Lightroom is importing images into folders by modified date instead of capture date.

[Cameron Sadeghpour]

I have used lightroom for years now and what has been a no brainer task recently went disastrously wrong.  I always sync metadata to the files automatically so my changes follow the files across programs.  That means they, or the metadata anyway, are frequently updated when I crop or tweek a color.  On my latest attempt to import images to a new archive, I selected the source images and clicked import.  Then I chose my location to move to and the format to import them with.  I chose to import into subfolders by date.  Lightroom then moved them to folders as though they were captured on the modification date (which is years away from the correct and actual date). So files taken in 2016 and modified yesterday are organized as thought they were taken yesterday.  I spent the day talking to Indian customer support reps who knew absolutely nothing about the software or the issue.  Basically I just want to know if it's glitch or if it's somehow an option to organize and import by modified date instead of capture date.  Or if there is a work around.  It's happening on two differnt computers running up to date CC versions.  Any help out there?

[Semyonoff]

Hi there!
Have the same problem with the wrong folder dates after LR import here.

I am using Nikon cameras and what I have noticed is that when I am making changes in photos in Nikon View NX software prior to importing them to Lightroom (labeling, some minor corrections), the modified date of the file changes and these photos are being imported in an incorrect folder, based on modified date, and not the date shot from Metadata. Seems that Lightroom uses file modified date solely to import files and creates incorrect folders. The filenames are still given correctly based on a date shot. So files are named by date shot, and folders are created by date modified field...

[johnrellis]

"when I am making changes in photos in Nikon View NX software prior to importing them to Lightroom ..., the modified date of the file changes and these photos are being imported in an incorrect folder, based on modified date, and not the date shot from Metadata. ... So files are named by date shot, and folders are created by date modified field..."

LR does normally use the capture date (EXIF:DateTimeOriginal) when it creates dated folders, though it can use the wrong time zone when you import the photos via a USB cable or the Devices section of the Import window.  But it sounds like you're importing from disk, since you've first modified the photos with View NX.

I suggest you take a sample photo fresh out of the camera and save away a copy of it. Make a modification in View NX, and make a copy of it. Upload the before and after versions to Dropbox or similar, and we troubleshoot what might be going wrong.

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[lauras45224916]

I am also having a problem with Lightroom Classic creating dated folders with the wrong date.  I found that LR is using the IPTC metadata date instead of the EXIF Date Time Original.  When I view an image's 'Creation Date' through Finder/Preview/Tools/Inspector it show the (incorrect/modified) IPTC metadate also.  But when I look at the EXIF data displayed with the image in Lightroom Classic it displays the proper EXIF Date Time Original -- Lightroom's Import process is just not using it.  PLEASE debug.

[johnrellis]

Lauras posted more detail in the official feedback forum, so best to continue discussion there:

https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/lightroom-classic-importing-files-into-a-fold...

(Having the two forums is confusing. Adobe's guidelines for which forum to use still leave considerable room for confusion:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic/which-forum-should-i-post-to-feedback-vs-forums/td-...)