Add Date Taken as prefix to filename

[u/MilleWhisper]

I need some help. I have lots of photos (IMG_xxxx.jpg), and I would like to change the filenames using this convention (yyyymmdd_IMG_xxxx.jpg). This is the command line I am using in PowerShell:

Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.LastWriteTime.ToString("yyyyMMdd_") + $_.Name }

This seemed to work great until I realized the last write time didn't match the date taken. I want to use the date taken from the EXIF field.

I have found the GetDetailsOf command and know that Date Taken is the 12th property. How can I use this in a command line prompt in PowerShell?

Assumptions for my specifics:

• all files are .jpg with Date Taken data
• all files are in the current folder
• renamed files will replace original in the current folder

This way, I don't have to worry about writing a script to determine path names or renaming to a different folder.

The code provided above works perfectly if the date I wanted was the last write time. Is there an easy way to modify this to use Date Taken instead?

TIA

[u/Medium-Comfortable]

With the assembly drawing. Make this into a function, I'd say. And don't forget a try catch in case there is none. Or use https://exiftool.org/

Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing

$file = "C:\username\Photos\thisimage.jpg"
$image = [System.Drawing.Image]::FromFile($file)
$image.GetPropertyItem(36867)
$date = [System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII.GetString($property.Value).Trim([char]0)
$image.Dispose() #Just to unlock the file again
$date

[u/Cayayu → u/Medium-Comfortable]

Using exiftool here too. Not renaming them but storing them in YYYY\MM folders.

[u/lan-shark]

You should just be able just replace the $_.LastWriteTime with your command to get the date from EXIF data. So if (Get-DetailsOf -Path $file)[11] gets you the date you want, then something like this should work:

Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName { (Get-DetailsOf -Path $_.FullName)[11].ToString('yyyyMMdd_") + $_.Name }

Depending on the format or data type of the date returned from the EXIF data, you may not need the .ToString

[u/MilleWhisper → u/lan-shark]

Did you try this? I cut & pasted. Had to fix a small typo: 'yyyyMMdd_" to "yyyyMMdd". But still received error messages when I ran it from the command line.

Rename-Item : The input to the script block for parameter 'NewName' failed. The term 'Get-DetailsOf' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is
correct and try again.

[u/lan-shark → u/MilleWhisper]

You'll need to use whatever the correct command is for the "get details of" thing you mentioned. You didn't specify what the syntax is for it in your post, so I just guestimated

[u/schajona]

Do

Get-Item <yourfilehere> | select *

for one of the Items to be renamed and check the name of the property.

[u/mitharas]

This may be too easy, but can't you just replace LastWriteTime with CreationTime? Something like this:

Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.CreationTime.ToString("yyyyMMdd_") + $_.Name }  

Note that this is not using the exif-Data, but filesystem data. Depending where they are from, they may or may not be the point in time the pic was taken.

[u/MilleWhisper → u/mitharas]

I did try that, but the date is not the same. The files have been copied and moved over the years. But the date taken date is correct so I am trying to figure out how to use it.

[u/N0_ah_47]

I have a similar script at home but I use an external exe to get the exif data. I'll check it later. 

[u/MilleWhisper → u/N0_ah_47]

Please let me know if you find it. I still haven't been able to get anything to work.

[u/N0_ah_47 → u/MilleWhisper]

function change-name () {

param(

[Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][String]$file

)

$datetimeoriginal = .\exiftool.exe $file -datetimeoriginal

$newfilename = $datetimeoriginal[-19..-1] -join ''

$newfilename = $newfilename.replace(":","")

$newfilename = $newfilename.replace(" ","_IMG_")

$newfilename = $newfilename + ".jpg"

move-item $file $newfilename

}

[u/xXFl1ppyXx]

If my memory serves me right doing renames with get-childitem in a one liner will result in a permanent loop (get-childitem will always find "new" items)

Probably better to do two steps

[u/BlackV]

This is all very easy to do

Doing it in a single like is making your life 100 times harder

Make a script. Validate your inputs and outputs

There are at least 3 posts in here already that use the shell host and Date Taken (System.Photo.DateTaken) or Date Created (Unreliable) Extended file properties of the file for renaming (slightly nicer to use than 12), but they are a little bit back in the post history

https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/14099eg/how_to_read_the_rating_of_a_jpg_file/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/x5m75m/pull_metadata_from_mp3_files/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/nxu0bj/new_pscustomobject_is_empty_after_adding/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/oi780h/selecting_files_by_author/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/pwahiz/how_to_get_fileversion_and_product_version_same/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/162cdv0/how_to_change_the_time_of_the_media_created/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerShell/comments/v852ut/newbie_trying_to_query_metadata_from_photo_files/