How to create EXIF data?

[BSlack]

I have many old pictures that have no EXIF data.  Is there a simple way to add a generic header to file that don't have one, but leave the others as they are?

I am using 'better finder attributes' to copy the file creation date to the EXIF date, but it doesn't know what to do with files that have no original data.

Thanks,

Brian

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Brian,

I don't know what you want to write other the date, but the file modification date can be copied to Exif:DateTimeOriginal only if it doesn't exist with this command:

exiftool "-exif:datetimeoriginal<filemodifydate" -if "not $datetimeoriginal" DIR

Where DIR is the name of a directory containing the images.

(note: use single quotes instead of double if you are on Mac or Linux).

- Phil

[BSlack]

Hi Brian,

I don't know what you want to write other the date, but the file modification date can be copied to Exif:DateTimeOriginal only if it doesn't exist with this command:

exiftool "-exif:datetimeoriginal<filemodifydate" -if "not $datetimeoriginal" DIR

Where DIR is the name of a directory containing the images.

(note: use single quotes instead of double if you are on Mac or Linux).

- Phil

That worked great!   Thank you.

I had written a script that that takes the files path:

2004
    >02
       >13
           >example.jpg

and uses that for the modification and creation dates.  Now I can update the EXIF data at the same time.

How would I do this and not have it create a copy of the file?

Thanks again!

Brian

[BSlack]

I don't know what you want to write other the date, but the file modification date can be copied to Exif:DateTimeOriginal only if it doesn't exist with this command:

OK . . . if I wanted to update files that do have EXIF data, how would I update the Original and Digitized date for the modification date?

Thanks,

Brian

[BSlack]

exiftool "-exif:datetimeoriginal<filemodifydate" -if "not $datetimeoriginal" DIR

I figured it out.  This seems to work very nicely.  I just added a bit to my script to update the modification date after this is done.

exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place '-exif:datetimeoriginal<filemodifydate' DIR

Thanks,

Brian

[Phil Harvey]

I had written a script that that takes the files path:

2004
    >02
       >13
           >example.jpg

and uses that for the modification and creation dates.

You could have done this with exiftool too:

exiftool "-filemodifydate<$directory 00:00:00" -r .

How would I do this and not have it create a copy of the file?

Seems you figured this one out.

- Phil