Photos App has major flaws

[frodorock]

I recently wanted to organise my photo library. I found that we had more than 60000 photos, so some organization and pruning was needed. I thought that I had found the perfect method, using Photos in combination with iCloud (I had planned to buy the 200 GB upgrade for iCloud).

However, I realised that this was not a good idea, since we have four iPhones, three Macs and two apple TVs in the family. For the rest of the family to be able to access the photos, everyone has to be logged in with my Apple ID, which does not really work.

Thus, I bought a WD MyCloud unit, to keep the photos there, and then the problems started.
1. I first exported all the photos that I had started to process in Photos to individual files. I soon found out that all the photos that I exported had "Modify Date" and "Create Date" all messed up.
1.1 If I use "Export xx Photos", the date is set to the date when I did the export.
1.2 If I use "Export unmodified original for xx photos" I lose all my modifications. But...
1.2.1 If I imported the photos to Photos via USB, the create and modify dates are OK
1.2.2 If i imported the photos to Photos via iCloud, the create and modify dates are set to the time and date when they were imported. This is of course not what a user wants.

As a software engineer I cannot understand how Apple can have implemented this in such flawed way. One reason could be that they want to keep the content in their eco-system. What is your take on this?

Has anyone experienced this in the same way? Any suggestions for handling photos?

 

[splifingate]

I recently wanted to organise my photo library. I found that we had more than 60000 photos, so some organization and pruning was needed. I thought that I had found the perfect method, using Photos in combination with iCloud (I had planned to buy the 200 GB upgrade for iCloud).

However, I realised that this was not a good idea, since we have four iPhones, three Macs and two apple TVs in the family. For the rest of the family to be able to access the photos, everyone has to be logged in with my Apple ID, which does not really work.

Thus, I bought a WD MyCloud unit, to keep the photos there, and then the problems started.
1. I first exported all the photos that I had started to process in Photos to individual files. I soon found out that all the photos that I exported had "Modify Date" and "Create Date" all messed up.
1.1 If I use "Export xx Photos", the date is set to the date when I did the export.
1.2 If I use "Export unmodified original for xx photos" I lose all my modifications. But...
1.2.1 If I imported the photos to Photos via USB, the create and modify dates are OK
1.2.2 If i imported the photos to Photos via iCloud, the create and modify dates are set to the time and date when they were imported. This is of course not what a user wants.

As a software engineer I cannot understand how Apple can have implemented this in such flawed way. One reason could be that they want to keep the content in their eco-system. What is your take on this?

Has anyone experienced this in the same way? Any suggestions for handling photos?

Yes, the disparity between what we see in Photos (correct timestamp), the Photos database (import/structure) and the Export (Modification/Creation Date adhering to the database structure) is extant and very problematic.

*sigh*

I have spent countless hours trying to get my mind around this issue, and tried just about every softwares I can find to re-organise all my digital assets.

Finder is the soft I find (no pun intended) to be most useful to my asset management, and I have been unable to use it like I intend/previously did.

IIRC, ElCap was the last OS X where I could Export Unmodified Originals with the proper Creation Date, but I have only just yesterday succeeded in testing a Clone install of Sierra, where I found Photos to still mod the Creation Date on Export as it does in HS. Considering my new strategy, below, I am curtailing any further re-imaging of clones of past OS X-en for the sake of avoiding further cull-de-sac-roaming effort/time.

There are many softs/scripts which can read the EXIF data and re-name/organise photos/vids based upon the original timestamp . . . with such scripting, it is easy to replace the filename with the date/time for further organisation.

But, I always return to Finder to find my Creation Date staring me in the face.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/que...ac-photos-app-while-keeping-date-created-data

This is the path I am currently following, and I can report that it does successfully allow one to modify the Creation Date to mirror the original timestamp, albeit at a subjectively glacial pace . . .

Backblaze B2 charges me for the data I store, and it takes a lot of time to upload 200GB+ of data, so I am winnowing-down my assets to be as concise as possible.

