# TimeStamp Camera: full content index > Free GPS camera and timestamp tools, plus free photo, metadata, and PDF tools. Browser tools (free) + iOS app (free with optional Pro). Almost all processing happens on the user's device; the two AI background tools are the exception and are described below. This document concatenates every page of timestampcamera.net for one-shot LLM ingestion. The companion short index is at https://timestampcamera.net/llms.txt. --- # Tools ## GPS Camera & Timestamp URL: https://timestampcamera.net/gps-camera A free, browser-based tool that stamps date, time, GPS coordinates, and address onto any photo. Drop a JPEG/PNG/HEIC/TIFF file onto the canvas, set the stamp options, and download. The stamp is rendered into the image pixels, not just stored as EXIF, so it survives uploads, crops, and screenshots. The "Use my location" button uses the browser's Geolocation API to fill latitude and longitude with up to 7-decimal precision and reverse-geocodes a street/neighborhood/city address via OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Photos never leave the browser. The companion iOS app captures the same data live in the field with atomic (network-synced) time, including offline. Free with optional Pro features for custom watermark, batch export, and all formats. ## EXIF Metadata Viewer URL: https://timestampcamera.net/exif-viewer A free, browser-based EXIF reader. Drop a photo (JPEG/PNG/HEIC/TIFF) onto the dropzone and the viewer parses date, time, GPS coordinates, camera, lens, and exposure metadata in JavaScript on the user's machine. If the photo carries GPS, the viewer embeds an OpenStreetMap pin so the location can be verified visually. The file is never uploaded. ## EXIF Remover URL: https://timestampcamera.net/exif-remover A free, browser-based tool that strips hidden EXIF metadata from photos before sharing. Accepts JPEG, PNG, and HEIC inputs. HEIC files are transcoded to JPEG first, then stripped. The default mode removes every EXIF marker; advanced mode lets the user opt into selective removal (GPS only, dates only, camera fingerprint only, software history only, or author/copyright only). Per-file before/after tag counts are shown. Single file downloads directly; batch downloads as a ZIP. Files never leave the device. ## HEIC to JPEG Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/heic-to-jpg A free, browser-based converter for iPhone HEIC/HEIF photos. Decodes HEIC entirely in-browser via the heic2any WebAssembly decoder and re-encodes as JPEG. A quality slider (50-100%, default 92) controls output size. By default the original EXIF (date, GPS, camera) is preserved on the JPEG output; a toggle strips all metadata for privacy-conscious workflows. Batch mode bundles multiple JPEGs into a single ZIP for one-click download. No upload, no signup, no size limit. ## EXIF Date Editor URL: https://timestampcamera.net/edit-photo-date A free, browser-based editor for the EXIF capture date on JPEG and HEIC photos (HEIC is converted to JPEG, keeping its date, GPS, and camera details). Two modes: "Set" applies a specific date and time to one or many photos (useful for scanned old photos that arrive with the scan date instead of the capture date); "Shift" adds or subtracts a fixed amount from each photo's original date (useful when a camera or phone was set to the wrong timezone). Writes DateTimeOriginal always; DateTimeDigitized and the 0th IFD DateTime are kept in sync. Files never leave the device. ## PNG to JPG Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/png-to-jpg A free, browser-based PNG → JPEG converter. Decodes PNG and re-encodes as JPEG entirely client-side via the browser's Canvas API. Adjustable quality slider (50-100%, default 92). Configurable background color for transparent PNG pixels (default white). Batch ZIP download for multiple files. JPEG output is metadata-free (PNG has no EXIF to migrate). No upload, no signup, no size limit. ## JPG to PNG Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/jpg-to-png A free, browser-based JPEG → PNG converter. Decodes JPEG and re-encodes as PNG losslessly via the browser's Canvas API. Output is a pixel-perfect copy of the source in PNG form. Output PNG carries no EXIF metadata (PNG format limitation). Batch ZIP download. No upload, no signup, no size limit. ## Wallet Size Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/wallet-size-photo A free, browser-based maker for the classic US wallet print: 2.5 x 3.5 inches (63.5 x 88.9 mm), rendered at 300 DPI so the export is 750 x 1050 pixels. Unlike a passport photo there is no head-height rule, no background requirement, and no country spec: a wallet photo is simply a small print, so the tool crops to the 2.5:3.5 ratio and then packs as many copies as will fit onto a standard photo-lab sheet (2-up on 4 x 6, 4-up on 5 x 7, 8-up on 8 x 10) with zero-gutter cut guides. Output is a print-ready PDF plus the single cropped image. Any photo counter or home printer can produce the sheet. Photos never leave the device. ## PDF to Text URL: https://timestampcamera.net/pdf-to-text A free, browser-based text extractor for PDFs, running a two-stage pipeline. Stage one reads the PDF's embedded text layer via pdf.js, which is instant and exact for digital PDFs (exports from Word, Google Docs, invoices, statements). If a page yields almost no characters, the PDF is a scan, so stage two renders that page to a canvas and runs OCR on it with Tesseract in 24 languages. The result is labelled text, ocr, or mixed so the user knows which pages were recognised rather than read. Output can be copied or downloaded as a .txt file. No upload, no signup. ## PSD to PNG URL: https://timestampcamera.net/psd-to-png A free, browser-based converter that opens a Photoshop PSD file and saves it as an ordinary PNG, with transparency preserved. Uses the ag-psd parser to read the file's flattened composite, which is what Photoshop stores alongside the layer data, so no Photoshop, no Creative Cloud subscription, and no server round-trip is needed. Batch conversion bundles the PNGs into a ZIP. If a PSD was saved without a composite (an option some tools use), the file cannot be rendered and the tool says so plainly instead of producing a blank image. Files never leave the device. ## US Passport Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/us-passport-photo The official US passport photo requirements from the State Department, plus a free browser maker built to them: 2 x 2 inches square, with the head measuring 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from chin to crown, a plain white or off-white background, neutral expression, and a photo taken within the last 6 months. The US is one of the countries that explicitly allows a self-taken photo, so the at-home route is fully viable. The tool overlays the head-height guide while the photo is positioned and exports both the 2 x 2 crop and a 4 x 6 print sheet for any photo counter. No upload. ## UK Passport Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/uk-passport-photo The official HM Passport Office requirements and a free maker for both application routes. Printed photos: 45 mm high by 35 mm wide, head 29 to 34 mm from crown to chin, plain cream or light grey background (not the white the US wants), and taken within the last month, which is stricter than the 6 months most countries allow. Online applications instead upload a digital photo of at least 600 x 750 pixels, between 50 KB and 10 MB, and crucially uncropped, because the application system does its own cropping. Head coverings only for religious or medical reasons; babies under 1 may have their eyes closed. No upload. ## Irish Passport Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/irish-passport-photo Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs officially encourages taking the photo at home for online applications, using a phone, tablet, or camera held by someone else, with the upload validated by the system. This page covers that route and the paper-form quirks: printed photos between 35 x 45 mm and 38 x 50 mm, four identical copies no more than 6 months old, and a witness who writes the application form number on the back of two of them and signs and stamps those two. Black and white is officially recommended because the passport prints in black and white anyway. No digital enhancement of any kind is accepted. ## Canadian Passport Photo Requirements URL: https://timestampcamera.net/canadian-passport-photo Canada's official rules, including the one most competitors hide: photos must be taken by a commercial photographer, whose name, address, and the date must be stamped or written on the back of one print, and this applies to online applications too. The spec is 50 x 70 mm with the face measuring 31 to 36 mm from chin to crown, two identical prints, no more than 6 months old, and no edits of any kind, cropping included. This page states plainly that a self-taken Canadian passport photo will be rejected, and points to the tools that are still useful (checking framing before the photographer visit, and the other countries' at-home routes). ## Schengen Visa Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/schengen-visa-photo The ICAO-based 35 x 45 mm format shared by Schengen consulates, with a free browser maker and an honest account of where member states diverge. The shared baseline: 35 x 45 mm, plain light background, neutral expression, even lighting, no edits, taken within 6 months. The differences are real and documented from official sources: the Netherlands publishes a precise 26 to 30 mm chin-to-crown face height and permits fully transparent glasses, while Germany's Federal Foreign Office asks for the face to fill roughly 50 to 80 percent of the frame and is far stricter on glasses. Because 35 x 45 mm does not match US print formats, the tool also exports a sheet that fits a standard 4 x 6 print. ## UK Driving Licence Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/uk-driving-licence-photo DVLA photo rules and a free maker. A driving licence photo uses the same 45 x 35 mm passport-type print as a UK passport, but with one rule that reverses the passport habit: do not sign the back of the photo, and do not write on it at all. Applications are made by post with a paper photo or online with a passport photo reused from an existing passport record. Current DVLA fees are 14 pounds for a first provisional licence online, 21.50 pounds by post, and 17 pounds for a replacement. The tool crops to the exact print spec with the head-height guide overlaid. No upload. ## Passport Photo Size Chart URL: https://timestampcamera.net/passport-photo-size-chart A single reference table of passport photo dimensions for 51 countries, listing each country's print size in millimetres, the required head or face height where the authority publishes one, and the background colour. Built from the same spec data that powers the passport photo maker, so the table and the tool cannot drift apart. Countries with a dedicated in-depth page (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland) link through to it. Useful for anyone applying abroad, comparing two countries' requirements, or checking whether a photo taken for one application can be reused for another. ## Roof Pitch Calculator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/roof-pitch-calculator A free contractor calculator that converts between the three ways a roof slope is expressed: rise and run in inches or feet, the x/12 pitch notation used on US plans, and degrees. Conversion works in any direction, so entering any one form fills the other two. It also returns the rafter length multiplier (the square root of 1 plus the slope squared, for example 1.118 for a 6/12 and 1.4142 for a 12/12), an estimated roof surface area from the building footprint, and a chart of standard pitches. An SVG triangle updates live so the slope can be checked visually. Free, instant, nothing uploaded. ## Deck Material Calculator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/deck-material-calculator A free contractor calculator that turns deck dimensions into a shopping list: the number of decking boards to buy for a given board width and stock length, total linear feet, the number of joists at the chosen spacing, and an estimated screw count, each with an adjustable waste factor. A 16 by 12 foot deck with standard inputs, for example, comes out at 26 board rows, 29 boards, 13 joists, and roughly 750 screws. Intended for estimating a material order before a lumberyard trip rather than for structural design, which is a job for local code and an engineer. Free, instant, nothing uploaded. ## Construction Estimate Template URL: https://timestampcamera.net/construction-estimate-template A free, browser-based estimate builder for contractors. Fill in the client and job details, add line items with quantity, unit, and rate, set a tax rate, and download a client-ready estimate as a PDF or as a CSV for a spreadsheet or accounting tool. The PDF is generated in the browser with pdf-lib, so it paginates properly for long item lists and never touches a server. No signup, no account, no watermark, no per-document fee, and no data leaves the device, which matters for pricing that a contractor would rather not upload to a third-party service. ## EXIF Editor URL: https://timestampcamera.net/exif-editor A free, browser-based editor for any EXIF or metadata field in a photo: change the capture date, fix or add GPS coordinates, set the camera Make and Model, and add author or copyright text. Writes the tags back into the file itself, so the change travels with the photo. No upload, no signup. ## Add Timestamp to Photo URL: https://timestampcamera.net/add-timestamp-to-photo Draws a visible date, time, GPS, and address stamp onto an existing photo, with 81 date formats and free choice of position and color. The stamp is rendered into the pixels rather than stored as metadata, so it survives uploads, screenshots, and platform re-encodes. No watermark, no upload. ## Image Compressor URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-compressor Compresses JPEG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF with a live side-by-side preview and an exact bytes-saved readout, or targets a specific file size between 20KB and 500KB by binary-searching the quality automatically. HEIC input is decoded in the browser first. Nothing uploads. ## MB to KB Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/mb-to-kb-converter Compresses an image down to a target file size in KB that the user types in, for upload portals with hard size caps. Auto-searches quality and downscales only when the target cannot be reached otherwise, then reports the exact resulting size. Browser-only. ## Photo Forensics URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-forensics Checks whether a photo was edited using Error Level Analysis (ELA), a noise residual map, and luminance analysis, alongside its EXIF. All three analyses run in the browser on the user's device; the photo is never uploaded. ## Social Media Metadata Checker URL: https://timestampcamera.net/social-media-metadata Shows the GPS, date, and device information a photo would reveal before posting, plus a verified table of what Instagram, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, TikTok and other platforms strip on upload. Browser-only. ## Pixelate & Redact URL: https://timestampcamera.net/pixelate-image Pixelates, blurs, or black-bars faces, license plates, names, and document numbers in a photo. The redaction is written into the exported pixels, not layered on top, so it cannot be undone from the file. No upload. ## Blur Faces URL: https://timestampcamera.net/blur-faces Blurs faces in a photo to anonymize it: drag a region over each face, plate, or sensitive area and choose blur, pixelate, or black-out. Runs entirely in the browser, nothing uploaded. ## Photo Location Finder URL: https://timestampcamera.net/where-was-this-photo-taken Reads a photo's GPS metadata and shows where it was taken: latitude, longitude, a map pin, and a reverse-geocoded address via OpenStreetMap. Files stay on the device. ## Camera Detector URL: https://timestampcamera.net/what-camera-took-this-photo Identifies what camera or phone took a photo by reading the EXIF Make, Model, lens, and exposure settings. Useful for verifying a photo's claimed origin. Browser-only, no upload. ## Bulk GPS Extractor URL: https://timestampcamera.net/extract-gps-from-photos Extracts GPS coordinates from many photos at once and exports latitude and longitude to CSV, for mapping a batch of field photos or an archive. Browser-only. ## Photo Report Generator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-report-generator Turns a batch of photos into a dated, mapped PDF report showing each photo with its capture date, GPS, and address, plus a timeline and route overview. Built for inspections, claims, and site documentation. Generated entirely in the browser. ## Photo Timeline Generator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-timeline Sorts a batch of photos into a chronological timeline by their EXIF capture date, exposing gaps and ordering mistakes at a glance. Browser-only. ## GPS Route From Photos URL: https://timestampcamera.net/gps-route-from-photos Reconstructs a trip by connecting photos' GPS points in time order on a map, turning a folder of geotagged photos back into the route that produced them. Browser-only. ## GPS Coordinate Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/gps-coordinate-converter Converts GPS coordinates between decimal degrees (DD), degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS), and degrees-decimal-minutes (DDM). Pure browser-side math, nothing sent anywhere. ## Address to GPS URL: https://timestampcamera.net/address-to-gps Turns an address or place name into latitude and longitude on a map, using free OpenStreetMap data. No API key, no account. ## GPS to Address URL: https://timestampcamera.net/gps-to-address Turns GPS coordinates, decimal or DMS, into a street address on a map via reverse geocoding. Free, in the browser, no API key. ## Image Converter URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-converter Converts between WebP, PNG, JPG, AVIF, HEIC, and GIF in the browser. Decode and re-encode happen on the user's device; files never upload. ## Image to PDF URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-to-pdf Combines multiple photos into a single PDF with page size and orientation options. The PDF is assembled in the browser; nothing uploads. ## Image to Text (OCR) URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-to-text Extracts text from an image or screenshot with in-browser OCR. Recognition runs locally on the device, so the image is never uploaded. ## Image Size Finder URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-size-finder Shows a photo's dimensions in pixels, megapixels, aspect ratio, format, and file size, the