[Solution] Script to Restore Original Photo Dates After Downloading

[amritansht33902851]

I encountered an issue where downloading original photos from Lightroom CC to my local Mac changed all the image creation dates to the download date instead of preserving the original capture dates.

The Problem:
When you download original photos from Lightroom CC (using "Store a Copy of ALL Originals Locally"), the metadata dates of the images are replaced with the download date. However, Lightroom does organize the files in correct date folders (YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD), which preserves the original timeline information.

The Solution:
I created a Python script that:
1. Reads the date from Lightroom's folder structure (YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD)
2. Updates all metadata dates (creation, modification, etc.) to match the folder date
3. Includes safety features like automatic backups and verification

Key Features:
- Automatically processes all images in your Lightroom originals folder
- Creates backups before making any changes
- Verifies successful updates
- Restores from backup if anything goes wrong
- Works with JPG, PNG, TIFF, and BMP files

**Where to Find the Script:**
I've shared the script on GitHub: https://gist.github.com/tripathiamritansh/c3c0f9906386d89b478a87bf5d7af6f7

Requirements:
- Mac OS
- Python 3.6+
- ExifTool (easily installable via Homebrew)
- Basic comfort with running Python scripts

If you're experiencing the same issue and want to restore your original photo dates, feel free to use the script. Full instructions are included in the GitHub link.

Note: Always backup your photos before running any scripts that modify metadata!

I hope this helps others who've encountered the same issue! Let me know if you have any questions.

[JohanElzenga]

Interesting. I do wonder about one thing however. The MacOS Finder does not show the capture date of the image, it shows the file creation date. In the original images these are the same, of course. As these downloaded images are new files in MacOS, it makes sense that their file creation date is the downloaded date, however. The full capture date and time should be in the metadata of the image, however. So if you want the file creation date to be the same as the capture date, perhaps your script should read the capture date from the metadata of the image (so it gets the time as well) rather than the folder names?