Windows Explorer - Date Taken - Question

[kgwillis]

I have a Windows 10 program that edits the EXIF data on an image file, specifically the DateTimeOriginal tag.     

What I have observed in using this tool is this:

- if an image has no existing EXIF data, and I add it through the tool, Windows does not recognize it (i.e. does not display it under the 'Date Taken' column.

- if I first use Windows Explorer to edit the Date Taken, and then use the tool to modify that date, Windows Explorer then displays the information correctly.

- in reviewing the EXIF data in the two files, it is exactly the same - there is no indication of any difference that would explain why one is displayed correctly and one is not.

I have attached two images that demonstrate the issue - the two images have identical EXIF data (as far as I can tell - using both my own tool and IrfanView to display the tags) but Explorer does not display the Date Taken for image DC00007.jpg.

Does anyone have any idea what the issue could be ?  It appears there is some other flag somewhere in the file that has to be set for Explorer to recognize the EXIF data, but I can't seem to locate anything.

(Recognizing of course that this has nothing to do with EXIFTool... I just figured this would be a good place to find a lot of people who know a lot about EXIF data...)

Thanks,

[StarGeek]

Add -a to your command and you will see that there are two DateTimeOriginal tags in the first image (the one windows reads).  When I used exiftool to increment the time by one second, the first tag in the first image was incremented, but not the second.  The second image wasn't changed.

Code Select Expand


c:\>exiftool -exif:all X:\!temp\kg -G1 -a
======== X:/!temp/kg/DC00005.jpg
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
[ExifIFD]       Modify Date                     : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
======== X:/!temp/kg/DC00007.jpg
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
    1 directories scanned
    2 image files read

c:\>exiftool -Datetimeoriginal+="00 00:00:01" X:\!temp\kg
    1 directories scanned
    1 image files updated
    1 image files unchanged

c:\>exiftool -exif:all X:\!temp\kg -G1 -a
======== X:/!temp/kg/DC00005.jpg
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:55
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
[ExifIFD]       Modify Date                     : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
======== X:/!temp/kg/DC00007.jpg
[ExifIFD]       Date/Time Original              : 2012:08:05 12:30:54
[ExifIFD]       Sub Sec Time Original           : 00
    1 directories scanned
    2 image files read

I'm guessing that the second image is the one where the date was added only through the other program?  I'd say that program is doing something incorrect when it writes the exif data.  Someone with more experience is going to have to look in the file to see what's actually happening.

Out of curiosity, what program are you using that does this?

[kgwillis]

Hi, and thanks for the reply

I am using the EXIF tool available here, compiled and called from code of my own:

https://github.com/mkttanabe/exif

[Phil Harvey]

File DC00005.jpg has two JPEG APP1 EXIF segments, which is not right.  Funny that Explorer likes this one. :/

Both 00005 and 00007 are missing some mandatory EXIF tags.  But this doesn't explain the Explorer difference either.

- Phil