details upload forms and print shops ask about. Browser-only. ## Add Text to Image URL: https://timestampcamera.net/add-text-to-image Adds text to a photo with font, size, color, outline, and background options. Supports multiple text layers positioned by dragging. Browser-only, no upload. ## Combine Images URL: https://timestampcamera.net/combine-images Merges 2 to 9 photos into one image, side by side, stacked, or in a grid, with JPEG, PNG, or WebP output. Browser-only. ## Image Aspect Ratio Changer URL: https://timestampcamera.net/image-aspect-ratio-changer Changes a photo's aspect ratio (1:1, 4:5, 16:9, and more) by cropping or by padding with a blurred or solid background, for platform-specific size requirements. Browser-only. ## Flip Image URL: https://timestampcamera.net/flip-image Mirrors a photo horizontally or vertically, including one-click unmirroring of selfies. Browser-only, no upload. ## Split Image URL: https://timestampcamera.net/split-image Splits an image into equal tiles on a rows-by-columns grid, for Instagram grids and carousels, with individual or ZIP download. Browser-only. ## Discord Timestamp Generator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/discord-timestamp Builds Discord's timestamp tags. The user picks a date and time in their own timezone; the tool converts it to a Unix timestamp and offers all eight styles from Discord's developer reference (t, T, d, D, f, F, R, S), each with a live preview rendered the way Discord's client would render it, plus one-click copy. The R style produces a self-updating relative time ("in 3 hours"), the closest thing Discord has to a native countdown. Pure client-side math; nothing is sent anywhere. ## YouTube Timestamp Link Generator URL: https://timestampcamera.net/youtube-timestamp Turns any YouTube URL (watch, youtu.be, Shorts, live, or embed form) into a link that starts playback at an exact moment via the t parameter. The user sets hours, minutes, and seconds; the tool outputs both the compact youtu.be link and the full watch URL, and if a pasted link already carries a start time it is read into the fields for adjustment. Purely client-side string work; the tool never contacts YouTube. ## AI White Background URL: https://timestampcamera.net/white-background-photo Replaces a photo's background with pure white using an AI model, for product listings, marketplace photos, and catalog shots. Works on one photo or a batch of up to 20, with a before and after view and a ZIP download. Unlike most tools on this site, the processing happens on a server: the browser first resizes the photo to at most 1024 pixels on its long side and re-encodes it as a JPEG, which drops its EXIF and GPS metadata, and only that copy is sent through our server to a third-party AI processing service. Neither we nor the service keep it: the service deletes the photo and the result within one hour, and they are not used for training. ## Background Remover URL: https://timestampcamera.net/background-remover Removes the background from a photo and exports a transparent PNG. Two modes. Fast mode runs the AI on a server, with the same handling as the AI White Background tool: a resized, metadata-free copy is sent, and it is deleted within one hour. Private mode runs an AI model entirely in the browser, so the photo never leaves the device; it is slower, especially the first time, because the model has to download. ## All tools hub URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-tools Index of every browser-based tool. Free, no signup. ## More browser tools ### EXIF and metadata - [Batch EXIF viewer](https://timestampcamera.net/batch-exif-viewer) - [Compare EXIF data](https://timestampcamera.net/compare-exif) - [Photo map](https://timestampcamera.net/photo-map) - [Remove GPS from photo](https://timestampcamera.net/remove-gps-from-photo) ### Compress and resize - [Image resizer](https://timestampcamera.net/image-resizer) - [Compress image to 50KB](https://timestampcamera.net/compress-image-to-50kb) ### Edit photos - [Crop image](https://timestampcamera.net/crop-image) - [Rotate image](https://timestampcamera.net/rotate-image) - [Watermark](https://timestampcamera.net/watermark) - [Photo filter](https://timestampcamera.net/photo-filter) - [Black and white photo](https://timestampcamera.net/black-and-white-photo) - [Vintage photo filter](https://timestampcamera.net/vintage-photo-filter) - [Split screen photo](https://timestampcamera.net/split-screen-photo) ### PDF tools - [PDF to JPG](https://timestampcamera.net/pdf-to-jpg) - [Merge PDF](https://timestampcamera.net/merge-pdf) - [Compress PDF](https://timestampcamera.net/compress-pdf) - [JPG to PDF](https://timestampcamera.net/jpg-to-pdf) - [Split PDF](https://timestampcamera.net/split-pdf) ### Passport and ID photos - [Passport photo maker](https://timestampcamera.net/passport-photo) ### Field work and reports - [Mileage log from photos](https://timestampcamera.net/mileage-log-photos) ### More tools - [Color picker](https://timestampcamera.net/color-picker) --- # iOS app ## Timestamp Camera: GPS Photo App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630 Capture photos with date, time, GPS, atomic time, and reverse-geocoded address baked into the visible image. Works offline; address fills in once signal returns. Per-photo job notes (project name, unit, defect type). Built for iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+), and Apple Vision Pro. iOS 15.6 or later. Free with optional Pro features ($2.99/month, $14.99/year, or $29.99 lifetime). --- # About URL: https://timestampcamera.net/about TimeStamp Camera is built by LetUsBake, LLC for crews, inspectors, couriers, adjusters, and anyone whose work product is a stamped photo. Field photos lose their context the moment they leave a phone: social platforms strip GPS, exports drop EXIF, PDFs flatten everything. The fix is simple: render the date, time, GPS, and address onto the visible image so context survives any pipeline. The iOS app and web tools share the same stamping engine. Contact: support@bakermode.com # Privacy URL: https://timestampcamera.net/privacy The iOS app and almost all web tools process photos entirely on the user's device, with no upload and no copy on any server. The exceptions are the two AI background tools: the AI White Background tool, and the Background Remover in Fast mode. For those, the browser sends a resized JPEG copy (at most 1024 pixels on the long side, with its EXIF and GPS metadata removed by the re-encode) through our server to a third-party AI processing service. We do not store the photo or the result, they are not used for training, and the service deletes both within one hour. The Background Remover's Private mode stays in the browser. The other outbound network call is reverse geocoding via OpenStreetMap Nominatim when "Use my location" is pressed. Optional analytics (Plausible, Google Analytics 4) may be enabled. # Terms URL: https://timestampcamera.net/terms Service provided as-is. The tools are designed to make tamper-evident records easier to produce, but the user is responsible for the accuracy of inputs and for jurisdictional compliance if photos are used as legal evidence. --- # Photo guides # Roof Damage Photos for an Insurance Claim: What to Shoot (Without Climbing Up) > How to photograph hail and wind damage to a roof from the ground, what else on the property shows storm damage, how to tie your photos to the storm date, and how to spot the roofing scams that follow storms. *Published: 2026-09-25* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/roof-damage-photos-insurance-claim **Quick answer:** Don't climb on the roof. Photograph it from the ground, walking all the way around the house, with a wide shot of every slope and zoomed-in shots of anything missing, lifted, or broken. Then photograph what's easier to see than the roof itself: dented gutters, downspouts, vents, and outdoor units. Inside, photograph any ceiling stains or drips, with the date. Do all of this before any repairs, and keep the photos' original files, which carry the date they were taken. Roof claims can be hard to settle for a simple reason: roofs wear out anyway. After a storm, the question isn't just whether the roof is damaged. It's whether the damage came from *this* storm or from fifteen years of weather. Your photos are how you answer that. ## Stay on the ground This comes first because it matters most. A roof after a storm can be wet, missing shingles, and weaker than it looks. Most of what you need can be photographed from the ground with a phone's zoom, from an upstairs window, or from a ladder that's safely placed without stepping onto the roof. If you need someone to go up, that's for the adjuster or a licensed roofer, who has the equipment to do it safely. ## The roof itself Walk around the house and, from the ground: - **Take one wide shot of each slope**, so every part of the roof is on record, damaged or not. - **Zoom in on anything that stands out:** missing shingles, shingles that are lifted, creased, or folded back, cracked tiles, exposed underlayment, and bent or loose flashing around chimneys and vents. - **Photograph debris on the roof**, like branches or a fallen tree, before anyone removes it. - **Photograph shingles or pieces on the ground**, where they landed, with the house in the background. Photos taken in the morning or late afternoon, with the sun at an angle, show dents and lifted edges better than photos at midday. ## Everything else that shows the storm The roof is hard to see from below. Other parts of the property are much easier to photograph, and they often show the same storm: | What to photograph | What it can show | |---|---| | Gutters and downspouts | Dents from hail, sections pulled loose by wind | | Roof vents and metal flashing | Dents you can see from the ground with zoom | | Outdoor AC or heat pump units | Bent fins and dents on the top and sides | | Window screens and frames | Tears and dents | | Siding and trim | Cracks, holes, and pieces blown off | | Fences, sheds, and patio furniture | Dents and wind damage | | Cars that were outside | Dents on the hood and roof | | Fallen trees and branches | What hit the house, and where | If hail was the cause, put a coin or a ruler next to a few of the hailstones, or next to the dents, for scale. Photograph the hail itself if it's still on the ground. ## Inside the house Roof damage often shows up inside first: - **Ceiling stains**, with a wide shot of the room and a close-up of the stain. - **Drips and active leaks**, and the bucket catching them. - **The attic**, only if it's safe to go up: wet insulation, daylight through the roof deck, water on rafters. - **Damaged belongings** under the leak. Photograph a stain again every few days if it's spreading. A series of dated photos shows the damage getting worse, which helps if a claim takes a while. ## Before any repair, even a tarp If rain is coming, you may need a tarp or another temporary fix right away. That's fine, but photograph everything first, then photograph the tarp once it's on, and keep the receipt. Check what your policy says about protecting the property from further damage after a loss, and call your insurer to report the claim as soon as you can. The time you have to report a claim varies by state, according to the NAIC, the organization of state insurance regulators. ## Tie the photos to the storm date Because roofs age anyway, the date of the damage matters. Two things help. **The date in your photos.** Your phone stores the date and time in each photo's metadata, and you can check it with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). A timestamp camera like the [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) also prints the date, time, and address on the image itself, where it's visible to the adjuster without any tools. For photos you've already taken, the free [browser tool](/add-timestamp-to-photo) can add each photo's own date to the image. **A record of the storm.** NOAA's Storm Events Database is a public record of significant storms in the U.S., including hail and thunderstorm wind events, searchable by state and county. It's updated monthly and can run a few months behind, so it's more useful later in a claim than the day after the storm, but it's an independent record that the storm happened where and when you say it did. ## Watch out for storm chasers After a big hailstorm, roofers from out of the area often go door to door. Some are legitimate. Some aren't. The Federal Trade Commission's list of warning signs after weather emergencies includes contractors who: - push you to sign right away for a discount, - tell you to sign your insurance check over to them, - want everything paid up front, - insist on cash, wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps, or crypto, - ask you to sign a blank contract. The FTC recommends getting estimates from more than one licensed and insured contractor, and a written contract that describes the work, the materials, the price, and the timeline. If you sign a contract at home, the FTC says it should include a written statement of your right to cancel within three business days. It's also worth checking the numbers. A roof estimate is usually priced by area, and the area depends on the pitch of the roof, not just the size of the house. The [roof pitch calculator](/roof-pitch-calculator) converts rise and run into pitch and gives you a rough roof area, so you can sanity-check a quote before you sign. ## Keep it organized Put everything in one place: the photos, the tarp receipt, the claim number, and notes of every call with your insurer. The [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) turns a set of photos into one dated PDF with each photo's date and address, which is easy to email to an adjuster or a contractor, and it runs in your browser. For a broader checklist after a storm or flood, including what FEMA advises, see [how to document storm, flood, or fire damage](/photo-guides/document-storm-flood-damage-fema-insurance). Sources: Federal Trade Commission, "How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters"; NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "What You Need to Know When Filing a Homeowners Claim." --- # Is GPS Data in Photos Personal Data Under GDPR? What Businesses Should Do Before Publishing > Location data is named in GDPR's definition of personal data, so the GPS hidden in a photo can count. When it matters, when it doesn't, and a simple routine for checking and removing it before photos go online. *Published: 2026-09-24* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/is-photo-gps-data-personal-data-gdpr Often, yes. GDPR defines personal data as any information relating to an identified or identifiable person, and it names **location data** as one of the things that can identify someone. The GPS coordinates hidden inside a photo can point to a person's home, and when they do, they're personal data. That doesn't mean every photo with GPS in it is a legal problem. A photo of a public landmark, taken by you, isn't about anyone. But if your business publishes photos taken at customers' homes, of staff, or sent in by customers, the location data travelling with those files is worth a minute of your attention. This is a practical explainer, not legal advice. If you have a data protection officer, they're the person to ask about your specific situation. ## What the law actually says Article 4(1) of the GDPR defines personal data like this: > "'personal data' means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject'); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person" Location data sits right there in the list. The UK's version of the regulation, the UK GDPR, uses the same definition. Two other parts of the law matter here. **The household exemption.** Article 2 says the regulation doesn't apply to processing by an individual "in the course of a purely personal or household activity." Your holiday photos on your personal account aren't a GDPR matter. Photos your business publishes are. **Data minimisation.** Article 5 says personal data should be "adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary" for the purpose it's used for. This is the principle that makes the practical answer simple, as you'll see below. ## Where this comes up in real businesses The GPS in a photo is invisible, which is exactly why it gets overlooked. A few common situations: - **Tradespeople and contractors** posting before-and-after photos of jobs on their website or social media. Each photo may carry the coordinates of a customer's house. - **Cleaners, carers, and home services** sharing photos from inside clients' homes. - **Companies publishing staff photos** that were taken at employees' homes, for example remote-work shots or headshots taken on a phone at home. - **Businesses reposting customer photos**, like reviews or testimonials, from the files customers sent in. - **Field reports shared outside the company**, where the location is useful for the work but not for everyone who receives the report. In each case, the photo itself may be perfectly fine to share. It's the location attached to it that goes further than intended. ## The simple answer: take out what you don't need Data minimisation turns this into a practical question: does the purpose of this photo need the location? - **A marketing photo** of a finished kitchen doesn't need the customer's coordinates. Remove them before it goes online. - **An inspection or proof-of-work photo**, where the location is the point, does need it. Keep it, but share it only with the people who need it, like the customer, the insurer, or the contractor. - **A staff headshot** doesn't need to say where it was taken. Remove it. Separating "photos we publish" from "photos we keep as records" solves most of this without any clever tools. ## Where location data survives, and where it doesn't Some social platforms remove location data when you upload a photo, but not all do, and it can depend on how you send the file. We cover this in more detail in [which platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). The places that are easier to forget are the ones that keep the original file exactly as you gave it: your own website, a shared drive link, an email attachment, a download from cloud storage. If the file had GPS in it when you uploaded it, anyone who downloads it may get the GPS too. Don't assume. Check a file from your own website the way a visitor would get it. ## A five-minute routine before publishing 1. **Check one photo.** Open it in an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and look at the GPS section. If there are coordinates, they'll be shown on a map. 2. **Check a whole folder at once**, if you have many. The [batch EXIF viewer](/batch-exif-viewer) lists the date, GPS, and camera for every photo in a table you can export. 