7 Replies Latest reply: Dec 13, 2012 2:54 PM by Robert Eckerlin RSS

    Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides

    Robert Eckerlin Community Member

      My apologogies. I tried to insert the text of my Post from the word document that i had prepared..... as a result, the whole formatting went lost and the Post is quite difficult to underastand. I will try now to format my text and then post again.

      ---------------------- trying again below ------

       

      I need a tool or option in order to set the time/date of a series of scanned slide files into the date/time sequence of my choice (when browsing with the Organizer in "Thumbnail View" (I.e. in Date/time order).

       

      Let me explain I have sent multiple thousands of old slides to a Scan shop.

       

      For those slides that I had sent within slide-trays, I asked the scan shop for the following for the photo-files resulting from the scan:

      1. That the name of the photo-files include a trailing number reflecting sequence as the slides within their trays.
      2. That the scan timestamp sequence reflects the sequence  of the slides within their trays (this was and is important for me, in order to be able to browse within the PSE Organizer through the scan-result of one tray, in the same sequence as the slides within their trays; even when the resulting photo-files are not organized in a PSE Album; and even when being in “Thumbnail View” sequence).

       

      Unfortunately, the scan shop forgot about this request and I can therefore not look (in Thumbnail View” mode) at the scan results in the same sequence as the slides within their trays

       

      What can I now do to fix this problem?

       

      I am looking for a Windows Tool (or a PSE Organizer Tool/plug-in) that will allow me to set the time of a series of Foto-Files in ascending time sequence. A tool that will for example

      • allow me to select multiple foto files •
      • then, allow allow me to specify the date/Time of the first photo-file within the selected files to the date/time of my choice
      • and then add an increment of 1 or n seconds (or 1 or n minutes) to each one of the fotos that follows in the selected series.

       

      Question: For a Windows 7 and PSE 8 environment are you aware of such a tool? (the scan shop told me, they are not aware of such a tool)

       

      Two details:

      1. When looking (before importing the foto files into the PSE Organizer) with Windows Explorer at a folder containing the scanned photo-files I can see the following: the foto files have both a “Date Created”  and a “Date Modified”. But they have not yet a “Date Shot”. I do not know, whether this can make it simpler to find a solution.
      2. I tried without success, the following within the V8 Organizer,
        1. I displayed the photos in “Folder Location” view (in V8, this will show the foto-files of each folder in file-name sequence),
        2. while in Folder Location view, I selected all photos of one folder
        3. then, while still in Folder view I did “Adjust Date and Time of Selected items” --> “change to a specified date and time”.

       

       

      It seems that all selected photos got (exactly?) the same time,

      Unfortunately this did not work for me. Why that?

       

      After the Time-Adjust, when switching from “Folder Location” view to “Thumbnail View”, the photos  of that folder were still in the desired sequence (that looked great and I was happy). After editing one of these photos (and when storing the edited result within a versionset) , the edited version of the photo was still in the desired sequence (this still looked great!). But surprise – surprise..., once I exited from the Organizer and then relaunched it, the Versionset containing the edited Photo changed its position to the end of the series of photos having the same date/time – this was no more its desired position/sequence.

       

      It seems therefore important to have a tool, that allows to increment the date/time by one or more seconds or minutes.

        • 1. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
          99jon Community Member

           

          If the object of the exercise is to create a slideshow or sequence for viewing then don’t bother with dates; simply create an album. In fact when you are in folder location view you can create an instant album with a single click.

           

          When you click on your album from the album list, change the filter from oldest/newest to “Album View”

          Your images will remain in a fixed numeric order with each thumbnail given a position number. If some are out of order you simply drag them around and they will always remain fixed in their respective positions.

           

          Use the albums for viewing (F11) or for creating projects.

           

           

          • 2. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
            Robert Eckerlin Community Member

            1.99jon, Thank you for your feedback.

             

            I am a big fan of PSE Albums and i am well aware of albums and of the possibility they offer to look/show photo files in the sequence of my choice. 

             

            What I described (perhaps poorly) in my orginal post is the possibility to set the Date/Time (I could have written: to fix the Date/Time) of a series of scanned photo-Files in the sequence of my choice...in order to be able to look at them in that fixed date/time sequence in "Thumbnail View" mode (i.e. in Date/Time sequence).

             

            Its my impression, that this is something that is not possible to do with the Organizer. Therefore I look for a tool or plugin that will allow me to change the Date/Time the way I described in my original post. I will be very grateful to get a recommendation for such a tool.

             

            I should perhaps add, that I have not the least PC programming experience.

            • 3. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
              99jon Community Member

               

              I think it will be a manual process even with a data base tool. Although it may be quicker in table format. Perhaps something could then be copied into an Excel spreadsheet and a formula written to add +00:01 to each row. Unfortunately I’m not the person to tell you how. Good luck.

              • 4. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
                Robert Eckerlin Community Member

                99jon, thank you for your sincere answer.

                 

                I should describe that even something like an Excel spreadsheet approach would over-challenge me (I never use Excel and have no experience at all with it. Also I have not the least experience/knowledge of PC-based databases, IPTC information,...). What could help me is a ready-to-use tool.

                 

                Do you have an idea which forum could help me to find the kind of tool that I would like to find?

                • 5. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
                  99jon Community Member

                  I can only suggest a Google search for metadata or EXIF tools.

                  • 7. Re: Setting the Date/Time sequence of scanned slides
                    Robert Eckerlin Community Member

                    In case somebody else has the same problem and is interested in a solution: I just found, downloaded, installed (and up to now: made minimal sucessfull tests with) the Pro-Version of "EXIF Date Changer" from RELLIK Software.

                     

                    The Pro-Version of Exif Date Changer costs around 15 US$

                     

                    I should mention, that in my tests, I am changing the date/time of the foto-files before they get imported into the PSE Catalog.  Changing their date/time after the import into the PSE catalog is perhaps more problematic.