LR Timestamp is wrong on "Edit with" when usingTIF

[Tooslow2007]

If I set up LR to create a TIF format file to pass to an external editor (e.g. PSE) (Edit, Preferences, External editing) then the timestamp on that TIF file is wrong. The date matches the date of the original file creation rather than being today and the time is neither "now" nor a copy of the original time. If I use PSD as the interim format the timestamp is correct i.e. it shows today's date and the time is the current time.

Am I doing something wrong / is anyone else seeing this? I created this TIF copy at 18:59 on 9th.

As bugs go it's not one of the biggest but....

Thanks,

John 

[Tooslow2007]

Update - I've just realised that the file timestamp matches the metadata of when the photo was taken.  Odd.

John

[johnrellis]

I've just realised that the file timestamp matches the metadata of when the photo was taken.

This is the behavior of Windows File Explorer:

The Date Taken column shows the capture date (when you pushed the shutter) as recorded in a photo's metadata (EXIF:DateTimeOriginal). 

The Date column appears to be the Date Taken for a photo with a metadata capture date, otherwise the Date Created (when the Windows operating system created this copy of the file, not when you pushed the shutter). 

[Tooslow2007]

errr, no. If I use the same file but create a PSD the timestamp is correct, i.e the date / time created shows "now" and not the date / time taken.

If I load JPEGs (which I shoot once in a blue moon) the timestamp is "now" .

If I load RAW files into LR and convert to DNG the timestamp is "now".

So TIF files are different and "wrong", or at least very different to every other file format's behaviour, both photographic and otherwise. Why, in creating a TIF from a DNG, does it end up with a created timestamp which is earlier than that on the source DNG? Is it LR that's acting up, or Windows? Maybe it's a Windows thing. Whatever it is it's bonkers.

You have prompted me to consider that maybe this is Windows behaviour rather than LR. I'll have  a Google. Either way it's a nuisance rather than a big deal.

Thanks for taking the time to wrap your brain around this conundrum.

John  

[Tooslow2007]

This post New files are saving to old dates...  looks to be relevant (In short, make sure the Windows folder is set to General and not Pictures). I'll have a poke at this tomorrow.

John

[johnrellis]

This post New files are saving to old dates... looks to be relevant (In short, make sure the Windows folder is set to General and not Pictures). I'll have a poke at this tomorrow.

That old thread isn't relevant, at least if you're on Windows 10.  In Windows 10 File Explorer, you can right-click the folder, select Properties, then change Customize > Optimize This Folder For: to  either "Pictures" or "General".  This setting does not affect the meanings of the various Date columns when you're in View > Details  -- the columns will show the same values whether you select "Pictures" or "General".

[Tooslow2007]

Thanks, that must be "everything you ever wanted to know about dates".

I followed up on the thread I linked to and changed my folder view from Photos to General with the result that the date column changes to date modified and I see the sort of timestamps that I was expecting. Of course the "Date" column in Photo view prompts the question "date of what?" as you point out. As long as that column was showing what I expected I had never given it any further thought but "date" without any qualification is pretty dumb.

I'm happy that I understand what is going on and how to get results which are consistent. I will either change my folder view to General or I might tinker in Photo view with what columns are displayed, with the "Date" column heading for the bin.

John   

[johnrellis · Accepted solution]

[Click View The Full Discussion to see this post on the Web with its embedded screenshots]

To get clarity on this, first read this about the various date/times in photos and operating systems: Date Time Digitized and Date Time differ from Date Modified and Date Created | Photoshop Family Cust... . There are so many different date/time fields in photos and the operating system, it's important to get them straight and use precise names.

Next, configure File Explorer to show these columns: [screenshot]

(You can add or remove columns by right-clicking on of the column titles.)

As I mentioned before, the Date column is synthesized by File Explorer from Date Taken and Date Created (and perhaps other date fields, I'm not sure).   In the screenshot, notice that Date shows Date Created when File Explorer doesn't know Date Taken.

Once you're display all the Date columns, you'll be able to see precisely which actual date is being shown in the Date column.  I recommend you stop using the Date column, since it just serves to hide and confuse which actual dates are associated with your photos.  

It sounds like many of your files don't have an EXIF:DateTimeOriginal metadata field (when the photo was captured by pressing the shutter) that File Explorer is able to read and show as Date Taken.  File Explorer (without special codecs) isn't able to read metadata from PSDs, so that explains what you observed with a PSD.  But normally it is able to read metadata from JPEGs, TIFFs, and DNGs.  So I don't know why your JPEGs and DNGs wouldn't be showing the capture date in the Date column.   Configuring File Explorer as above and posting a screenshot here should clarify.