3. **Remove only the location**, if you want to keep the date and camera details. [Remove GPS from a photo](/remove-gps-from-photo) strips the geotag and leaves the rest. 4. **Remove everything**, if you want a clean file. The [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) strips GPS, date, camera, and author details. 5. **Stop it at the source.** On an iPhone, you can turn off location for a single share by tapping Options at the top of the share sheet and switching off Location before you send. All of these tools run in your browser, so the photos aren't uploaded to us or anyone else while you check them. ## Don't forget what's visible in the picture Removing metadata only removes the hidden data. It does nothing about what's in the picture itself: a house number on the door, a street sign, a car's number plate, or someone's face. This applies to our own product too. A timestamp camera, like ours, prints the date, time, and street address on the image, which is exactly what you want for evidence and records. But that address is part of the picture, and no metadata tool will remove it. Keep stamped photos in your records, and use a clean, unstamped photo, or crop out the stamp, for anything you publish. ## If you're in the UK or the EU In the UK, the regulator is the Information Commissioner's Office. In the EU, each country has its own data protection authority. The definition of personal data is the same in both. ## The short version GPS in a photo is location data, and location data can be personal data. If your business publishes photos, get into the habit of asking whether the location needs to go with them. Most of the time it doesn't, and removing it takes seconds. Sources: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Articles 2, 4, and 5; UK GDPR, Articles 2, 4, and 5 (legislation.gov.uk). --- # iPhone 18 Pro Photo Metadata: What the Camera Records, and Why There Is Still No Timestamp > What an iPhone 18 Pro photo stores about itself: date, time, location, lens, and now a changing aperture. How that differs from Apple Reference Image, and how to put a visible date on the photo. *Published: 2026-09-22* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/iphone-18-pro-photo-metadata **Quick answer:** The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max don't have a setting to print the date or time on your photos. Apple's announcement of the new camera covers variable aperture, Pro controls, and Apple Reference Image, but no visible timestamp. What the camera does record, like every recent iPhone, is hidden metadata inside each photo: the exact capture time and time zone, the GPS location if you allow it, the lens, and the exposure settings. On the 18 Pro, that metadata now also shows which aperture the camera chose for each shot. To see it, open the photo in Photos and swipe up, or use an EXIF viewer. To put the date on the image itself, you still need a timestamp camera app. The iPhone 18 Pro went on sale on September 18, 2026, with iOS 27. The camera is the headline: a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, manual Pro controls, and a new way to prove a photo hasn't been altered. So it's a fair moment to ask what a photo from this camera actually knows about itself, and what it still doesn't show you. ## No timestamp setting, again Apple's press release for the iPhone 18 Pro lists the camera features in detail: the variable aperture, Pro controls for aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, a histogram, texture and grain controls in Photographic Styles, and Apple Reference Image. None of them puts the date, time, or location on the picture. This isn't new. The built-in Camera app has never had a date stamp option, and iOS 27 didn't add one either, as we covered in [iOS 27 Camera and Photos: what's new](/photo-guides/ios-27-camera-timestamp). The information is all captured. It's just stored invisibly, inside the file. ## What an iPhone 18 Pro photo records Every photo an iPhone takes carries a block of metadata, called EXIF, alongside the image. Like earlier iPhones, a photo from the 18 Pro stores: | Field | What it tells you | |---|---| | Date and time taken | The moment the shutter fired, down to fractions of a second | | Time zone offset | Which time zone the phone was in, so the time can be read correctly anywhere | | GPS location | Latitude, longitude, and altitude, if Location Services is on for the Camera | | Camera direction | Which way the phone was pointing, when location is on | | Device and lens | That it was an iPhone, which model, and which of the cameras was used | | Exposure | Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focal length for that shot | | Software | The iOS version that processed the photo | You can see a summary by opening the photo in Photos and swiping up. For more detail, including the lens, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exact coordinates, drop the photo into our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). It runs in your browser and doesn't upload the file. If you only want to know which phone and lens took a picture, [what camera took this photo](/what-camera-took-this-photo) reads just that part. ## What is new: the aperture now changes On earlier iPhones, the main camera had a fixed aperture. Every photo from it had the same aperture value in its metadata, so the field wasn't very interesting. The iPhone 18 Pro's main camera has a real, moving aperture: Apple says six laser-cut blades move between settings, from ƒ/1.48 for low light, to ƒ/1.8 for portraits, to ƒ/4 when it needs more of a scene in focus. The camera picks automatically, or you can choose with the new Pro controls. EXIF stores the aperture of each shot in its own field. So for the first time on an iPhone, an EXIF viewer will show you which aperture the main camera actually used for each photo. That's useful if you're learning what the new controls do: shoot the same scene at different settings, then compare the values. ## Apple Reference Image isn't a timestamp The other big camera feature, [Apple Reference Image](/photo-guides/apple-reference-image-iphone-18-pro), is about trust. In the new Reference mode, the camera captures signed sensor data, and Photos can develop that into what Apple calls an unalterable reference image, shown next to the main photo like a digital negative. If someone later edits the photo, comparing it with the reference shows what changed. It's worth being clear about what that is and isn't: - It's **not part of the ordinary metadata**. It's a separate reference that travels with the photo in Apple's system. - It's **opt-in**. You have to set up Reference mode first. - It's **not available everywhere**. Apple says capture isn't available in China at launch, and in the EU capture isn't available at launch either, although EU users on iOS 27 can still develop and view reference images. - It **doesn't put a date on the picture**. It's about whether the pixels were changed, not about printing when the photo was taken. Apple also says that image metadata and upcoming support for the SynthID standard can help identify images generated or edited with AI, with SynthID coming in a software update later this year. ## Why the metadata isn't enough on its own Metadata is detailed, but it has two weaknesses. **It's invisible.** Nobody looking at the photo sees the date unless they go looking for it. A customer, an insurer, or a landlord looking at a photo in an email sees only the picture. **It's easy to lose.** Many apps and websites remove metadata when photos are sent or uploaded. If you send a photo through a chat app and the other person saves it, the date and location may be gone. We cover which platforms do this in [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). And metadata can be edited. Changing a photo's date takes seconds with the right tool, which is why a date in metadata alone is weak proof. (That's exactly the problem Reference Image is designed to address for the image itself.) ## How to put a visible date on iPhone 18 Pro photos **For new photos:** use a timestamp camera app. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) prints the date, time, GPS coordinates, and address onto each photo as you take it, so the information survives any upload and is visible to anyone who sees the picture. **For photos you already took:** the free browser tool [adds a timestamp to a photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) using the date stored in its own metadata. It works on many photos at once and runs entirely in your browser. **To check a date someone else sent you:** open the file in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and compare the capture date with the date it was sent. If the metadata is gone, that tells you something too. ## FAQ ### Does the iPhone 18 Pro have a date stamp option in the Camera app? No. Neither the iPhone 18 Pro hardware nor iOS 27 adds a setting to print the date on photos. The date is stored in the photo's metadata instead. ### Does the iPhone 18 Pro save GPS location in photos? Yes, if Location Services is turned on for the Camera app. You can turn it off under Settings, Privacy and Security, Location Services, Camera. You can also remove the location from a single photo before sharing it, or use a tool to [remove GPS from a photo](/remove-gps-from-photo) while keeping the date. ### Does Apple Reference Image prove when a photo was taken? It's designed to show whether a photo was altered, by comparing it with signed data from the sensor. It isn't a visible timestamp. For a date anyone can see, you still need a stamp on the image. ### Will the aperture really show up in the metadata? EXIF has always recorded the aperture of each shot. What changes with the iPhone 18 Pro is that the main camera's value can now be different from one photo to the next, so the number becomes worth checking. ## Bottom line The iPhone 18 Pro records more about each photo than ever, and it's the first iPhone where the aperture in the metadata tells you something new. But the date is still hidden inside the file, where it can be lost or edited. If you need the date and place on the picture itself, for work, evidence, or memories, add it with a timestamp app when you shoot, or with a browser tool afterwards. Sources: Apple Newsroom, "Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max" (September 9, 2026). --- # Do You Have to Label AI Images in the EU? The AI Act's Article 50, in Plain English > Since 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act requires some AI-generated images to be labelled. Who has to do it, what counts as a deepfake, whether product photos with a removed background are affected, and what a label has to look like. *Published: 2026-09-21* · *9 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/eu-ai-act-label-ai-images Probably not for every AI image, but quite possibly for some of yours. Since 2 August 2026, the EU's AI Act requires businesses and professionals to clearly disclose **deepfakes**: AI-generated or AI-manipulated images, audio, and video that look like real people, places, or events and could be mistaken for the real thing. Personal, non-professional use isn't covered. Ordinary edits, like cropping, colour correction, or removing a background, generally don't make an image a deepfake. And the companies that make AI tools have a separate duty to mark their output in a machine-readable way. That's the short version. The details matter, though, because the fines can reach 15 million euros or 3% of worldwide annual turnover, and because a lot of what's been written about this rule is either alarmist or vague. One note before we start: this is an explainer, not legal advice. We've based it on the text of Article 50 and on the European Commission's guidelines published in July 2026. The Commission itself points out that its guidelines are non-binding, and that only the Court of Justice of the EU can give the final interpretation. ## Two different duties, for two different groups Article 50 splits the work between two kinds of "operator," and it helps to know which one you are. **Providers** are the companies that build AI systems and put them on the EU market: the makers of image generators, chatbots, and editing tools. Under Article 50(2), they must make sure that what their systems generate is **marked in a machine-readable format** and detectable as AI-generated or manipulated. Think invisible watermarks or signed metadata. Providers outside the EU are covered too, if their output is used in the EU. **Deployers** are the people and organisations that use those AI systems in their work. Under Article 50(4), deployers who create deepfakes must **disclose** that the content is artificially generated or manipulated. Most businesses reading this are deployers, not providers. You use an image generator. You didn't build one. ## Does it apply to you? The key line is between personal and professional use. The Commission's FAQ gives a clear example: someone who uses AI in their personal capacity, say to make a deepfake and post it on social media, is doing something personal, and that's outside the scope of the AI Act. It may still be illegal for other reasons, but Article 50 isn't the rule that applies. It changes when there's regular economic benefit involved. If you're a freelancer, a content creator who earns from your work, or anyone using AI as part of a business, trade, or profession, you count as a deployer. A few more details from the guidelines that answer common questions: - **Employees aren't separate deployers.** If a designer at an agency uses AI under the agency's instructions and control, the agency is the deployer, not the individual designer. - **Commissioning isn't deploying.** A company that simply hires an advertising agency to make an ad, without deciding whether or how the agency uses AI, is not the deployer. The agency is. - **Where you're based doesn't help.** A company outside the EU that uses AI to make a deepfake for an advert shown in the EU is also a deployer under the Act. ## What actually counts as a deepfake This is the question that decides almost everything. The AI Act defines a deepfake as AI-generated or manipulated image, audio, or video content that resembles existing persons, objects, places, entities, or events and would falsely appear to a person to be authentic or truthful. The Commission breaks that into three conditions, and all three have to be met: 1. **Resemblance.** It closely resembles its subject. 2. **Existing.** The subject is someone or something that exists, or could plausibly exist. 3. **False appearance of authenticity.** It could mislead someone into thinking it's real. That third condition does a lot of work. Context matters: the audience, where the content appears, and what people expect. The guidelines give examples on both sides, and they're more useful than any definition: | Likely a deepfake | Likely not a deepfake | |---|---| | An AI image of two real footballers in front of what looks like a stadium | An AI image of a sphinx flying over the Eiffel Tower | | A realistic AI avatar of a company's CEO congratulating staff | AI-generated mice arguing about cheese in a cheese advert | | An AI video of someone resembling a politician giving a speech | An AI cartoon based on a photo of a historical event | | An AI product image that makes the product look better than it really is | A real car shown in an advert against an AI-generated background, as long as the ad doesn't mislead about the car | ## "I just removed the background from my product photos." Do I need a label? If you sell online, this is probably the part you care about, because a lot of sellers now use AI tools to clean up product photos. We make one of those tools, so we read this part of the guidelines closely. The short answer is: generally no, as long as the product itself isn't misrepresented. The Commission's guidelines list "deleting and obscuring backgrounds that are visible in the original file" among the examples of **standard editing**, alongside minor cropping, colour correction, and sharpening. They also say that AI-powered colour correction, background extensions, and adjustments or replacements of backgrounds for clearly aesthetic purposes in product advertising are likely to have only a minor impact on how people judge the authenticity of the ad and the product. The line is crossed when the AI changes the product. The guidelines' own example of a deepfake is an AI-generated product image that could mislead people about how the product actually looks, what it does, or its quality: making it look different from the real thing, more appealing, or better than it is in real life. So a real photo of a real shoe, with the messy background swapped for plain white, is standard editing. An AI image that smooths out the shoe's stitching, changes its colour, or invents details it doesn't have is a different story, and it could also be a problem under consumer protection law, with or without the AI Act. ## What a label has to look like If you do publish a deepfake, the rules on disclosure are practical: - **It has to be clear and distinguishable**, and people have to see it at the latest the first time they're exposed to the content. - **It has to work without special tools.** The Commission says a disclosure should be perceivable by people, for example with a visible or audible label, without needing any technical tool or extra action. That means **invisible metadata or a watermark isn't enough on its own.** The provider's machine-readable marking is one obligation. Your visible disclosure is another. - **Art and satire get lighter treatment.