 4 when writing an IPTC block.  So you could simply use
exiftool -r -ApplicationRecordVersion=4 /path/to/files/

Because ApplicationRecordVersion doesn't appear in any other group, you don't need to include the IPTC:.  Always best to keep things simple.

And to answer your question, I am using exiftool version 12.64

I couldn't replicate the problem here.  I'd have to see a before and after file to try and figure it out.