How to Sort by Date/Time Updated in Lightroom

[ssphillips]

I have thousands of photos from several cameras that I need to sort in time order as per the date/time that I modified using Lightroom's "Edit Capture Time" function. I have tried every custom sort variable that I can find related to date or time and none of them seem to use the date/time saved from Lightroom into xmp. Surely there must be a way to make this work? Please help.

Photo Mechanic Version 5.0, build 18040 (9e75cf5) on Windows 7 Pro SP 1

[Kirk Baker]

I have thousands of photos from several cameras that I need to sort in time order as per the date/time that I modified using Lightroom's "Edit Capture Time" function. I have tried every custom sort variable that I can find related to date or time and none of them seem to use the date/time saved from Lightroom into xmp. Surely there must be a way to make this work? Please help.

Photo Mechanic Version 5.0, build 18040 (9e75cf5) on Windows 7 Pro SP 1

PM uses the EXIF date/time from the image itself and does not use the duplicate and non-synchronized data that Adobe puts in XMP.  Adobe duplicates a number of EXIF fields in XMP.

Other than updating the images from the XMP via ExifTool, I have no solution for you.

-Kirk

[ssphillips]

That's a really unfortunate miscommunication between software tools. Why couldn't the values in XMP be available as variable to edit a custom sort?

So if I had used PM's "Adjust Capture Dates and Times" tool instead would that have prevented this problem?

[Kirk Baker]

That's a really unfortunate miscommunication between software tools. Why couldn't the values in XMP be available as variable to edit a custom sort?

So if I had used PM's "Adjust Capture Dates and Times" tool instead would that have prevented this problem?

Yes, PM updates the actual EXIF tags and not only would PM see the updated dates/times, so would all of Adobe's software and any other software that understands the EXIF standard.

-Kirk

[SamFrost]

In the Catalog Settings screen of LR there is an option to make LR write date/time changes into the EXIF of raw files.

[ssphillips]

Interesting. I'll test that in the future but it doesn't seem to work with images that have already been updated in Lightroom.

[Kirk Baker]

Interesting. I'll test that in the future but it doesn't seem to work with images that have already been updated in Lightroom.

I suppose you could change the time by one second forward and then change the time back by a second which should cause the files to be updated with the same time.

HTH,

-Kirk

[ssphillips]

I actually tried that (and saved Metadata) and it didn't change anything... There still seems to be a mismatch between what LR is writing to vs what PM is reading.

[Kirk Baker]

I actually tried that (and saved Metadata) and it didn't change anything... There still seems to be a mismatch between what LR is writing to vs what PM is reading.

Please post a sample image and its XMP sidecar file.  I'll be able to tell you definitively what is going on.

Use the 'Attachments and other options' link when you're composing your reply to this message and there you'll be able to upload your files.

Thanks,

-Kirk