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What is the difference between the 3 dates in my EXF metadata?

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bill.fischer5

bill.fischer5

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Hi The three dates I am referring to are: "Date time Original", "Date time digitized" & Date Time". in my Metadata panel under EXIF.

I am adjusting the capture time on some photos from a vacation where the times were not changed on the camera or the iPhone did not update to the time zone change, I need to correct this to get pictures from 3 different Camers to be correct so the pictures will be in the order as taken.

Can someone explain the difference and where each of them effect my catalogue?
 
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EXIF:DateTimeOriginal is when the shutter was pressed. This is the primary field LR reads to get its notion of "capture date".

EXIF:DateTimeDigitized is when the image was rendered in digital form. For digital cameras, that should be the same as EXIF:DateTimeOriginal. But for scans of analog images, EXIF:DateTimeOriginal should be set to when the shutter was pressed and EXIF:DateTimeDigitized to when the analog image was scanned into digital form. LR displays this field but doesn't let you change it.

EXIF:DateTime is when a conforming app last modified the image or its metadata. LR reads and displays that field but does not update it (contrary to the EXIF standard).
 
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thank you for the explanation. : So EXIF "Date Time". is basically a useless field? Or wil it tell me when I modified an image in a different editor like Aperture?

As for scan's I can change the capture date of the print I scanned to the actual date I shot the image. Now it will be in the correct place in my date sort order. I will still be able to know when I did the scanning by the Date time digitized. Is this correct?
 
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EXIF:DateTime is mostly useless. A few apps update it when they modify an image, but many don't (including LR).

bill.fischer5 said:
I will still be able to know when I did the scanning by the Date time digitized. Is this correct?
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Only if your scanning software sets EXIF:DateTimeDigitized (many don't). You can set it yourself using the free Exiftool utility or the Capture Time To Exif plugin (which uses Exiftool).
 
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