Image Capture Date Identification Using Exif Metadata Extraction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the capture dates of images in a folder are inaccurate due to changes in creation and modification timestamps caused by file copying and editing, making it difficult to obtain the original capture date and time of images.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that acquires file management information, sorts it, and uses meta information from the earliest and latest image files to identify the range of capture dates, employing Exif capture dates and times stored within the image files, which remain unchanged even after copying or moving, to provide accurate capture date ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If time stamps (creation or modification date) are used to determine capture dates, then the process is simple and fast, but the accuracy of capture date identification deteriorates due to changes from copying and editing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the Exif capture date information from within the image file data itself, separating this reliable metadata from the file system time stamps that are prone to change. By accessing the Exif data embedded in the image files rather than relying on external file attributes, the system obtains accurate capture dates even after copying or editing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention copies the capture date information from the Exif metadata embedded within the image file. This embedded metadata is preserved as a copy of the original capture information within the file structure itself, making it resistant to changes in file system time stamps during copying or editing operations.
2Measurement precision
If Exif capture dates are used for all image files, then capture date accuracy is improved, but processing time increases due to reading meta information from each file
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the folder into multiple subfolders based on capture date ranges. By dividing the large set of image files into smaller groups organized by time periods, the system can process and display information more efficiently, allowing users to navigate and select from manageable date-range segments rather than processing all files simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary organization of image files into subfolders based on their Exif capture dates before the user makes selections. This pre-processing step structures the data in advance, so when users need to select folders for photo albums, the sorting and filtering work has already been done, reducing the processing time during actual user interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus includes a first acquiring unit configured to acquire file management information regarding one or more image files contained in a folder, a sorting unit configured to sort the file management information acquired by the first acquiring unit, a second acquiring unit configured to access image files corresponding to a first piece of the file management information and a last piece of the file management information among the pieces of file management information sorted by the sorting unit and acquire meta information regarding the two image files, and an identifying unit configured to identify a range of capture dates of the image files contained in the folder based on the meta information acquired by the second acquiring unit.