Keep META-Data from RAW-Files when saving to JPG

Report · Aug 21, 2023

Hi everyone,

I am using Camera Raw to edit and save my original RAW files to JPG format. Unfortunately, the META-Data will be overwritten when it comes to the date and the time when the photo was taken. In the RAW files is the original timestamp, but when saving to JPG, the timestamp in the JPG is from that moment when the JPG was generated, and not the original timestamp from the RAW.

Is there a chance to keep the original timestamp in my saved JPG?

Report · Aug 22, 2023

There is more than one “creation date” in a digital camera file:

Capture Time or Date Taken (EXIF DateTimeOriginal): This is the time the photo was taken, according to the camera, and should never change.
File Creation Date: This is the time the file was created, according to the computer file system. If you export a file today, the file creation date is today, regardless of what date the photo was actually taken. This is probably what you are seeing.

When exporting from Camera Raw:

The File Creation Date is always there, because if there is a file, there is a File Creation Date.

The Capture Time (Date Taken) may or may not be included, depending on which Metadata option you selected in the Save Options:

If you choose any Metadata option that starts with “All” in the name, the Capture Time is included.
If you choose one of the other two Metadata options, the Capture Time is not included, because you are excluding a lot of metadata (usually for privacy reasons).

So go back and export again, but this time choose any of the following in the Metadata panel, and the Capture Time should be included:

All
All Except Camera Raw Info
All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info

Note that in Windows, you are always looking at the File Creation Date, not the Capture Time, unless you have specifically enabled displaying “Date Taken” in Explorer (see the web page linked above).

Report · Aug 23, 2023

Oh sorry it seems that I mixed up the data "Date Taken" and "Creation Date" - when viewing the properties of a RAW file, creation date and date taken are the same - but when editing a RAW, it is not the same anymore. Tank you for clarification!