Photo Metadata Date Changer

Important

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A Python tool that updates EXIF metadata (for JPEGs) and filesystem timestamps for all files in a given folder. It supports incremental timestamps, aligning photo times based on the earliest photo, recursive processing, and GUI/CLI modes.

Features

• Update EXIF DateTimeOriginal, DateTimeDigitized, and DateTime for .jpg / .jpeg
• Update filesystem modified/access timestamps
• Increment timestamps for ordered photo sequences
• Align timestamps while preserving relative differences
• Optional recursive mode
• Dry-run mode for verification
• Graphical interface for non-CLI users

GUI Overview

The GUI offers an interface with all the above features and:

• Folder selector
• Datetime picker
• Sorting, recursion, dry-run toggles
• Progress bar and logging console
• Safe cancel operation (via background threading)
• Tooltips for all fields that provide helpful descriptions

Example run in GUI:

Installation

Make sure you have Python 3.8+ and pip installed (can follow this guide if needed).

git clone https://github.com/estes-sj/photo-metadata-date-changer
cd photo-metadata-date-changer
pip install -r requirements.txt

Then launch the GUI via:

python main.py --gui

or use the command-line interface via the arguments below.

Command-Line Arguments

Argument	Type	Default	Description
--folder, -f	str	(required)	Folder path containing photos.
--datetime, -d	str	YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS	Base datetime to apply.
--increment-seconds, -i	int	1	Seconds to add per file in increment mode.
--no-increment	flag	-	Use same timestamp for all files.
--recursive, -r	flag	-	Include subfolders.
--sort-by	str	name	Sorting method for increment mode (name or mtime).
--mode	str	increment	How timestamps are applied (increment or align-earliest).
--yes, -y	flag	-	Skip confirmation prompt.
--dry-run	flag	-	Preview without writing changes.
--gui	flag	-	Launch the GUI instead of CLI.

CLI Quick Reference

Use Case	Example Command	Description
Preview changes (no writes)	python main.py --dry-run -f "C:\Photos"	Safe preview without modifying any files
Increment timestamps	python main.py --datetime "2025:11:03 11:45:00" -i 2 -f "C:\Photos"	Adds +2s between each file, starting from given date
Align earliest photo	python main.py --mode align-earliest -d "2025:11:03 11:45:00" -f "C:\Photos"	Keeps relative spacing between photos, shifts all so the earliest matches given date
Recursive processing	python main.py -r -y -f "D:\AllAlbums"	Processes subfolders too (no prompt)
Fixed time (no increment)	python main.py --no-increment -y -d "2024:12:31 23:59:00" -f "C:\DCIM"	Sets all photos to exactly the same timestamp
Full auto run	python main.py --mode align-earliest -r -y -f "E:\CameraDump"	Recursive + align-earliest + skip confirmation

Modes Explained

increment (default)

Each file gets a slightly later timestamp, starting from your base time.

File	New Time
photo1.jpg	2025:11:03 11:45:00
photo2.jpg	2025:11:03 11:45:01
photo3.jpg	2025:11:03 11:45:02

align-earliest

Keeps relative spacing between files but aligns the earliest one to the given datetime.

File	Original Time	New Time
photo1.jpg	2023:08:14 09:31:45	2025:11:03 11:45:00
photo2.jpg	+00:00:10 later	2025:11:03 11:45:10

Examples

Example 1 - Dry Run (Increment Mode)

python main.py --folder "C:\Photos\BeachTrip" --datetime "2025:11:03 11:45:00" --increment-seconds 2 --dry-run

Output (trimmed):

Found 4 file(s) in `C:\Photos\BeachTrip`.
  - beach_001.jpg
  - beach_002.jpg
  - beach_003.jpg
  - beach_004.jpg

Mode: increment. Apply datetime = 2025-11-03 11:45:00 (dry-run)? (y/n): y

🔍 [Dry-run] Would update EXIF for beach_001.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:00
🔍 [Dry-run] Would set timestamp for beach_001.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:00
🔍 [Dry-run] Would update EXIF for beach_002.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:02
🔍 [Dry-run] Would set timestamp for beach_002.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:02
...

🔍 Dry-run complete. No files modified.

Example 2 - Align Earliest Mode (Actual Run)

python main.py --mode align-earliest --datetime "2025:11:03 11:45:00" -y --folder "C:\Photos\Hike"

Output (trimmed):

Found 5 file(s) in `C:\Photos\Hike`.

Earliest file: IMG_103.jpg (2023-08-14 09:31:45)
Offset applied to all: 808 days, 2:13:15

✅ EXIF updated: IMG_101.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:44:55
🕒 Timestamp updated: IMG_101.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:44:55
✅ EXIF updated: IMG_102.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:01
🕒 Timestamp updated: IMG_102.jpg -> 2025-11-03 11:45:01
...

✅ Done.

Example 3 - Recursive Same-Time Update

python main.py -r --no-increment -y -d "2024:12:31 23:59:00" -f "D:\CameraDump"

Every file (in all subfolders) gets:

2024:12:31 23:59:00

Tip: Always Start with Dry Run

Before doing an actual run, preview with:

python main.py --dry-run -f "C:\Photos"

You'll see exactly which timestamps would be changed - no files modified.