Datestamping

[abitbent]

I've searched the net for a datestamping utility and found nothing. My Powershot A40 doesn't offer datestamps on a hardware level, so I'm looking for a 3rd party software solution.

Anyone know where I can get a utility to datestamp my images? I'm not looking for a file renamer ect... but something that will actually datestamp right onto my image.


Thanx!

bent

ps... I'm not into manually putting text onto each jpg/bmp either so photoshop isn't what i'm looking for. :o)

[Conk]

Isn't the date that is in the exif data good enough?

[Roumen]

Bent,
Check my previous post at:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=5743027

Greetings,
Roumen
www.pbase.com/roumen

[abitbent]

Thanks for the help guys....


I got a registered copy of breezebrowser and I could find nowhere that would allow me to actually datestamp the images. The ability to rename the files according the the exif data was there... but that's not what I'm looking for.

I did however find an alternate application but it seems to have a bug. I can datestamp a single image using the exif data but when I do a batch, it seems to ignore the exif data and just uses the current date. Still, I can manually adjust the date for a batch conversion and it seems to work.

The app is called photags... I found it here...

http://www.photags.com/

It's really too bad that Canon hasn't provided for this on a hardware level. A friend has a Kodak digital and datestamping can be selected right on the camera.

[Calvinh]

Hi

I too was very disappointed that my Canon camera couldn't do datestamping, even though the dealer told me it would. Several emails with Canon tech support confirmed that "None of our PowerShot cameras are able to imprint the date/time onto the actual image."

Having owned a Kodak digital for years, I loved having that datestamp on the photos so, for example, I can instantly tell how old my child was at the time of the photo.

It's actually very easy to datetime stamp a picture(actually you can put any text in any color in any font in any position) . I used Visual FoxPro and VC++ to write a program that would read the EXIF info in the JPG (to get the datetime of the picture) and put it on the photo in any format I want. (I like "Sun 8/10/03 11:06a" as my string.)

I can tell my program to stamp an entire folder of photos and it's subfolders.

I can give the source code of this program to anybody who wants it.

[abitbent]

Thanx Calvin...

Hey you should market that application you wrote and sell it! I can tell you I tirelessly searched for a simple app that would do this and I did find one, however even it has some bugs and comes with features that I really won't use. Just a simple date/timestamp is all i want to superimpose on my images.

As for the source code, I wouldn't know what to do with it. The last program I wrote was in basic on my C-64. :O)

10 for x=1to10
20 Next x

It's sad, I know... quite sad.

I wonder how hard it would be for you to convert that source code into an executable that would run under windows?

Some criteria that is important to me:

- Able to handle mutliple files at one time (batch)
- If the exif data isn't present with the image file, prompt the user for one or skip to the next picture
- Customizable fonts/colours
- Watermarking the datestamp would be a cool feature
- Making the process available from the "right click" menu, so that I may add the datestamp to an entire folder, with criteria that is already set.


I dunno.. could just be me but as a digital camera owner, I think this would be a cool and handy app to have around. I realize not everyone likes datestamping on thier photos but I think Canon dropped the ball on this one.

Thanx again

bent

[Roumen]

Bent,

This is my previous post:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=4082232

Just run BreezeBrowser and select the image(s).
Then run -> Tools -> Proofs -> Watermark -> Add Copyright Message to image:
Insert: @day@ @month@ @year@
(also @time@ or some separators like [] {} // are possible)
Settings -> Your favorite Font, foreground, background color, transparency
Finally click -> Proof or Proof All
It automatically would place the date from EXIF data of the image (all images).

Use the following pictures:
http://www.pbase.com/image/9990528.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/9990527.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/9990529.jpg

Greetings,
Roumen
http://www.pbase.com/roumen

[rcgroupid]

why pay for a s/w when there are tools avalable for free....

exifer is a vey good tool for vieweing exif data and also has the ability to add watermark data... check it out... i had been looking for something like this for a while. jus found this one 2 days ago...


http://www.friedemann-schmidt.com/software/exifer/

[abitbent]

Exifer... what a lifesaver. Very cool application and I can even right click entire folders to browse them with the application where I may add my date format watermark. Fantastic.


Thanks all for the help!

bent

[stopbath]

If you have a Canon Printer, there is a chance you have a program that will do exactly what you want:

I was playing with a program that came with my Canon printer, and it prints the date (from the Exif data) right on the print at time of printing (so this does not alter the image in anyway, just prints the date on the printout.)

The program is called "easy print" or something along that line. It came with my MultiPass 60 (and somehow, it didn't install during my install of the software so many months ago - I only found it while looking for the online PDF manual on the CD.)

[MeGotsACanon]

Calvinh, i sent u an email, if u didn't get it, ie fake email, can i get a copy of the source?

I'm after not just the date and time, but all the things you see in zoombroswer, like shutter speed etc.

I have an project in mid that i'm trying to make that i need to be able to read the EXIF data.

abitbent, the program should make a copy of the file and then do it, so u still have your origional, or at least have an option to do it.

[Calvinh]

I received your email request.

Yes, the program reads/writes the Exif info. It also manipulates the Windows file system datetime stamp so it's preserved after the datetime is put on the image.


I'll put together a readme file & the source code into a zip file in the next day or two.

Some programming experience is advised.

To run the code, you must have Visual Foxpro. However it should be fairly straightforward to port the source code to other languages.

[MeGotsACanon]

Do you need visual fox to extract the data? or to write it on the image?

Cause what my first goal will be will to just pull it out and write it in text to a html file.

Thanks for doing this! If i can write this program i'll be sure to post it back on here for ya.

[Calvinh]

Yes: to run the code you need FoxPro. However the code can be translated to other languages.

I keep getting send failures for your email address?

[MeGotsACanon]

Calvinh, that was my uni email and they have been under attack with the latest virus. I have sent you a new email with both my email address.

Sory about that.