EXIF data contains a series of data that identifies the photograph including when it was taken. In this guide we will see how to modify the EXIF data, changing the date and time of the shot
EXIF data contains a series of very useful information such as shooting data that makes it easier to “copy” set ups to reproduce a shot. But also a series of data on where and when an image was taken, the author of the photograph and much more.
Why change the EXIF information of a photo?
Editing the EXIF information of photos is useful because it can improve photographic techniques. It is also the best way to keep location data confidential. Changing the date and time when photos are taken is easy on your Android phone, iPhone or desktop PC using some dedicated applications.
What EXIF information can be changed?
The EXIF information that you can edit includes the shutter speed, focal length, aperture, and most importantly, the date and time of the shot. This article discusses five ways to change metadata on different operating systems.
The 5 best ways to change the date and time of a photo
1. Change the date and time of a photo with AnyExif
AnyExif is a professional way to conveniently change date and time. It also allows you to select multiple images and edit their metadata in bulk. Here are the simple steps to change the date and time of your images using a professional Exif editor. Let’s see how to use AnyExif to change the date and time of the photos.
First of all, let’s introduce this tool. AnyExif is a recently launched EXIF editor for Mac users. It is a complete and professional program for viewing, adding, editing and removing EXIF data on Mac computers. It combines several advanced editing functions and offers a safe and immediate EXIF editing service for users who want to easily manage their photos on Mac. Compared to other EXIF editors on the market, AnyExif has a better interface, clearer navigation and more advanced features. Below are the steps to change the image shooting date and time with AnyExif.
- Step 1: Add images to the AnyExif program. You can choose to add a single photo or photo folders.
- Step 2: Once the images are added to the tool window, select the target image and click the “Exif Viewer” button.
- Step 3: A lot of Exif data will be displayed in the Exif Viewer window. Click on the “Camera” tag to open the Camera Exif window where you can see the date and time the photo was created.
- Step 4: Edit the details as desired and apply all changes by clicking “Start Processing”.
2. Change the date and time of the photos in Google Photos
Google Photos offers the more reliable cloud storage system of photos, preferred by many Internet users around the world. The amazing feature of this application is that it allows you to change the date and time of the photo. Therefore, to change the time and date of a photo using the Google Photos app, you can follow the steps mentioned below;
- Step 1: Touch the Google Photos app on your smartphone to open it.
- Step 2: Click the photo whose time and date you want to change.
- Step 3: Press the three vertically aligned dots in the top right corner.
- Step 4: Edit the image details by pressing the pencil icon, then click on the modified date and time to change them to your preferred values. The update details on the image will be automatically synchronized and will appear on all devices as modified.
3. Change the date and time of the photos with XnView
Before using this method, you need to check the image metadata. After verifying the metadata, you can follow the steps below to edit the data:
- Step 1: Tap the photo thumbnail, move to the various toolbars and click tools (edit timestamp).
- Step 2– Check the checkbox to view the EXIF record and select your preferred date, then use the available calendar to insert the date.
- Step 3– If needed, you can check the photo’s metadata using the Generate EXIF Metadata option. You can change the dates and times by choosing all EXIF fields to have the same creation date and time.
4. Change the date and time of the photos with Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom offers the best way to change the date and time of an image. Immediately view the timestamp update in the same location where the photo was edited. The application also allows you to choose multiple images and update their date and time in bulk. To change the time and date with the Lightroom app, you can follow the steps below:
- Step 1: tap the “I” button which represents the information and is located in the upper right corner of the app.
- Step 2: Double click on the displayed date and time field and start editing the GPS position details if needed.
- Step 3– Click the Adjust button and make your changes, then check if the updates are correct. The updates will be available after selecting the images and transferring them to a new folder outside the Lightroom application.
5. Change the date and time of the photos on the iPhone
To change the date and time of the images on the iPhone just follow the following step by step guide:
- Step 1: Install the Photos application on the iPhone and choose the image whose date and time you want to change.
- Step 2: Check the metadata of the photo by clicking on the “i” icon, then tap the “Adjust” option to display the “Adjust time and date” page.
- Step 3: Swiping the displayed calendar from left to right, tap the new date and time using the spinner displayed on the page. It is also possible to change the time zone using the application, clicking on “time zone” and selecting the preferred city.
Conclusion
EXIF data is important because it stores a lot of information about photos. To ensure the photo sharing security, you need to make some changes to the EXIF data of the photo. But how to do it? The apps presented in this article make changing times and dates as easy as possible. We’ve also included a few in our list professional EXIF editors, such as AnyExif. Using it, you can not only change the date and time of a photo, but also edit or add a lot of other EXIF information. That’s all from the software section, keep following us!