I hate typing... I'll try to get this done without writing a book.

My wife culls the images down to a manageable number. She does this on a laptop and when she's done I write the metadata out to files and then copy the XMP files onto my computer to update my LR DB with her work. We always use the capture time offset to synchronize our three camera so that it's easier for her to remove redundant shots.

Anyway, something happened on a wedding that I'm currently editing and I didn't catch it until I was more than half way through the final edits. Capture time was converted to the "now" time at some point. This has left me multiple shots all at the same exact second -- as many as the computer could process before the clock ticked to the next second.

The problem is two-fold. Obviously the capture time no longer reflects the date and time of the wedding... this is kind of minor, but I don't like it. The bigger problem is that the order of "events" has been skewed by the altered time. As the program shifted the capture time, about 25 seconds for the total database, it left many shots on the exact same capture time. Think, processional where the bride goes down the isle before the bridesmaids.

I have the original XMP files and could revert to the "as shot" data, however all the work that I've done will be lost. Is there a way -- a program or technique -- that will allow me to revert to the original XMP values and then re-import the edit data that I have already completed so that I don’t have to re-edit all those images?

I will send a holiday fruitcake to the one that can help.

not sure it helps anyhow, but isn't image sequence enough for continuity?
Thats what we do. We do not use time at all. Between cameras synchronisation is not needed that often.

Go to grid view and you can change the capture time. Adjust by whatever date and/or time needed, even if it's just 25 seconds. Select the photos to be adjusted and apply to all. Check the original file to find what the time adjustment needs to be.

I often shoot with two cameras and it drives me nuts if they aren't synchronized.

I know how to adjust time in LR by picking just a few shots - PM or call if you need help.

If it makes you feel better, I have nearly the exact same problem from the last two weddings. Apparently the time on my dad's camera resets every time you take out the battery (we borrowed it since the mirror fell out of one of ours). So I have about 200 photos from one wedding that are in a folder names 2000-01-01 with a time stamp of 00:00:00. BRILLIANT. At least they are detail shots and shots of the bride getting ready - so it doesn't affect the ceremony time. But I tell you what - it's going to be a beast changing the time stamp on those!

Not sure I know what you mean.... I usually order by capture time. We use three cameras so file sequence doesn't help. When I'm done editing, I rename the files... right now I have the sequence of introductions, processional, etc. out of order. I don't know how to fix that in Lightroom.

lindabrowne wrote:
Go to grid view and you can change the capture time. Adjust by whatever date and/or time needed, even if it's just 25 seconds. Select the photos to be adjusted and apply to all. Check the original file to find what the time adjustment needs to be.

I often shoot with two cameras and it drives me nuts if they aren't synchronized.


That's what I normally do... I don't know what happened to this group of images. For example....all 1500 images have the time from 2:01:13 to 2:01:38 with multiple images ending up with the exact same time.

*this is not the exact data, I'm at work without the files in front of me.

Lucky_Dog wrote:
Not sure I know what you mean.... I usually order by capture time. We use three cameras so file sequence doesn't help. When I'm done editing, I rename the files... right now I have the sequence of introductions, processional, etc. out of order. I don't know how to fix that in Lightroom.

Is that because of a time mistake on the pics or because they are just out of order? You need to stay in Library mode to change the order of pics. If the time is correct, just highlight all the pics and then sort by time. If the time is incorrect, you can highlight some and change the timestamp via lightroom. If there is some other issue (or a combination of the two), you can simply drag and drop them where you want them to be - I think you use the filmstrip, or maybe you can press G and change them in that mode. Could take forever, but it may be worth it.

DB wrote:
I know how to adjust time in LR by picking just a few shots - PM or call if you need help.

If it makes you feel better, I have nearly the exact same problem from the last two weddings. Apparently the time on my dad's camera resets every time you take out the battery (we borrowed it since the mirror fell out of one of ours). So I have about 200 photos from one wedding that are in a folder names 2000-01-01 with a time stamp of 00:00:00. BRILLIANT. At least they are detail shots and shots of the bride getting ready - so it doesn't affect the ceremony time. But I tell you what - it's going to be a beast changing the time stamp on those!