** If the deepfake is part of an evidently artistic, creative, satirical, or fictional work, you still have to disclose it, but in an appropriate way that doesn't spoil the display or enjoyment of the work. The guidelines say what counts as appropriate is decided case by case. For a single image, one simple way to do that is a short visible note on the image or right next to it, like "AI-generated image," placed where people will see it at the same time as the image. ## What about AI-written text? There's a separate rule for text. AI-generated or manipulated text published to inform the public on matters of public interest, like politics, public health, or the economy, has to be labelled too. But there's an exception: if the text has gone through genuine human review or editorial control, and a person or organisation takes editorial responsibility for it, it doesn't need a label. The Commission is clear that a spell-check doesn't count as human review. ## Key dates - **2 August 2026:** Article 50 applies. From this date, deployers must disclose deepfakes. - **2 December 2026:** the deadline for AI systems already on the market before 2 August 2026 to add machine-readable marking. This grace period only covers providers' marking duty, not deployers' disclosure duty. - **Nothing retroactive:** content created before 2 August 2026 doesn't have to be labelled, though the Commission encourages it where possible. Enforcement is mainly up to national market surveillance authorities in each member state. The Commission also published a voluntary Code of Practice on marking and labelling AI-generated content, which it says gives signatories more legal certainty. ## How to check whether an image carries an AI mark If you're on the receiving end, wondering whether an image was made with AI, the machine-readable marks providers now have to add can help, but only when they survive. The most common format is Content Credentials, based on the C2PA standard. We explain how to read them in [how to check Content Credentials](/photo-guides/how-to-check-content-credentials-c2pa). Two cautions. First, marks are often stripped when images are screenshotted, re-saved, or uploaded to platforms, so a missing mark proves nothing. Second, no automated check is perfect. Our guide on [how to detect AI-generated images](/photo-guides/how-to-detect-ai-generated-images) covers the other clues, and the [photo forensics tool](/photo-forensics) looks for signs of editing in a file, all in your browser. ## The practical takeaway For most businesses, the checklist is shorter than the headlines suggest: - Ordinary photo editing, including removing or replacing a background for a cleaner product photo, generally doesn't create a deepfake, as long as the product isn't misrepresented. - If you use AI to create realistic images of real people, real places, or realistic events, and you use them professionally, label them visibly. - Don't rely on invisible metadata to do the labelling for you. - If a case is borderline, the Commission's guidelines have dozens of worked examples, and a lawyer can tell you where your specific use falls. Sources: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), Article 50, via the European Commission's AI Act Service Desk; European Commission, "Transparency obligations under Article 50 of the AI Act" (FAQ); European Commission, Guidelines on transparency obligations for providers and deployers of certain AI systems, C(2026) 5054 final, 20 July 2026. --- # How to Document Storm, Flood, or Fire Damage for FEMA and Insurance > What to photograph after a hurricane, flood, tornado, or wildfire, before you clean up: FEMA's own advice, a room-by-room shot list, what to keep, and how to avoid the contractor scams that follow disasters. *Published: 2026-09-19* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/document-storm-flood-damage-fema-insurance Before you move anything, take pictures. That's the single most important thing to know about documenting disaster damage, and it's the thing people get wrong most often, because the urge to start cleaning is overwhelming. FEMA puts it plainly: take photos of the damage before you begin the clean-up process, including the outside and inside of the building and damaged personal property, and label them by room before you remove anything. Once that's done, you don't have to wait. FEMA's advice is not to wait to clean up or make repairs. Document first, then get to work. This guide walks through what to photograph, what to keep, and how to organize it so your insurance claim and any FEMA application go as smoothly as they can. **Safety first.** Only go back into a damaged building when local officials say it's safe. Watch for downed power lines, gas leaks, and weakened floors and ceilings. No photo is worth an injury. ## Why the photos matter so much Your insurance adjuster and any FEMA inspector will see the property after the fact. Your photos show what it looked like before anything was moved, dried, or thrown away. Once the wet carpet is on the curb and the fridge has been emptied, that moment is gone. Photos also protect you when a claim is questioned later. A dated photo of water standing in the living room is hard to argue with. ## Outside first Walk the whole property, if it's safe, and take wide shots from every side. Then get closer: - **The roof**, from the ground. Don't climb up. Zoom in on missing shingles, holes, and damaged flashing. - **Siding, windows, and doors.** Broken glass, dents, cracks, and gaps. - **The water line.** After a flood, photograph the highest mark the water reached on the outside walls, fences, or garage. - **Fallen trees and debris**, especially anything that landed on the house, a car, or a fence. - **Vehicles**, from all four corners, with any damage up close. - **Outbuildings, fences, pools, and yard equipment.** ## Then every room, before you touch it Go room by room, and take both photos and a slow video. FEMA's guidance includes a few details that are easy to miss: - **Label everything by room.** Say the room name at the start of each video, or start each set of photos with a shot of the doorway. - **Open closets and cabinets.** FEMA specifically reminds people to photograph the insides of closets and cabinets. That's where a lot of value is hiding. - **Photograph appliances and their labels.** Get the make, model, and serial number of washers, dryers, water heaters, kitchen appliances, TVs, and computers. The label is usually on the back, inside the door, or underneath. - **Show the water line inside too.** A tape measure held against the wall at the water mark shows the depth at a glance. - **Photograph damaged belongings** where they are, before you move them. Then, if you have time, lay out smaller items and photograph them together. If you made a home inventory before the disaster, this is when it pays off, because you can compare what was there with what's damaged. If you didn't, our guide to [home inventory photos](/photo-guides/home-inventory-photos-for-insurance) covers how to rebuild one. ## What to keep, and what to throw away **Keep samples.** FEMA suggests that, where possible, you keep samples of damaged carpet, flooring, wallpaper, and drapes, and of upholstery and window treatments. A small cut piece shows the material and quality better than any photo. **Throw away health risks, after photographing them.** Once they're documented, FEMA says to throw away flooded items that pose a health risk right away, like perishable food, clothing, cushions, and pillows. **Keep every receipt.** For cleanup supplies, repairs, temporary housing, and replacement items. FEMA's advice is simply to save all repair receipts. Photograph them the same day, since receipts get lost in the chaos. Our guide to [keeping photos of receipts](/photo-guides/can-you-keep-photos-of-receipts-irs) covers how to make those photos readable. **Don't wait on mold.** FEMA also notes that National Flood Insurance Program policies won't cover damage from mold, which is one more reason not to leave wet materials sitting while you wait for someone to come out. ## Talk to your insurer before you sign anything Contact your insurance company as soon as you can, with your policy number, and tell them what happened. The time you have to report a claim varies by state, so don't put it off. FEMA also advises consulting your insurance adjuster or company before you sign any cleaning, remediation, or maintenance agreement. Your adjuster can tell you what your policy covers before you commit to anything. To apply for federal help after a declared disaster, FEMA points people to DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA app, or 800-621-3362. ## Watch out for disaster scams Unlicensed contractors and scammers show up quickly after hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. The Federal Trade Commission lists the warning signs. Be wary of anyone who: - says you'll get a discount only if you sign right away, - tells you to sign your insurance check over to them, - wants everything paid up front, - insists on payment by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency, or cash, - asks you to sign a blank contract, - claims they can help you qualify for FEMA money, for a fee. The FTC recommends getting estimates from more than one licensed and insured contractor, getting everything in writing, and never signing your insurance check over to a contractor. FEMA doesn't charge application fees, so anyone asking for money to help you apply is running a scam. ## Make the dates and places hard to argue with Your phone stores the date, time, and location inside every photo, as long as location is turned on for the Camera. That's useful, but the information is invisible and can be lost when photos are forwarded or uploaded. A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and address on the photo itself. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot, which makes each photo self-explanatory when it's printed or attached to a claim months later. It also works without a signal, which matters when cell service is down after a storm. ## Organize it once, send it many times You'll probably need to send the same photos to more than one place: your homeowners insurer, a flood insurer, FEMA, your landlord, a contractor. Organize them once: - **One folder per room**, plus one for the outside and one for receipts. - **Keep the originals.** Copies sent through messaging apps can lose their date and location data. - **Make a report.** The [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) turns a set of photos into a single dated PDF with each photo's date, location, and address, in your browser. - **Back up to the cloud.** If your home and devices were damaged, the photos need to be somewhere else too. ## If everything was lost After a wildfire or a total loss, there may be nothing left to photograph. The NAIC, the organization of state insurance regulators, suggests working from memory and looking through photos on your phone, or photos from family and friends, taken in your home. Old holiday and birthday photos often show rooms, furniture, and electronics in the background. Those pictures can help rebuild a list of what you owned. Sources: FEMA, "How to Document Damages After Severe Weather Events" and "Don't Wait to Clean Up or Make Repairs"; Federal Trade Commission, "How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters"; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "What You Need to Know When Filing a Homeowners Claim." --- # Renters' Rights Act 2026: What Tenants in England Should Document Now > Your tenancy changed on 1 May 2026. What the Renters' Rights Act means for tenants in England, and the photos, notices, and messages worth keeping for repairs, rent increases, deposits, and moving out. *Published: 2026-09-17* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/renters-rights-act-what-tenants-should-document If you rent privately in England, your tenancy changed on 1 May 2026, whether you noticed or not. Most fixed-term tenancies became rolling ones overnight. "No fault" Section 21 evictions ended. Rent can only go up once a year. And more changes are on the way, including a landlord ombudsman and new rules on damp and mould. A lot of that shifts power towards tenants. But rights are only as useful as the evidence behind them. If you ever need to challenge a rent rise, push for a repair, or get your deposit back, the person with the better records usually wins. This guide covers what changed and what's worth keeping a record of. It applies to private renting in England. Different rules apply if you rent from a council or housing association, live in student halls, or are a lodger, and Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own systems. ## What changed on 1 May 2026 From the government's overview for tenants: - **Rolling tenancies.** Most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies. They run week to week or month to month, with no end date. If your agreement has an end date in it, that date no longer applies. - **No more Section 21.** Landlords now need a legal reason, called a ground for possession, to end your tenancy, and they have to use the correct forms and notice. The notice is usually four months, though it can be shorter for some grounds. - **Rent increases once a year.** Not in the first 12 months of a new tenancy, only with a Form 4A notice, and with at least two months' notice. You can challenge an increase that's above market rent. - **Ending it yourself.** You can leave by giving two months' notice in writing, and a text or email counts. - **Rent in advance is capped.** A landlord can't take rent before you've signed, and after signing can ask for at most one month in advance. - **Pets.** You can ask to keep one. Your landlord must consider the request and should give a reason if they refuse. Existing tenants with a written agreement didn't need a new one. Instead, landlords had to give them a government Information Sheet about the changes by 31 May 2026. ## What's still coming Some parts of the Act arrive later: - **Register your rental property.** A national register of landlords and rented homes starts rolling out by region from 15 December 2026, beginning in the West Midlands. Landlords will need to be registered to use certain eviction grounds. - **A landlord ombudsman.** All private landlords will have to join a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, which tenants can use for free to complain about their landlord. - **Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard.** Both are being extended to private renting. Awaab's Law will set time limits for landlords to deal with serious hazards like damp and mould, once the regulations setting those timescales are made. That last one is the reason to start documenting repairs properly now. ## 1. The condition of the home Everything about deposits still depends on one comparison: the state of the place when you moved in against the state when you left. That hasn't changed. Your deposit still has to be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and returned within 10 days of you and your landlord agreeing how much you get back. If you didn't photograph the place when you moved in, do it now. It's not as strong as move-in photos, but a dated record of the flat's condition today is much better than nothing, especially if your tenancy now has no end date and you might be there for years. We have a room-by-room shot list in [move-in and move-out photos](/photo-guides/move-in-move-out-photos-rental-deposit), including what to photograph in kitchens and bathrooms, where most deposit deductions come from. ## 2. Repairs, damp, and mould This is where good records will matter most over the next few years. The government's guide says Awaab's Law will let new requirements be set so that private landlords have to deal with hazards such as damp and mould within a specified time, and that tenants will be able to take landlords to court if they don't. Time limits only help if you can show when you reported the problem and what it looked like. So, when something needs fixing: - **Photograph it the day you notice it.** A wide shot showing where it is in the room, and a close-up. For mould, include something for scale. - **Report it in writing.** Email or the agent's portal, not just a phone call. The message itself is your dated record of when the landlord knew. - **Photograph it again as it changes.** Mould that spreads over three weeks tells a clearer story in three dated photos than in a paragraph. - **Photograph the repair,** or the lack of one, when the deadline you were given passes. Make sure the dates can't be argued with. Your phone stores the capture date inside each photo, and you can check it with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). If you want the date visible on the photo itself, a timestamp camera like the [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) prints it on as you shoot, and the free [browser tool](/add-timestamp-to-photo) can add it to photos you've already taken. ## 3. Rent and notices Keep every notice your landlord or agent sends, as the original email, letter, or PDF, not a screenshot of it: - The **Information Sheet** you should have received by 31 May 2026. If you never got one, note that too. - Any **Form 4A** rent increase notice. The date it arrived matters, because it has to give you at least two months. - Any **notice seeking possession**, with the ground it gives. - Your own **notice to leave**, if you give one, and proof of when you sent it. If you're asked for more than one month's rent in advance, or asked to bid above the advertised rent, keep the advert and the message. Both are now against the rules. ## 4. Moving out When you do leave, the old advice still holds: clean, empty the place, and take the same photos from the same spots as your move-in set. Photograph the meters on your last day and the keys when you hand them back. If there's a disagreement, remember how these things get settled. Discussing disputes over pet damage, the government's guide notes that whether it goes to the new ombudsman or to court, the final decision will be based on the evidence provided by both parties. That's true of any condition dispute, and your photos are your half of that evidence. ## Keeping it all somewhere safe A tenancy with no end date could last years. Store everything in one folder, in the cloud or somewhere other than your phone alone: photos, emails, notices, and a short note of dates. When it's time to send a batch of photos to your landlord, a deposit scheme, or the ombudsman, [image to PDF](/image-to-pdf) turns them into one file in your browser. ## Where to get help If you think your landlord isn't following the new rules, Shelter and Citizens Advice can help, and your local council has new powers to investigate and take action. The government's overview for tenants is also worth reading in full. Sources: GOV.UK, "Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants" and "Guide to the Renters' Rights Act"; GOV.UK Housing Hub, "Get ready: Register your rental property service"; GOV.UK, "Tenancy deposit protection." --- # IRS Mileage Log Requirements: What Counts as Proof (2026 Rates Included) > What the IRS expects a mileage log to show, the 2026 standard mileage rates (72.5 and 76 cents), what doesn't count as business driving, and how dated, GPS-tagged photos can back up your log. *Published: 2026-09-16* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/irs-mileage-log-requirements If you drive for your business, every mile is worth money at tax time: 72.5 cents per mile for the first half of 2026, and 76 cents from July 1. But the deduction is only as good as your records. The IRS expects a log that shows the date, the destination, the business purpose, and the miles for each trip, plus your total miles for the year. A log you rebuild from memory in April is the one that falls apart in an audit. This guide is for self-employed people, freelancers, gig drivers, and small business owners. If you're an employee, your employer's reimbursement rules are usually where to start. (This is general information, not tax advice. Check anything unusual with a tax professional.) ## The 2026 rates The IRS raised the business rate in the middle of 2026, citing higher fuel prices, so this year has two rates: | Period | Business rate | |---|---| | January 1 to June 30, 2026 | 72.5 cents per mile | | July 1 to December 31, 2026 | 76 cents per mile | | All of 2025 | 70 cents per mile | That split is a good reason to keep a log with dates on every entry. A trip in June and a trip in August are now worth different amounts. If you use the standard mileage rate, you can't also deduct your actual car costs for that year, like gas, insurance, repairs, depreciation, or lease payments. The rate is meant to cover all of that. What you *can* add on top: business-related **parking fees and tolls**. ## What the IRS says a log needs IRS Publication 463 lays out what you need to prove for car expenses. For each business use of the car: - **The date** you used the car. - **Your business destination.