Capture Time to EXIF 1.26
I’ve just released version 1.26 of my plugin Capture Time to EXIF which lets you write to EXIF fields by sending commands from Lightroom to Exiftool. In no particular order, these are the changes:
- Updated Exiftool for Catalina
- How to Use button – links to video on operation and troubleshooting
- Added more EXIF fields to Metadata panel so more fields like camera can be written by the plugin
- Fixed bug creating batch file
- Improved preview when user chooses to use the Capture Date entered in the Metadata panel
- Save Exiftool Commands are now sticky
- Added Change Log in Plugin Manager
- Added Troubleshooting tips in Plugin Manager
- Refined handling of raw files – Exiftool also rewrites any xmp file
- Added Plugin Manager option to use your own copy of the Exiftool app
And video!
While I try to make my plugins as intuitive as possible, what seems intuitive to one person isn’t necessarily true for others. And although I seek to ensure that they work properly, I can only anticipate so many variations and possibilities, so sometimes stuff will go harmlessly wrong. Documentation can help, but seeing something in operation is often more useful, and during the Coronavirus or Covid-19 lockdown I am recording a few videos as well as updating some plugins,
I’ve just uploaded video showing Capture Time to EXIF and demonstrating basic operation and debugging:
- Updating a scanned photo with the camera make and model
- Using the command line preview to debug Exiftool problems
It’s recorded on Windows but I mention some Mac-specific details and will add some Mac recordings as soon as I can.
And by public demand (why? why? why?) you do hear the sound of my voice. For now I’ve resisted the terrifying temptation to record a piece to camera, but you never know….
John, thanks for this great tool. The problem I’m having is that it does not change the data for virtual copies of Lightroom files. Often a virtual copy is at the top of a stack and the one that I most need to be in date sequence with the others in the collection. Lightroom’s Edit Capture Time function, does work with virtual copies, but has all of the issues that made me switch to this plugin instead.
As I recall, the reason for preventing the plugin updating VCs was to stop someone trying to write to both VC and master simultaneously or separately with different info. I can change this quite easily, Ken, so do you want to test it?
However, there are significant problems. The plugin writes to the master file, because the virtual copy doesn’t exist. Read Metadata can then update the EXIF for the master, but this doesn’t update the EXIF which LR has for the VC. So I don’t think this takes you forward. Maybe you need to do any date tweaking before creating VCs?
Yes, changing the date first would be the best approach, but I’m going back to correct thousands of images that weren’t done that way. Lightroom’s Edit Capture Time does update the VC’s but has the issue of offsetting the times of all but the Most Selected one. I’m wondering why Read Metadata from File doesn’t then update all of the VC’s.
Dear John,
I just purchased the Capture Time to EXIF plug-in 1.26.
I installed and registered it.
The problem: When I select an image in Library mode then go to Library > Plug-in extras the plug-in grayed out.
I am using LR Classic 9.2.1
MacOS Catalina 10.15.3 on a 2017 Mac desktop
The plug-in is indicated as installed and running
Status: Enabled.
Registered.
I’ve been looking at your troubleshooting guide but just can’t figure out what I’ve done wrong. I’m sure it is something simple to fix it.
Any help would be most appreciated!
Many thanks,
Bob Blesse
Hi Bob
It’s the bit about
“3. Does the menu look greyed-out?
You’ve been misled by Adobe’s way of displaying the menu. They grey out the plugin name, but the real menu is the line below.
Does that help?
John