Change or Insert Exif Date Taken workflow

[Carl54]

I'm a IrfanView beginner so bear with me if this question seems too basic.

I'm uploading over 2500 pics in about 200 folders to Google Photo. They need to be ordered by Exif Date Taken tag as GP has very limited sorting options. They are scans in jpg format that lack the Date taken tag so I need to insert that myself somehow.

I've been playing around with the Menu option JPG - Change EXIF date/time (date taken) but I can't make it work as intended. Inserting date taken on one pic works but the batch option that is noted in the dialog box: Note: Batch mode is possible from Thumbnails window if you select several JPG files does not.

Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Can someone more experienced suggest a correct workflow?

[RottenImp]

Try ExifTool

[Carl54]

Try ExifTool

I downloaded it earlier and it's much too complicated for me.

Does your suggestion of using another application imply that the Exif plug-in doesn't work in IrfanView?

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

See the screen shot.

[Carl54]

See the screen shot.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4926[/ATTACH]

Yes thank you, but that is the menu option I'm asking about as you can see in my original question:

I've been playing around with the Menu option JPG - Change EXIF date/time (date taken) but I can't make it work as intended. Inserting date taken on one pic works but the batch option that is noted in the dialog box: Note: Batch mode is possible from Thumbnails window if you select several JPG files does not.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Batch mode, in this context, means applying the new Exif date/time to several JPG files at once. It has nothing to do with the IrfanView Batch dialogue.

If you want to resize or do some other action at the same time, then that is not possible.

[Carl54]

Batch mode, in this context, means applying the new Exif date/time to several JPG files at once. It has nothing to do with the IrfanView Batch dialogue.

If you want to resize or do some other action at the same time, then that is not possible.

That's what I want to do, "applying the new Exif date/time to several JPG files at once" but it only works with one pic at the time whether I try directly or from the thumbnail window.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

It works for me.

[Carl54]

It works for me.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4927[/ATTACH]

But not for me which is why I wrote:

Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Can someone more experienced suggest a correct workflow?

Question: Did your test pics have Exif data to begin with? I think that's part of the problem. I've tried several application that's supposed to deal with manipulating Exif-data and most of them expects the pic to have the Date taken tag containing a value to be able to manipulate it.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Question: Did your test pics have Exif data to begin with?

Of course. One cannot change what is not there in the first place.

Inserting date taken on one pic works

This does nothing for me.

[Carl54]

Of course. One cannot change what is not there in the first place.

Non of my pics had Exif data to begin with, they are all scans. The fact that a few of them now have is proof that for some applications that's not a requirement.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

RottenImp already told you how to do it. I don't think you can add Exif data at all with IrfanView. It's not the most suitable tool for working with Exif data, but if your images have had Exif data/time added by some other program, the plugin can modify it.

It does what it says it will do.

[Carl54]

RottenImp already told you how to do it. I don't think you can add Exif data at all with IrfanView. It's not the most suitable tool for working with Exif data, but if your images have had Exif data/time added by some other program, the plugin can modify it.
It does what it says it will do.

No, he didn't tell me how to do it, he gave me a link to an application which I said was too complicated for me.

So your statement "Of course. One cannot change what is not there in the first place." is not correct.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

I've been playing around with the Menu option JPG - Change EXIF date/time (date taken) but I can't make it work as intended.

It does work as intended. It changes the Exif date/time if it exists.

If some of your scans now have Exif date/time then you did not do it with IrfanView, or not in any way that I can reproduce.

I have wasted enough of my time on this. Search for another Exif tool if the one suggested is not to your liking.

[Carl54]

It does work as intended. It changes the Exif date/time if it exists.

If some of your scans now have Exif date/time then you did not do it with IrfanView, or not in any way that I can reproduce.

I have wasted enough of my time on this. Search for another Exif tool if the one suggested is not to your liking.

I have tired several applications that deals with Exif editing and they all fall short in one area or another. The closest I can get is Exifer which can indeed "change what is not there in the first place". Problem is that it also moves the target files out of their folders.