** - **The business purpose** of the trip. - **The mileage** for that trip. And for the year as a whole: - **Your total miles**, business and personal together. - The cost of the car and any improvements, and the date you started using it for business, if you ever switch to deducting actual expenses. Total miles matter because they show what share of your driving was business. That's why an odometer photo on the first and last day of the year is such an easy win. ## "Timely" is the word that matters The IRS says a record made at or near the time of the trip has more value than one prepared later, when memory is fuzzy. You don't have to write every trip down the minute you park. The publication says a log kept on a weekly basis counts as timely. What it doesn't like is the log that appears all at once, in one handwriting, in one pen, the week before the return is due. If you've ever been tempted to reconstruct a year of driving from your calendar, this is the reason not to. There's also a sampling rule that helps people with steady routines. You can keep an adequate record for part of the year and use it to prove your business use for the whole year, as long as you can show the sample period is representative. It's not a license to skip logging, but if your driving is the same every week, it's worth knowing about. ## What doesn't count as business driving The one that catches people most often is commuting. Driving between your home and your main or regular place of work is a personal expense, no matter how far it is, and even if you take business calls on the way. The IRS is blunt about it. Parking at your regular workplace is also a commuting cost, so it isn't deductible either. Trips from your regular workplace to a client, a supplier, or a job site generally are business. The details depend on your situation, so this is one of the areas worth asking a tax professional about if most of your driving sits close to the line. ## Where photos help A mileage log is a written record. Photos can't replace it, but they can make it much harder to question. **Odometer at the start and end of the year.** Take a photo of your dashboard on January 1 and December 31. Your phone records the date and time in the photo's metadata, and anyone can see the reading. That's your total miles, documented. **A photo at each client site or job.** A quick photo when you arrive shows where you were and when. Your phone stores the GPS location and time in each photo, which lines up with the date and destination columns in your log. If you use a timestamp camera, like the [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630), the date, time, and address are printed on the photo itself, so they're visible even if the file's metadata is removed later. **Receipts for parking and tolls.** Photograph them the same day. We cover how to keep receipt photos that hold up in [can you keep photos of receipts instead of paper](/photo-guides/can-you-keep-photos-of-receipts-irs). ## Turning photos into a log If you already take photos at each stop, you have most of a mileage log without realizing it. Our [mileage log with photos](/mileage-log-photos) reads the date and GPS location from your trip photos and turns them into a dated log you can export. [GPS route from photos](/gps-route-from-photos) draws the route between your photos on a map, in the order you took them. Both run in your browser, so the photos never leave your device. You'll still need to add the business purpose for each trip. No photo knows why you went somewhere, and the purpose is one of the four things the IRS asks for. ## A log you'll actually keep The best mileage log is the one you don't abandon in March. For most people that means one of two habits: a quick note in your phone after each trip, or ten minutes every Friday with your calendar and photos from the week. Pick one, and take those two odometer photos. Everything else is detail. Sources: IRS, "Standard mileage rates"; Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29 (Announcement 2026-11); IRS Publication 463, "Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses." --- # How to Change or Add the Location of a Photo on iPhone > Add a missing location or fix a wrong one on iPhone photos: the Photos app method, its limits, and how to put exact GPS coordinates into the file. *Published: 2026-09-14* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-location-on-iphone **Quick answer:** Open the photo in **Photos**, tap the info button (or swipe up), tap **Adjust Info**, then **Adjust Location**. Type the place, tap it under **Map Locations**, and you are done; tap **Select** in the grid first to fix a batch. That puts the photo on the right spot in your library. Two limits: you pick from search results rather than an exact point, and the change is recorded by Photos rather than rewritten into the file. For exact coordinates inside the photo itself, drop a pin in [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8), or use our free [EXIF editor](/exif-editor) for JPEGs. Most iPhone photos already know where they were taken. The ones that do not tend to fall into a few groups: shots from a camera with no GPS, photos taken while Location Services was off for the Camera, screenshots and scans, and pictures that arrived through an app that strips location on the way. Sometimes the location is there but wrong, because the phone grabbed a weak fix indoors and put your kitchen two streets away. ## Adding or fixing a location in the Photos app On iOS 27: 1. Open **Photos** and tap the photo. 2. Tap the info button, or swipe up on the photo, then tap **Adjust Info**. 3. Tap **Adjust Location**. 4. Start typing where the photo was taken, then tap the matching place under **Map Locations**. For a whole set, say forty photos from a day at the lake, tap **Select** in the grid, tap each thumbnail, and follow the same steps once. The same screen also has **No Location**, which removes the location, and **Revert**, which brings back whatever the photo had before you touched it. After that the photos show up in the right place on the map in Photos, and searches for the town or landmark find them. For keeping your own library in order, that is the whole job. ## What typing a place name can and cannot do The Photos method works by search. You get the places Apple Maps can find: an address, a business, a park, a town. That is fine for "this was in Lisbon" and fine for a restaurant with a name. It is awkward when the spot does not have a name. The middle of a hiking trail. Which corner of a construction site the damage was on. A beach access point between two hotels. You can get close, but you cannot point at the exact place. The second limit is the same one that applies to changing dates in Photos. The correction lives in your library, next to the original value, which is how Revert can undo it. Apple's guide does not say what location a shared or exported copy carries. If the coordinates have to be right for someone else, check the copy that actually leaves your phone. ## Dropping a pin with ExifHub When you need an exact point, or you need the location written into the file so any app can read it, use an app that edits the GPS fields directly. We make [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8), so weigh this recommendation accordingly. Here is what it does for location: - **Drop a pin anywhere on the map** to add or correct the coordinates. No search result needed, so the trail or the corner of the site is as easy as a city. - **See the location already stored** in the file on a live map before you change it, which is the fastest way to spot that a photo was tagged two streets off. - **Apply one location to a whole set** of photos or videos (part of the Pro upgrade), handy for that day at the lake. - **Strip just the GPS** from a photo before sharing, and leave the date and camera details alone. It handles JPEG and HEIC photos and MOV and MP4 videos, works entirely on the phone with nothing uploaded, and saves every edit as a new copy, so the original file is never changed. Delete the old copy afterwards if you do not want both in your library. ## On a computer: typing the coordinates yourself If the photos are JPEGs on a laptop, the free [EXIF editor](/exif-editor) writes GPS latitude and longitude straight into the file in the browser, with no upload. The only thing you need is the coordinates. If you know the address but not the numbers, [address to GPS](/address-to-gps) converts one into the other, and [how to add GPS coordinates to a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo) shows where to get coordinates in decimal degrees, the format these tools expect (37.7749 rather than 37° 46′ 29″). ## Removing the location instead Sometimes the right location is no location. Before posting a photo taken at home, you have two built-in options: - **For one share:** tap Share, tap **Options** at the top, and turn off **Location**. The sheet then says Location Not Included, and only that copy goes out without it. - **For the photo itself:** Adjust Info, Adjust Location, **No Location**. To stop new photos being tagged at all, go to **Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera** and choose **Never**. The full rundown, including which apps strip location for you and which do not, is in [how to remove EXIF data on iPhone](/photo-guides/remove-exif-data-on-iphone). ## Check that it worked Export the photo the way you will actually use it, then open that copy in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) or [where was this photo taken](/where-was-this-photo-taken). If the GPS section shows your new coordinates, the location is in the file. If it is empty or still shows the old place, the change only lives in your library. ## FAQ ### Can I change the location of several photos at once on iPhone? Yes. In Photos, tap Select, choose the photos, then Adjust Info and Adjust Location. They all get the same place. ExifHub can do the same with an exact pin and write it into the files. ### Why can't I find the exact spot when I type it? Because Photos only offers places it can find in search. Pick the nearest named place, or use an app that lets you drop a pin. ### Will adding a location to a photo make it show up on the map? Yes, in your Photos library it will. Whether other apps and websites see it depends on whether the coordinates are in the file, and on whether that site keeps location data at all. Most social platforms remove it on upload; see [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). ### How do I remove the location from a photo on iPhone? Adjust Info, Adjust Location, then No Location. For a single share, turn off Location in the share sheet's Options instead. ## Bottom line Photos is quick for putting pictures in the right town, and every change can be reverted. When you need a precise point, or the location has to travel with the file, drop a pin in ExifHub or write the coordinates with the browser EXIF editor, then check one exported copy before you rely on it. --- # How to Change the Date of a Photo on iPhone (One Photo or a Whole Album) > Change a photo's date on iPhone with the Photos app, then learn what that change does not touch, and how to write the new date into the file itself. *Published: 2026-09-14* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone **Quick answer:** In the Photos app, open the photo, tap the info button (or swipe up), tap **Adjust Info**, then **Adjust Date & Time**. Pick the date and time and tap **Adjust**. To fix a batch, tap **Select** in the grid first, choose the photos, and do the same. That corrects where the photos sit in your library. It is not the same as changing the date stored inside the file, and if the photo is going to leave your phone, that difference matters. For the file itself, use an EXIF editor like [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) on the phone, or our free [browser date editor](/edit-photo-date) for JPEGs. Wrong dates on an iPhone rarely come from the iPhone's own camera, which normally takes its time from the network. They come from everything else that ends up in your library. A box of old prints you scanned last weekend now claims to be from last weekend. Photos saved out of WhatsApp show the day you saved them, because a picture sent as a normal WhatsApp photo loses its original date on the way. A compact camera whose clock was never set puts a whole holiday in 2019. So the fix you need depends on where the photo came from and where it is going next. ## Method 1: The Photos app (built in, and reversible) Apple has had this built into Photos for a few versions now. In iOS 27 the steps are: 1. Open the **Photos** app and tap the photo. 2. Tap the info button, or swipe up on the photo, then tap **Adjust Info**. 3. Tap **Adjust Date & Time**. 4. Use the calendar and the clock to set the right moment, then tap **Adjust**. To change a group of photos, go back to the grid, tap **Select**, tap each thumbnail you want to fix, and follow the same steps. Apple does not describe how a single adjustment is spread across a batch, so glance at the timeline afterwards to check the photos are still in the order you expect. Changed your mind? Go through the same menu and tap **Revert**, and the photo goes back to its original date. That Revert button tells you something useful about how this works. Photos keeps the original date and stores your correction alongside it, so the photo moves to the right place in your timeline and in Memories without anything being lost. For tidying up your own library, this is all most people need. Where it gets less clear is what happens after the photo leaves Photos. Apple's guide explains how to adjust the date, but not what date a shared or exported copy carries. If the date has to be right for someone else, on another computer, in a court bundle, in an insurance claim, don't assume. Check the copy that actually leaves your phone (there is a quick way to do that below). ## Method 2: An EXIF editor app, when the date has to live in the file A photo carries its capture date inside the file, in EXIF fields such as **DateTimeOriginal**. That is what Windows, Google Photos, Lightroom, and almost every upload form read. To change that date on the phone, you need an app that rewrites those fields. We built [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) for exactly this job, so treat this section as a recommendation from the people who make it. What it does, in plain terms: - It writes the new date into the photo's embedded **EXIF and TIFF fields** (and the **QuickTime** fields for videos), plus the file's own timestamps. - It works on **JPEG and HEIC** photos and **MOV and MP4** videos, from your photo library or from Files. - Every edit makes **a new copy**. The original file is never modified, so a mistake costs you nothing. - Everything happens on the phone. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. Because every edit creates a copy, you will end up with two versions of each photo in your library. Once you have checked the new one, delete the old one so your timeline does not show both. Single edits are free to try; editing many files in one go is part of the Pro upgrade. One thing to know before you batch anything in any app: setting one date on a set of photos gives every photo **the same timestamp**. That is exactly right for a scanned album where all you know is the year. It is wrong for a holiday where the camera clock was simply three hours off, because every shot would collapse onto one moment and lose its order. For that case you want to shift each photo by the same amount instead, which our [batch date guide](/photo-guides/how-to-batch-change-photo-dates) walks through. ## Method 3: The free browser date editor (JPEG files) If the photos are already on a computer, or you would rather not install anything, our [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) runs in any browser, including Safari on iPhone. It writes **DateTimeOriginal** into the file, handles several files at once, and has a **shift** mode that moves every photo by the same number of minutes, hours, or days, which is the clean fix for the wrong-camera-clock problem above. Nothing is uploaded; the photos are processed on your device. It only takes JPEG. iPhone photos are usually HEIC, so run them through the [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) first. That conversion is fine for most uses, but it is an extra step and it drops HEIC-only extras like depth data, which is why the app route is the smoother one for photos that live on the phone. ## How to check the date actually changed This takes thirty seconds and saves arguments later. Send yourself the photo the way you will really send it (AirDrop to a Mac, save to Files, attach it to an email), then drop that copy into the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). Look for **DateTimeOriginal**. If it shows the new date, you are done. If it still shows the old one, the change only lived in your library. While you are there, you may notice the viewer lists more than one date. That is normal: a file has a capture date, a digitized date, and file-system dates that change whenever the file is copied. [Date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified) explains which is which. ## Common situations **Scanned photos all dated today.** Select the whole scan batch and give it the right year and an approximate day. Nobody will know the exact hour, and a consistent guess keeps them together in your timeline. **Photos saved from WhatsApp or other chat apps.** The original date is usually gone from the file, not just hidden. If you know when the photo was taken, set it by hand. If you do not, the sender's original is the only place that date still exists. **A trip shot on a camera with the wrong clock.** Work out the offset from one photo whose real time you know (a sunset, a ticket, a message you sent), then shift the whole set by that amount. **Travel photos a few hours off.