This is kind of the same problem, although the images were in the proper order prior to the inadvertent editing of the capture time. This limited the number of pictures with the same timestamp.

DB wrote:
Lucky_Dog wrote:
Not sure I know what you mean.... I usually order by capture time. We use three cameras so file sequence doesn't help. When I'm done editing, I rename the files... right now I have the sequence of introductions, processional, etc. out of order. I don't know how to fix that in Lightroom.

Is that because of a time mistake on the pics or because they are just out of order? You need to stay in Library mode to change the order of pics. If the time is correct, just highlight all the pics and then sort by time. If the time is incorrect, you can highlight some and change the timestamp via lightroom. If there is some other issue (or a combination of the two), you can simply drag and drop them where you want them to be - I think you use the filmstrip, or maybe you can press G and change them in that mode. Could take forever, but it may be worth it.

I didn't know you could drag and drop them... that might get me there! You are in the running for a very yummy fruitcake!!

Lucky_Dog wrote:
DB wrote:
Lucky_Dog wrote:
Not sure I know what you mean.... I usually order by capture time. We use three cameras so file sequence doesn't help. When I'm done editing, I rename the files... right now I have the sequence of introductions, processional, etc. out of order. I don't know how to fix that in Lightroom.

Is that because of a time mistake on the pics or because they are just out of order? You need to stay in Library mode to change the order of pics. If the time is correct, just highlight all the pics and then sort by time. If the time is incorrect, you can highlight some and change the timestamp via lightroom. If there is some other issue (or a combination of the two), you can simply drag and drop them where you want them to be - I think you use the filmstrip, or maybe you can press G and change them in that mode. Could take forever, but it may be worth it.

I didn't know you could drag and drop them... that might get me there! You are in the running for a very yummy fruitcake!!

haha - yeah, I've actually created problems by dragging and dropping.

What I recommend - in order to save you sanity - is to create folders for each section of the day (Bride getting ready, Groom Getting Ready, Ceremony, Toasts, Reception, etc. - also give each of those folders a number (1 for bride getting ready, 2 for groom, etc.) - that keeps the folders in chronological order. Then separate the shots into those folders. It's easier to deal with 50 to 100 shots than 1500 at one time. Then you drag and drop in those folders to put them in the right time.

I do similar grouping, but in a different way... that's not really the question that I'm asking though.

I'm interested in finding a way to revert the capture time to the original and then import just the editing information back in to save the work that I’ve already done.

I can easily revert to original, the problem is that with LR, when I import the XMP from the edits, I would then write the capture time back to the wrong time. I want to know if there is a program or technique that will allow me to edit only portions of the sidecar file.

Unless you've set LR's preferences to overwrite the original files it's dead easy. By default time/date changes are NOT made to the actual file metadata, but to a LR specific reference, so the original time data should still be in the file metadata. Import your files as if nothings wrong. Select the offending files and then in grid view choose "metadata>revert to original capture time.

You could also do this in your wife's database and export new xmp files.

Gordon

We sync cams at the start of the day. Anything we prefer not to have in strict chronological order (we stick the formals at the end to preserve the flow of the day, for example) we just drag and drop in LR.

For those not familiar with the ol' LR drag 'n' drop:

- You have to set the order to user order in the Library

- If you have folders in folders, you can edit pics by clicking a higher level folder because LR knows the folder you're looking for is in there, but user order isn't an option unless you're at the lowest level folder for those pics.

- Once you've selected user order, you can actually do the dragging and dropping in the Library Grid or in the filmstrip at the bottom (even in the Develop module).

- Jeff

Try ACDSee, they have options to change just about anything in your files. There's digitized time, created time, modified time etc...just figure out what you need to change in the batch processor.

Also, your file names should also give you a clue as to the sequence of the event as you shot as well, unless you change that also.

ngoduyviet wrote:
Try ACDSee, they have options to change just about anything in your files. There's digitized time, created time, modified time etc...just figure out what you need to change in the batch processor.

I had this happen, what a huge PITA.

The exif will still show the correct digitized time. I used ACDC to sort the photos by the original digitized time and then renamed in sequence. Now they are in the correct sequence by file name.

Fruit cake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5eED8tTBfA&feature=related