Best CreateDate - Most accurate?

[theprof]

Code Select Expand

exiftool -F -overwrite_original_in_place -api LargeFileSupport \
        -FileOrder DateTimeOriginal -FileOrder CreateDate -FileOrder -FileSize -FileOrder FileModifyDate \
        -api QuickTimeUTC \
        -d "%Y-%m-%d %H-%M-%S %%.2nc.%%le" \
        '-AllDates<FileModifyDate#' \
        '-AllDates<${DateTimeOriginal#;$_ = undef if $_ lt "1971"}' \
        '-AllDates<${CreateDate#;$_ = undef if $_ lt "1971"}' \
        '-FileName<FileModifyDate' \
        '-FileName<${DateTimeOriginal;$_ = undef if $_ lt "1971"}' \
        '-FileName<${CreateDate;$_ = undef if $_ lt "1971"}' \
        -r "$dir_path"
I was using the command above to get the file names and dates "synchronized" so that it gets the "best" create date so that there is only 1 source of truth for the create date. Unfortunately, some of the files got renamed where it used the File System Modification date when it could've used something better. I found out the original files had a "ModifyDate" that could've been used.

Given the unknowns of all metadata issues, what is the best most accurate way to get the Create Date?

[StarGeek]

In theory, the three EXIF time stamps, CreateDate, DateTimeOriginal, and ModifyDate, should all be set to the same time stamp when the image was taken by a digital camera. This is usually pretty reliable, but in cameras that don't have built in ways to get the exact time (mobile devices), this can get messed up by setting the time wrong or the battery dying and resetting the time (mostly older cameras).

In theory, for a scanned image, CreateDate and ModifyDate should be set to the time the image was scanned and DateTimeOriginal should be when the image was actually shot. This is not reliable, as most people who scan pictures, outside of archivists, don't care and anything can end up in the time stamps.

Anything from social media, text messages, and similar stuff. is almost certainly stripped of metadata and there won't be any reliable date. At best, you will only find the time when the image was downloaded or in some cases, the date will be part of the filename. Screenshots often fall into this category.

Beyond that, you can never tell. Some people do weird things with their metadata. And badly written programs will do weird things.