** That is usually a time zone mix-up rather than a wrong date. [Why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong) covers the causes before you start changing things. ## FAQ ### Does changing the date in Photos change the original file? Not the original itself. Photos keeps the original date, which is why you can tap Revert and get it back. Your library shows the corrected date; copies that leave the library are worth checking in an EXIF viewer before you rely on them. ### Can I change the date of many photos at once on iPhone? Yes. In Photos, tap Select, choose the photos, then Adjust Info and Adjust Date & Time. Apple's guide does not spell out how one adjustment spreads across a batch, so scroll through afterwards and make sure the order still looks right. ExifHub applies one date to a whole set of photos or videos, and the browser editor can shift a batch by a fixed amount. ### Can I change the date on a video too? Yes, the same Photos menu works for videos, and ExifHub writes the date into the QuickTime fields of MOV and MP4 files. Video dates have a few quirks of their own, covered in [how to change the date on a video](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-video). ### Why does my computer still show the old date? Most likely the computer is reading the date stored in the file, and the change you made only exists in your Photos library. Write the date into the file with an EXIF editor, then check it again. ## Bottom line For your own library, the Photos app does the job in a few taps and you can always undo it. When the date has to be right for someone else, write it into the file: ExifHub does that on the phone without touching your original, and the browser editor does it for JPEGs anywhere. Whichever you use, check one exported copy before you send a hundred. --- # Apple Reference Image on iPhone 18 Pro: What It Proves and How to Use It > Reference mode on the iPhone 18 Pro signs what the camera sensor saw, so edits can be spotted later. How to turn it on, develop and share a reference image, and where its limits are. *Published: 2026-09-14* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/apple-reference-image-iphone-18-pro **Quick answer:** Apple Reference Image is a new camera mode on the **iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max**. When you shoot in **Reference mode**, the iPhone saves the photo plus signed data straight from the Main camera's sensor. Apple's servers develop that data into a reference image that cannot be altered, and anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27 can compare it with the photo to see whether anything was edited. You turn it on once in **Settings > Camera > Reference Image**. It is a real step forward for photos people need to trust, but it only covers pictures taken in that mode on those two phones, and it is not available everywhere at launch. ## Why Apple built this now iOS 27 put serious editing into the Photos app on every iPhone: Spatial Reframing, an Extend tool that invents the edges of a shot, and a Clean Up that removes much larger objects than before (we went through the list in our [iOS 27 camera guide](/photo-guides/ios-27-camera-timestamp)). Good for holiday photos. Awkward for anyone who has to believe a photo: an insurer looking at storm damage, a landlord comparing move-in and move-out pictures, an editor checking a picture from a reader. Apple's answer, on the iPhone 18 Pro page, is that "you can prove the authenticity of an image taken on iPhone", with signing of the photo data at the moment of capture. ## What a reference image actually is Apple's own comparison is a **digital negative**. When you take a photo in Reference mode, three things happen, in Apple's description: 1. The camera captures the photo you see, as normal. 2. It also captures the **original, signed data from the sensor** in the Main camera. 3. Apple's Private Cloud Compute **develops** that signed data into a reference image that cannot be changed. Later, you or anyone you send it to opens the photo and looks at the reference image next to it. If the photo has been reframed, cleaned up, or retouched, the difference is right there. There is also a Reference Image Data view with the details behind it. The important word is signed. A normal photo's metadata (the date, the camera, the GPS) is just text in the file, and it can be edited in seconds; we make tools that do exactly that. A signature is different: change the data and it no longer matches. ## How to use it, step by step **Turn it on (once).** On an iPhone 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max, open **Settings**, tap **Camera**, tap **Reference Image**, then **Add Reference Mode** and follow the instructions. **Take the photo.** Open **Camera**, swipe to **Reference mode**, and press the shutter, or click the Camera Control. **Develop it.** Open the photo in **Photos** and tap **Reference** at the top. The reference image develops on its own. This needs an internet connection; if you are offline, it develops the next time you are online. Every photo taken this way also lands in a Reference album (**Collections > Media Types > Reference**). **Compare.** Tap **Reference** to see the unedited image and compare it with the photo. From that view you can also open the Reference Image Data. ## Sharing a reference image The reference image does not automatically go everywhere the photo goes. You choose: - **For one share:** tap Share, tap **Options**, and turn **Reference Image** on or off, then send by AirDrop, Messages, or export it. - **Always include it:** on an iPhone 18 Pro, **Settings > Camera > Reference Image > Share Reference Image**. On other iPhone models, the switch is under **Settings > Apps > Photos**. - **When moving photos to a Mac or PC:** turn on **Transfer Reference Image** in the same place, or the transfer leaves it out. The person on the other end needs an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27 or later to view it. The Preview app on those devices can open it too. ## Where it is not available Apple says the feature is not available in all countries or regions. Two limits are spelled out: - **China:** not available at launch, because of regulatory requirements. - **The European Union:** capture is not available at launch on the iPhone 18 Pro models, but people on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 can still develop and view reference images that others send them. ## What it does not tell you Be careful here, because "Apple can prove a photo is real" will get repeated with far more confidence than the documentation supports. - **It only exists for photos taken in Reference mode, on an iPhone 18 Pro.** Every photo you already have, every photo from any other phone, and every normal shot on the 18 Pro has no reference image. - **Apple describes it for the Main camera.** Its guide talks about data from the Main camera's sensor, not the ultra wide or telephoto, and it describes photos, not video. - **It is about what the sensor saw.** Apple's material talks about verifying "exactly what the camera sensor saw". It does not say the reference image certifies when or where a photo was taken, so do not treat it as proof of the date or the location. - **It needs the checker to be on Apple's newest software.** Someone on Windows, Android, or an older iPhone cannot view it. - **Apple does not say what survives other apps.** Many messaging and social apps re-compress photos and throw metadata away. Until Apple documents otherwise, assume a reference image travels only when you share it with the option turned on, to a device that can read it. Alongside all this, Apple says support for the **SynthID** standard is coming in a software update later this year, included for most edited images depending on the edits, to help identify pictures generated or edited with AI. ## Who should actually turn it on If you own an 18 Pro and your photos sometimes become evidence, yes. Damage for an insurance claim, the state of a flat on moving day, work signed off on a job site, anything a journalist might publish. It costs nothing to take those particular shots in Reference mode, and it may save an argument later. For day-to-day pictures it adds little, and the everyday camera is still the right mode. ## If you do not have an iPhone 18 Pro Most people will not have one for years, and the photos that matter are often taken on whatever phone was in someone's pocket. A few things still help: - **Put the date and place on the picture itself.** A [timestamp camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) burns the date, time, GPS, and address into the pixels as you shoot, where no metadata stripping can remove it. For photos you already took, the browser tool [adds a timestamp to a photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) from its EXIF date. - **Keep the original file.** The version in your camera roll carries far more than the copy that went through WhatsApp. - **Check photos you receive.** The [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) shows what the file still says about itself, and [photo forensics](/photo-forensics) runs error level analysis to highlight areas that were changed. Our guide on [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited) explains how far those checks go, and [are timestamp photos legal evidence](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) covers what tends to hold up. ## FAQ ### Which iPhones support Apple Reference Image? Only the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max can take photos in Reference mode. Any iPhone, iPad, or Mac on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27 or later can develop and view a reference image that was shared with it. ### Is Reference mode on by default? No. You add it once in Settings > Camera > Reference Image, and then choose it in the Camera app when you want it. ### Does it work without internet? You can take the photo offline. Developing the reference image needs a connection, and it happens automatically the next time you are online. ### Can I check a reference image on Windows or Android? Not according to Apple's documentation, which says reference images can be viewed only on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running version 27 or later. ### Does a reference image prove when a photo was taken? Apple does not claim that. Its documentation is about verifying what the sensor captured, so an edited image can be compared with the original. For a visible, shareable record of date and place, a timestamp on the photo itself is still the simpler tool. ## Bottom line Reference mode is the first time a mainstream phone lets an ordinary person hand over a photo along with a way to check it was not edited. That matters to anyone whose photos end up in a claim or a dispute. It is also narrow at launch: two phones, one camera, Apple devices on the newest software, and not every country. Use it for the shots that matter if you have an 18 Pro, and keep the old habits (originals, visible timestamps) for everything else. Sources: Apple's iPhone User Guide pages "Capture a verifiable photo with Apple Reference Image" and "View reference images in Photos on iPhone", Apple's iPhone 18 Pro page, and Apple's September 2026 iPhone 18 Pro press release. --- # Proof of Delivery Photos: What a Good One Shows (Guide for Couriers and Drivers) > How to take a proof of delivery photo that settles a 'never arrived' complaint: framing, the details that must be visible, privacy rules, and how to keep a dated record. *Published: 2026-09-13* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/proof-of-delivery-photos **Quick answer:** A good proof of delivery photo shows two things in one frame: the package, and something that identifies the address, like the front door with the house number. Place the package first, then step back far enough to get both in. Make sure the photo records the date, time, and location, and keep people and the inside of homes out of it. A close-up of just the box on the ground proves almost nothing. Every driver has had one: the customer says the package never came. The photo you took at the door is what decides whether that turns into a refund, a redelivery, or a mark against you. Most proof of delivery photos are taken in a hurry, and most bad ones fail in the same few ways. This guide is about avoiding those. ## What the photo has to prove A delivery photo answers three questions for whoever looks at it later, whether that is the customer, your dispatcher, or the store: 1. **Was the package delivered?** The package has to be clearly visible. 2. **Was it delivered here?** Something in the frame has to identify the address. 3. **When?** The date and time have to be attached to the photo. If any one of those is missing, the photo won't settle a complaint. ## Framing: the one-step-back rule The most common mistake is standing too close. A photo of a box on a doormat could be any doormat. Take one step back, or two, until the frame includes: - **The package**, clearly visible and not in shadow. - **The door**, or the gate, the mailbox, or the parcel locker. - **The house or unit number**, if there's one near the door. The most common opposite mistake is standing too far away, from the sidewalk, where the package is a small brown shape in the corner. Aim for the package to take up roughly a quarter of the frame, with the door around it. | Problem | Why it fails | Fix | |---|---|---| | Only the box | No proof of which address | Step back to include the door and number | | Taken from the street | Package too small to see | Move closer, package about a quarter of the frame | | Dark or blurry | Nothing is readable | Turn on the flash or phone light, hold still | | Wrong door in an apartment building | Proves delivery to the wrong unit | Include the unit number on or next to the door | | Package in plain view from the street | Invites theft, then a complaint | Place it out of sight first, then photograph | ## Where to put the package Follow the customer's delivery instructions first. If there are none, choose a spot that is sheltered from rain and not visible from the street, like behind a planter or to the side of the door, and make sure that spot is still in the photo. A package that is photographed on the step and then moved isn't covered by the photo. ## Apartments and buildings Buildings are where most disputes come from, because every door looks the same. Always get the unit number in the frame. If you leave the package in a mailroom, at a front desk, or in a locker, photograph it there with a sign or locker number visible. If a concierge or neighbor takes it, follow your company's rules for recording that. ## Time and location Most delivery platforms take the photo inside their own app, which records the time and location automatically. If you work for a platform, use its camera and follow its rules. Many platforms have policies about photos taken outside the app, so check yours before keeping your own copies. If you're an independent courier, run your own delivery business, or deliver for a local shop, you need to create that record yourself. Your phone stores the date, time, and GPS location in each photo's metadata, but that data is invisible to a customer looking at the photo, and it's often stripped when a photo is sent by text or chat. A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and street address on the photo itself. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot, and it can add a line of your own text, like an order number or a route, so the photo explains itself when you send it to a customer. It also works without a signal, and fills in the address once you're back online. ## Privacy: what not to photograph A delivery photo is about the package and the address, nothing else: - **No people.** Don't photograph customers, neighbors, or children. If someone opens the door, you don't need them in the shot. - **No insides of homes.** Don't photograph through an open door or window. - **No unnecessary personal details.** If your company doesn't require the label to be readable, don't zoom in on the customer's name. If you share delivery photos outside your company's system, for example to send one to a customer by text, send only the photo of that customer's delivery. ## Keep an organized record For independent drivers and small delivery businesses, a day's photos are also a record you may need weeks later, when a customer disputes a charge. - **One folder per day**, named with the date. - **Keep originals.** Screenshots and forwarded copies lose their metadata. - **Keep them for a while.** How long depends on your customers and your business, but a dispute can come in weeks after a delivery. If you drive for work, the same photos can support your mileage records. The [mileage log with photos](/mileage-log-photos) turns dated, GPS-tagged photos into a log of your trips, and the [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) turns a day of delivery photos into one dated PDF, both in your browser. ## When a customer says it never arrived 1. **Find the photo** for that delivery and check that the date, time, and address match the order. 2. **Send it** to the customer or your dispatcher, with the address and time written in the message. 3. **If the package isn't in the photo spot anymore**, the photo shows it was delivered and where. That turns a "you never came" complaint into a missing package question, which is a different conversation. 4. **If the photo doesn't show the address**, be honest about it. Then fix your framing for next time. ## One habit that fixes most bad photos Place the package, then take one step back before you shoot. That single step is what turns a photo of a box into a photo of a delivery: the door, the number, and the package, together in one frame. The rest of this guide is detail. --- # Online Passport Renewal Photo Rejected? What the State Department Actually Checks > Why online passport renewal photos get rejected, what the State Department's rules really say about editing, background, and glasses, and how to take one at home that goes through. *Published: 2026-09-11* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/online-passport-renewal-photo-rejected **Quick answer:** Most online renewal photos get rejected for one of a handful of reasons: they were edited or filtered, the background isn't plain white or has shadows, the person is wearing glasses, or the photo is blurry or taken too close. The fix is almost always to retake it, not to edit it. Stand against a real white wall, have someone else take the picture a few feet away, take your glasses off, and upload the original file. The application crops it for you. Online passport renewal is one of the better things the government has done for travelers in years. No envelope, no check, no trip to the post office. But there's one step that trips up a lot of people, and it's the photo. The State Department says it plainly: unacceptable photos are the number one reason passport applications are put on hold. That's not a small inconvenience when you have a trip booked. Here's what they're actually checking, and how to get it right the first time. ## The rules that matter These come straight from the State Department's guidance for passport photos and the online renewal upload: - **Color, and recent.