All our images/vids remain intact--to-be-sure--but, what I remember to be a relatively easy process in the organisation-of, now incurs much more effort/time.

I will update as time and successful result allow.

Regards, splifingate

 

[frodorock]

Thank you, spilfingate,
I will look into this solution.

I can share my current solution to the problem, as well.
I bought an app from app store called "ExifRenamer". As long as the Exif information is still correct, this tool will allow you to rename all your files to the date and time when the photo was taken. I found out that Photos also messes up the exif information if i had imported the files via iCloud, so I had to go back to my backup for some files.

Another useful tool that I found was "Photos Exif Editor". This can help with photos that have some correct Exif information, but some that needs to be corrected. E.g. I had some photos that had been taken with the camera set to the incorrect year. I could then easily increment the year for all those photos.

The third tool that I bought is "Duplicates Photos Fixer Pro". This app can compare photos in a smart way to allow you to select which (almost identical) photos to keep.

The problem with this solution is that it takes a lot of time for handling and processing the photos. I would be so happy if Apple could just fix this. I cannot take them more than a few days to do it if the want to.

Kind regards,

frodorock

PS. I just wanted to point out that I am not affiliated with any of the apps above, I just think that they are useful.

 

[Ritsuka]

I don't understand the date issue. The creation date of a file is the date that particular file was created, not the date the photo was shot, for this there is already the Exif metadata.

 

[splifingate]

Thank you, spilfingate,
I will look into this solution.

I can share my current solution to the problem, as well.
I bought an app from app store called "ExifRenamer". As long as the Exif information is still correct, this tool will allow you to rename all your files to the date and time when the photo was taken. I found out that Photos also messes up the exif information if i had imported the files via iCloud, so I had to go back to my backup for some files.

Another useful tool that I found was "Photos Exif Editor". This can help with photos that have some correct Exif information, but some that needs to be corrected. E.g. I had some photos that had been taken with the camera set to the incorrect year. I could then easily increment the year for all those photos.

The third tool that I bought is "Duplicates Photos Fixer Pro". This app can compare photos in a smart way to allow you to select which (almost identical) photos to keep.

The problem with this solution is that it takes a lot of time for handling and processing the photos. I would be so happy if Apple could just fix this. I cannot take them more than a few days to do it if the want to.

Kind regards,

frodorock

PS. I just wanted to point out that I am not affiliated with any of the apps above, I just think that they are useful.

Yes.

Apps/soft for just about anything . . . USD14 here, EUR9 there; almost-enough functionality in one, not enough in another. . . far, far too much $£¥€/time spent frodorock ;/

Finder is at the core of everything I do on OS X, and it does not allow us to organise/sort based upon the date the photo/vid was originally taken, Ritsuka; even Smart Folders (as 'smart' as they can be) does not allow this.

Regards, splifingate

 

[Ritsuka]

Nope, you are wrong. Finder has got a "Created date" search term that search in the file metadata for the created date, and a "Created" that search for the file creation date. I just tried to export a image from Photos (so the file creation date is today) set the "Created date" search term to the image taken date (4 December 2017) and it worked.

 

[splifingate]

ah!, yes; awesome!; you are correct, Ritsuka, that Finder does allow one to ⌘F, select Created/Created date, change the "is" to a specific date-range, and sort files further, based-upon. I have previously tried similar, to no desirable effect.

That's a lot of steps, and a lot of extra time, at-hand.

All variables aside, the thesis is that Photos shows us one thing, and we get another (sp. "on export").

You may not understand the concern, and it may very-well be that you do not utilize Photos and Finder like others of us do.

That one may option to do an advanced search on selective, specific EXIF data does not bely the fact that Photos modifies very precious photo data, and Finder is complicit in the process.

What one expects, and what one gets, should be mirrored; the veracity of how and what Photos gives us is the primary concern.

Many years of mirrored results leads one to expect the same; when the tyre does not meet the road, it is not untoward to expect frustration.

frodorock is concerned; I am concerned; others may be, also, and we are attendant to resolution.

Thank you for your input and insight.

Regards, splifingate