** The photo has to be in color and taken in the last six months. - **Plain white or off-white background.** No shadows, no texture, no objects behind you. - **Face the camera straight on.** Head not tilted, both eyes open, head fully visible and centered. - **Neutral expression.** Both eyes open. A closed mouth is the safest choice. - **No glasses**, unless you have a documented medical or religious reason. - **No filters and no retouching.** This one matters more than people think. The guidance says that if a photo is unnaturally edited or filtered, it won't be accepted. - **The right file type.** JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or HEIF. Photos from a phone usually already save in one of these. Notice what's missing from that list: you don't need to print anything, and you don't need to crop the photo to 2x2 inches yourself. The renewal application lets you reposition and crop the photo when you upload it. ## Why "just fix it in an app" backfires This is the part most guides get wrong, including, to be honest, some photo tools. When the background behind you isn't white, the tempting fix is a background remover. When the lighting is bad, it's a brightness filter. When you look tired, it's the beauty mode that's on by default in some phone cameras. All of those are edits. The State Department's rule is about the original, unedited photo, and it explicitly rejects photos that are unnaturally edited or filtered. A cut-out background often leaves a faint halo around your hair and shoulders. That's exactly the kind of thing a reviewer notices. So if the background is wrong, move to a better wall. If the light is wrong, move to a window. Retaking a photo takes two minutes. A rejected application can take weeks. We make photo tools, including a background remover, and we'd still tell you not to use one for a passport photo. ## How to take one at home that goes through You need a phone, a plain white or off-white wall, daylight, and another person. **Pick the wall first.** A bare white wall or a white door works. Stand about a foot or two in front of it, not pressed against it, so your shadow falls behind you and out of the frame. **Face the light.** Stand facing a window during the day. Light from the front lights your face evenly. Light from above, like a ceiling lamp, puts shadows under your eyes and nose. **Let someone else take it.** Selfies are held too close, which makes your nose look bigger and your ears smaller, and they're almost never straight. Ask the other person to stand a few feet away and hold the phone at the height of your eyes. If it's just you, a phone on a stack of books with the self-timer is better than an arm's-length selfie. **Glasses off, hair back from your face.** Tuck hair behind your ears if it covers your face. Hats and head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons. **Turn off the extras.** On an iPhone, the regular Photo mode is what you want. Skip Portrait mode, which blurs and changes the background, and any filter or Photographic Style that changes your skin tone. **Take several, pick the sharpest.** Zoom in on your eyes when you review them. If they aren't crisp, try again. For more on setting up the shot, we have a longer guide on [taking a passport photo at home](/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-passport-photo-at-home) and one on [what to wear for a passport photo](/photo-guides/what-to-wear-for-a-passport-photo). Dark, solid-colored tops stand out best against a white background. ## Common reasons photos get rejected | What went wrong | What to do instead | |---|---| | Background removed or replaced in an app | Retake against a real white wall | | Shadow on the wall behind you | Step forward, away from the wall, and face a window | | Shadows on your face | Face the light instead of standing under it | | Glasses on | Take them off, unless you have a documented medical reason | | Blurry or grainy | Use daylight, hold still, and don't zoom in digitally | | Too close or too far | Keep your head and the top of your shoulders in the frame | | Beauty filter or Portrait mode | Use the regular camera with no effects | | Head tilted or not facing forward | Have someone else take it, at eye level | | Photo older than six months | Take a new one, even if you look the same | ## If your photo is rejected anyway During the upload, the system checks the photo and tells you if something needs to change, so you can try again with a different one right away. Sometimes the problem only shows up later: a State Department employee reviews the photo after your application arrives, and if there's an issue, they'll contact you by letter or email and ask for a new photo. If that happens, don't take it personally and don't edit the rejected one. Read what they flagged, fix that one thing, and take a fresh photo. ## When a photo tool is actually useful For online renewal, you don't need one. The application crops for you. If you're renewing by mail or applying in person, you'll need a printed 2x2 inch photo. That's where a tool helps: our [US passport photo tool](/us-passport-photo) overlays the official head-size guide so you can position the crop correctly and print a 2x2 or a 4x6 sheet at any photo counter. Use its crop and sizing, and start from a photo that already has a real white background. ## Before you start Online renewal has its own eligibility rules, separate from the photo. For example, your current passport has to have been valid for 10 years, and you have to be in the United States when you apply. If you're traveling soon, check the processing times first, because online renewal isn't meant for urgent trips. The State Department's online renewal page lists every condition, and it's worth reading before you spend time on the photo. Sources: U.S. Department of State, "Passport Photos," "Uploading a Digital Photo," and "Renew Your Passport Online" (travel.state.gov). --- # Rental Car Pickup Photos: What to Capture So You Are Not Charged for Old Damage > A five-minute walk-around routine for rental car pickup and return: which angles to shoot, what to check that people miss, and what to do if you get a damage bill later. *Published: 2026-09-09* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/rental-car-pickup-photos Before you drive off, take a dated walk-around: one photo showing the car, its plate, and the bay number, then all four corners, every panel, all four wheels, the windshield, the interior, the trunk, and the dashboard showing fuel and mileage. Get any damage noted on your agreement before you leave. When you return the car, take the same photos again. It takes about five minutes each time, and it's your only record of the car's condition that the rental company doesn't control. Getting a damage bill weeks after a trip, for a scratch you never noticed, is one of the most frustrating parts of renting a car. You can't prove the scratch was already there, because you never looked. The company has its own records. You have your memory. A few minutes with your phone at pickup changes that. ## Why this matters more now Rental companies are photographing their cars more carefully than before, sometimes automatically. In August 2025, CBS News reported that Hertz was using AI-powered photo booths, built by a company called UVeye, that take high-resolution images of cars before and after rentals, at 10 U.S. airports at the time, with plans to expand. Sixt told CBS it uses the same technology at select locations. Avis said its process is still "human-led," and Enterprise said it doesn't use the technology. Whatever the method, the company ends up with detailed before and after images of the car. If you have none, any disagreement is decided on their images alone. Your own dated photos are your side of the record. ## The pickup routine Do this before you put your bags in the car and before you leave the bay. Once you have driven off the lot, damage you find later is much harder to argue. ### 1. The establishing shot Take one photo that shows the car, its license plate, and something that identifies where you are: the bay number, the lot sign, or the rental counter building. This ties the whole set to this car, at this place, at this time. ### 2. All four corners, then every side Take a photo from each corner of the car. Then take one straight on of each side, the front, and the back. Crouch down for the bumpers: most scrapes are low, and they don't show up in a photo taken from standing height. ### 3. The places people forget These are the spots that most often cause surprise charges, because nobody checks them at pickup: | Spot | What to look for | |---|---| | Wheels | Curb scrapes on the rims, one photo per wheel | | Windshield | Chips and small cracks, often near the bottom edge | | Mirrors | Scratches on the mirror housings, cracked glass | | Bumpers | Scuffs on the lower edge, cracked trim | | Roof | Dents from hail or roof racks, if you can see it | | Door edges | Chips from doors hitting walls or other cars | For any damage you find, take a close-up with something for scale, like your key or your hand, and a wider shot that shows where on the car it is. ### 4. The inside and the dashboard - Seats and floor: stains, burns, tears. - The trunk: the floor mat, the spare, any damage. - The dashboard with the car running: fuel level, odometer, and any warning lights. The fuel and mileage photo prevents a different kind of surprise charge: being billed for fuel, or for extra miles, that aren't yours. ### 5. A short video, as a bonus A slow walk-around video is a good backup, narrating the date and anything you spot. Photos are still better for small marks, because video frames are often blurry. ## Get the damage on paper before you leave Photos are your backup. The best outcome is that the damage never becomes a question at all. Show anything you find to an agent before you leave, and make sure it is noted on your rental agreement or in the company's app. If there's no agent available, many companies let you report existing damage in their app or by phone. Do it before you drive away, and take a screenshot of the confirmation. ## Make sure the photos are dated Your phone stores the date, time, and location in each photo's metadata. That's useful, but it is invisible, and it can be stripped if the photo is sent through a messaging app. A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and address on the photo itself, where anyone can see it. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot. That's handy here, because a pickup photo showing the airport address and a time before your rental started makes the point without any explanation. If you already took plain photos, the free [browser timestamp tool](/add-timestamp-to-photo) can add each photo's own EXIF date to the image afterwards. ## The return routine Do the whole thing again when you return the car, in the return lane and before you hand over the keys: - The establishing shot, with the return lane or bay visible. - All four corners, every side, wheels, glass. - The inside, and the dashboard with fuel and mileage. If you return the car after hours and drop the keys in a box, these photos are the only record of what the car looked like when you left it. Take them in the best light you can find, and include the key drop box in one of them. Ask for a return receipt or check-in confirmation if one is available, and keep it. ## If you get a damage bill later 1. **Ask for their evidence.** Request the dated photos or scan images they're relying on, showing the damage and when it was found. 2. **Compare with yours.** Look for the same spot in your pickup photos. A pickup photo that already shows the scratch settles it. A return photo that shows no damage is almost as strong. 3. **Reply in writing** with your photos attached, pointing to the specific images and their dates. 4. **Keep going if needed.** If the company won't budge, check what your own car insurance or your credit card covers for rentals, since some provide help with rental damage claims, and consider a complaint to your state's consumer protection office. Keep all the original files, not just screenshots, until the deposit is released and some time has passed without a bill. ## Checklist - Establishing shot: car, plate, bay number. - Four corners, four sides, crouched shots of the bumpers. - Wheels, windshield, mirrors, roof, door edges. - Seats, floor, trunk, dashboard with fuel and mileage. - Damage noted on the agreement or in the app before you leave. - The same photos again at return, plus the key drop box after hours. - Originals kept until you're sure no charge is coming. Source: CBS News, "Behind the controversial AI tech used to inspect rental vehicles for damages" (August 26, 2025). --- # Home Inventory Photos for Insurance: A Room-by-Room Guide > How to photograph your belongings so an insurance claim goes faster after a fire, flood, or theft: what to shoot in each room, what details to capture, and where to keep the photos. *Published: 2026-09-07* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/home-inventory-photos-for-insurance Walk through every room, including closets, the basement, and the garage, and take a wide photo or short video of each. Then photograph your valuable items one by one, with a close-up of the brand, model, and serial number, and a photo of the receipt if you have it. Store copies somewhere other than your home, like cloud storage or a relative's house, and update the inventory once a year. The whole first pass takes an afternoon. After a fire, flood, or burglary, your insurer will ask you for a list of what you lost. Most people find this surprisingly hard. You know you owned a lot of things, but standing in a damaged house, you can't remember what was in the hall closet, what brand the TV was, or how many coats you had. A photo inventory, made before anything happens, answers those questions for you. ## Why a home inventory matters The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the organization of state insurance regulators in the U.S., puts it simply: the more detail you can provide, the easier it will be for your insurance company to evaluate your loss. Their advice for creating one is to go through every room, write down and take pictures or videos of everything in it, and do it before a disaster strikes. Photos help in two ways. They prove you owned something, and they show what it was, which matters when the payout depends on the model, the brand, and the condition. ## Start with the five-minute version If you only do one thing, do this. The NAIC says that if you don't have time to create a full inventory, you should quickly videotape or photograph every room. Walk through your home and, in each room: - Take a wide photo from the doorway and one from the opposite corner. - Open the closets and cabinets and take a photo of what is inside. - Include the basement, attic, garage, and any shed or storage unit. A slow video, where you narrate what you're filming ("this is the living room, that is a 65-inch Samsung TV bought in 2024"), is quick and captures a lot. Photos are better for details you need to read later, like serial numbers. This first pass covers you even if you never get to the detailed version. ## Then the detailed version, room by room The NAIC suggests including as much information as possible about your belongings: brand name, the price you paid, date of purchase, make and model, and serial numbers, with photos of each item and any receipts. Here is where to focus in each room: | Room | What to photograph individually | |---|---| | Living room | TV and sound system, game consoles, furniture, rugs, art, lamps | | Kitchen | Large appliances, small appliances, dishes and cookware (one photo per cabinet) | | Bedrooms | Furniture, mattresses, clothes (one photo per rack or drawer), shoes, jewelry | | Office | Computers, monitors, printers, cameras, other electronics | | Bathrooms | Cabinet contents, anything expensive like hair tools | | Garage and shed | Tools, bikes, sports gear, lawn equipment, anything stored in boxes | | Everywhere | Collectibles, instruments, antiques, and anything with a serial number | For each valuable item, take two photos: 1. **The whole item**, clearly lit, so its condition is visible. 2. **The label**: the sticker or plate with the brand, model, and serial number, usually on the back or bottom. Make sure the numbers are sharp and readable when you zoom in. The NAIC specifically mentions valuable items like antiques, electronics, jewelry, collectibles, and guns. For jewelry and art, also photograph any appraisal documents. Your insurer may require separate coverage for high-value items, so it's worth asking. ## Don't skip the ordinary things It's easy to photograph the TV and forget the drawers. But clothes, shoes, towels, bedding, kitchenware, and books add up to a lot of money when you have to replace all of them at once. The NAIC reminds people to go through all of their drawers and closets and not to forget the garage. You don't need a photo of every sock. One photo of each open drawer, each closet rail, and each shelf is enough to show what was there. ## Receipts and dates A photo of a receipt next to the item it belongs to connects the two in a single image. Keep receipts for big purchases and repairs too. The NAIC recommends keeping receipts with your inventory for repairs and new items you buy. The date matters as well. Every photo your phone takes has the date stored in its metadata, which you can check with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). If you want the date to be visible on the image itself, where nobody can miss it, a timestamp camera like the [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) prints the date, time, and address on each photo as you take it. For an inventory, that shows both when you owned something and that it was at your address. ## Put it together in one place Hundreds of loose photos are hard to hand to an adjuster. Two simple ways to organize them: - **One folder per room**, with a short text file listing the valuable items and their serial numbers. - **One PDF per room**, made with a tool like [image to PDF](/image-to-pdf) or the [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator), both of which run in your browser without uploading your photos anywhere. The NAIC also has a free Home Inventory app for iPhone and Android, which lets you take photos of your belongings, group them by room or category, scan barcodes, and export the inventory at any time. ## Store it away from your home This is the step people forget, and it's the one that matters most. An inventory stored only on a laptop in the house can burn with the house. The NAIC recommends keeping backups somewhere besides your home, such as your workplace, a safe deposit box, a relative's house, or online, so you can reach them even if you have to evacuate. Cloud storage is the easiest option for most people. Store a copy of your insurance policy in the same place. ## Keep it current The NAIC recommends reviewing and updating your inventory once a year, including the photos and videos, and adding new items when you buy them. A good habit: when you buy something valuable, photograph it and its serial number before you throw away the box. ## If something has already happened If you're making a claim and never made an inventory, you can still build one. The NAIC suggests working from memory and looking through photos on your phone, or photos from family and friends, taken in your home. Old birthday photos, holiday photos, and videos often show rooms, furniture, and electronics in the background. Then, for the claim itself: make a list of all your damaged property, take photos and videos of the damage, and contact your insurer with your policy number. The time you have to report a claim varies by state, so don't wait. ## Checklist - Wide photo or video of every room, plus closets, basement, attic, garage. - Valuable items one by one, with a close-up of the serial number. - Receipts and appraisals photographed next to their items. - One photo per open drawer, closet rail, and shelf. - Organized by room, as folders or PDFs. - A copy stored outside your home, with your insurance policy. - Reviewed once a year and after big purchases. Sources: National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "Home Inventory," "Consumer Insight: Disaster Preparedness," "How to Prepare Ahead of Extreme Weather," and "What You Need to Know When Filing a Homeowners Claim." --- # Can You Keep Photos of Receipts Instead of Paper? What the IRS Actually Says > The IRS has accepted scanned and photographed records since 1997, with conditions. What those conditions are, what a receipt has to show, how long to keep it, and how to photograph receipts so they're still readable at an audit. *Published: 2026-09-05* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/can-you-keep-photos-of-receipts-irs Every freelancer knows the shoebox. Or the glovebox, or the kitchen drawer, stuffed with gas station slips and restaurant receipts that are slowly fading to blank. Thermal paper doesn't last. By the time you need one of those receipts, there's a fair chance it's unreadable. So can you just take a photo and throw the paper away? Mostly, yes. The IRS has accepted electronically imaged records since 1997. But it comes with conditions, and the photo has to actually show what the IRS needs to see. Here's what the rules say, in plain terms, and how to set up a system that takes a couple of minutes a week. (This is general information, not tax advice. For anything large or unusual, ask a tax professional.) ## The rule behind it: Rev. Proc. 97-22 The IRS guidance that covers this is a revenue procedure from 1997, Rev. Proc. 97-22. It gives guidance to taxpayers who keep their records in an electronic storage system, and it says that records kept in an electronic storage system, including paper records that have been "electronically imaged," count as records for tax purposes, as long as the system meets certain requirements. Stripped of the formal language, those requirements come down to five things: 1. **The copy has to be complete and accurate.** Nothing cut off, nothing changed. 2. **It has to be readable.** The procedure defines this surprisingly precisely: someone has to be able to identify every letter and number "positively and quickly," and recognize groups of them as words or complete numbers. A blurry photo where you're guessing whether that's a 3 or an 8 doesn't meet it. 3. **You have to be able to find things.** The IRS calls this an indexing system. It doesn't need to be fancy. The procedure says it's enough if it works as well as a reasonable paper filing system. 4. **It should be protected** against changes, deletion, and loss. 5. **You have to be able to produce copies**, including printed ones, if the IRS asks. And the part everyone wants to know: Section 7 of the procedure allows the original paper to be destroyed, after you've checked that your system reproduces records properly and you have a routine to keep it that way. The procedure also mentions some sensible habits: labeling files, keeping backup copies, storing a copy somewhere else, and keeping the paper for anything that can't be transferred accurately or is illegible. ## What the receipt itself has to show A photo only helps if the receipt has the right information on it. For travel, meals, gifts, and car expenses, IRS Publication 463 is specific. Documentary evidence is generally considered adequate if it shows the **amount, date, place, and essential character** of the expense. Some examples straight from the publication: - **A restaurant receipt** for a business meal should show the name and location of the restaurant, the number of people served, and the date and amount. If it includes items other than food and drink, the receipt has to show that. - **A hotel receipt** should show the hotel's name and location, the dates you stayed, and separate amounts for things like the room, meals, and phone calls. - **A canceled check on its own** doesn't prove a business expense. Paired with a bill from the payee, it usually shows the cost, but you still need something that shows the business purpose. Publication 463 also has an exception people often misread. You generally don't need documentary evidence for an expense, other than lodging, that's **under $75**. That doesn't mean you need nothing. You still need a record of the expense, like a log or diary, with the details. A receipt photo is simply the easiest way to have both. One more thing worth knowing: the IRS says a record made at or near the time of the expense is worth more than one reconstructed later. A weekly log counts as timely. A photo you take at the counter, with the date and time already in the file's metadata, is about as timely as it gets. ## How long to keep them The IRS's general rule is to keep records that support your tax return until the period of limitations for that return runs out. For most people, that means: | Situation | Keep records for | |---|---| | Most returns | 3 years | | You claimed a credit or refund after filing | 3 years from filing, or 2 years from paying the tax, whichever is later | | You left out income worth more than 25% of the gross income on your return | 6 years | | You claimed a loss from worthless securities or a bad debt deduction | 7 years | | Employment tax records | At least 4 years | | You didn't file, or filed a fraudulent return | Indefinitely | Records for property you own, like equipment or a home office build-out, follow a different clock: keep them until the limitations period ends for the year you sell or dispose of the property. For big purchases like that, keeping the paper too isn't a bad idea. Photos make long retention painless. A year of receipts fits easily on a phone or in a basic cloud storage plan. ## How to photograph a receipt so it holds up This is where most people's system quietly fails. A photo taken in a dim car, at an angle, with a thumb over the total, is technically a record. It's also useless. **Write the reason on it first.** A receipt shows what you paid, not why. Before you take the photo, jot the client, project, or trip on the receipt. For meals, add who was there. Now the business purpose is captured with the receipt, not somewhere in your memory. **Flat, bright, and complete.** Lay the receipt flat on a dark, plain surface. Daylight is best. Make sure all four edges are in the frame and nothing is folded over. Then zoom in on the total and the date. If you have to squint, take it again. **Use a scanner app for long ones.** Long grocery or hardware store receipts are hard to capture in one shot. A document scanner handles these better, because it straightens the page and boosts the contrast. iPhones have one built in, which we walk through in [how to scan a document on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-scan-a-document-on-iphone). **Don't edit the receipt.** Cropping away the table around it is fine. Don't retouch, erase, or "clean up" anything on the receipt itself. The point is an accurate copy. ## A filing system that takes minutes The IRS asks for a system that works as well as a reasonable paper file. For a freelancer or a small business, that can be very simple. **Name each file by date, vendor, and amount.** For example: `2026-11-04_office-depot_48.19.jpg`. Files named that way sort themselves into order and can be searched in any file browser. **One folder per month.** Or, at the end of each month, combine that month's receipts into a single PDF with a tool like [image to PDF](/image-to-pdf), which runs in your browser without uploading anything. Twelve PDFs a year is easy to hand to an accountant. **Make them searchable, if you like.** Running a receipt through [image to text](/image-to-text) pulls out the words and numbers, so you can search for a vendor instead of scrolling. **Keep file sizes sensible.** Phone photos can be several megabytes each. If you're emailing a year's worth, an [image compressor](/image-compressor) shrinks them without making the text unreadable. Check a few after compressing. **Back up to two places.** Your phone and a cloud drive, or your computer and an external drive. A single copy on one phone isn't a records system. It's a risk. ## When to keep the paper anyway Photos cover most everyday receipts. Keep the original too when: - the receipt is already faded, torn, or hard to read, - it's for a large purchase, especially equipment or property you'll depreciate, - it's something you'd have to prove in detail, like a big deduction you expect questions about, - you're not sure your photo captured everything. The procedure itself suggests keeping paper for anything that can't be copied accurately. That's good advice beyond taxes, too. ## If you drive for work Car expenses have their own recordkeeping rules, and mileage logs are where many freelancers and delivery drivers come up short. Dated, GPS-tagged photos can support a mileage log, and our [mileage log with photos](/mileage-log-photos) turns them into one, in your browser. It works alongside the receipts for gas, tolls, and parking. ## The three things that matter most If you remember nothing else: make sure every number on the photo is readable, file it so you can find it again in thirty seconds, and keep a second copy somewhere else. Do that, and the shoebox can go. Sources: IRS Revenue Procedure 97-22; IRS Publication 463, "Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses"; IRS, "How long should I keep records?" --- # How to Photograph Car Damage for an Insurance Claim (Shot List) > What to photograph after a car accident, in what order, and how to keep the photos dated so your insurer and the adjuster can use them. Includes a printable shot list. *Published: 2026-09-03* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-photograph-car-damage-for-insurance **Quick answer:** After making sure everyone is safe, photograph the whole scene from several directions, then walk around both cars and take a shot from every corner. Photograph each area of damage three times: from about 10 feet, about 3 feet, and close up. Add the other car's license plate, road markings, signs, and weather. Keep the original files, because they carry the date and location in their metadata, and send copies to your insurer. The photos you take in the ten minutes after an accident often shape the whole claim. The adjuster wasn't there. The other driver may remember it differently. What the cars looked like at the scene, and where they were, is the part nobody can reconstruct later. This is a shot list you can follow on the side of the road, when you're shaken and not thinking clearly. ## Safety comes first Before you take a single photo: check whether anyone is hurt, and call emergency services if they are. If the cars can be driven and it's safe, move them out of traffic. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) puts safety first in its own guidance on auto claims, and it is right. No photo is worth standing in a live lane. If the cars can't be moved, or it isn't safe to walk around them, take what you can from the shoulder and come back to the rest later. ## The shot list ### 1. The scene (before anything moves, if it is safe) Take wide shots from at least four directions. You want someone who wasn't there to understand the layout: - Where each car ended up, and which way it was facing. - Lane markings, stop signs, yield signs, traffic lights, and speed limit signs nearby. - Skid marks, broken glass, debris, and fluid on the road. - The weather and the road surface: rain, ice, glare, potholes, construction. The NAIC specifically suggests recording the time, date, and exact location, with notes about skid marks, weather, and road conditions, and taking a photo or sketching a diagram of the scene. Photos do most of that for you, as long as the date and location are attached (more on that below). ### 2. Every corner of both cars Walk around each vehicle and take one photo from each corner, so the whole body is visible across four shots. Include the parts that aren't damaged. This matters later if someone claims a dent was caused by this accident when it was already there, or if more damage appears after the car is towed. ### 3. The damage, three times For each damaged area, take three photos: | Distance | What it shows the adjuster | |---|---| | About 10 feet | Where on the car the damage is | | About 3 feet | The size and shape of the damage | | Close-up | Depth, cracks, paint transfer, and scratches | Paint transfer is worth a close-up of its own. A streak of the other car's color on yours is a simple way to show the two cars touched. Photograph the damage in the light you have, and take extra shots if there's glare. Crouch down to get the angle along the panel, where dents show best. ### 4. The inside of your car - Airbags that went off. - Anything broken inside, like a cracked dashboard or seat. - The dashboard with warning lights on, and the odometer reading. ### 5. The other driver's details The NAIC lists what to collect: the other driver's name, address, and insurer, the other car's make, model, year, and license plate number, and the names and contact details of any witnesses. If a police officer comes, note their name and badge number and ask where to get the accident report. A photo is faster and more accurate than writing things down while your hands are shaking: - The other car's license plate, clearly readable. - The other driver's insurance card, if they agree to let you photograph it. - The police officer's card, or the report number if they give you one. Ask before you photograph someone's documents, and don't post any of this online. ### 6. Injuries If you or a passenger has visible injuries, photograph them at the scene and again over the following days as bruises develop. Get medical care first. These photos support the medical records, they don't replace them. ## Get the date and location onto the photos Your phone writes the date, time, and GPS location into each photo's metadata, as long as location access is turned on for the camera. That's useful, because it ties each photo to the exact place and minute. It's also fragile. Metadata is often stripped when photos are sent through messaging apps or some websites, and nobody sees it unless they go looking for it with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). A timestamp camera avoids both problems by printing the date, time, and address on the image itself. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot, so every photo from the scene shows where and when it was taken, even after it has been forwarded, screenshotted, or printed. Whatever you use, keep the original files. If a date is ever questioned, the original is what you want to hand over. ## After the scene **File the claim quickly.** The NAIC recommends contacting your insurer as soon as possible, and notes that many insurers let you file a claim from their smartphone app. If your insurer's app asks you to take photos inside the app, do it, but keep your own copies too. **Photograph the car again before repairs.** Once the car is towed or parked, take a second, calmer round of photos in good light. Some damage, like a misaligned panel gap or a leaking fluid, only shows up later. **Keep a record of the claim.** The NAIC suggests taking notes and tracking the dates of every conversation with your agent or adjuster. Photos from the scene belong in the same folder. A single file is easier to send and harder to lose: the [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) turns a set of photos into one dated PDF in your browser. **You don't have to accept the first offer.** If you disagree with the settlement, the NAIC's advice is to ask the adjuster for a written explanation, check your policy for an appraisal clause, and contact your state insurance department if you still can't agree. Your photos are the basis for that conversation. ## Parked car, hit and run, or damage you found later If your car was hit while parked, or the other driver left, call the police promptly, then follow the same list: the scene, all four corners, the damage at three distances. Look around for anything that shows the other car, like paint on your bumper or debris on the ground, and photograph any cameras nearby that might have recorded it, so you can ask the owner later. ## Printable shot list 1. Safety first, then photos. 2. Scene: four wide shots, signs, lights, skid marks, debris, weather. 3. Both cars: one shot from each corner, damaged or not. 4. Each damaged area: 10 feet, 3 feet, close-up. Paint transfer. 5. Inside: airbags, dashboard lights, odometer. 6. Other driver: plate, and insurance card if they agree. Officer's name and report number. 7. Injuries, if any, at the scene and over the following days. 8. Keep originals in two places. Send copies to your insurer. Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "What You Should Know About Filing an Auto Claim." --- # Move-In and Move-Out Photos: How to Document a Rental and Get Your Deposit Back > A room-by-room shot list for move-in and move-out photos, how to date them so they hold up, what California and UK rules say, and how to use the photos in a deposit dispute. *Published: 2026-09-01* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/move-in-move-out-photos-rental-deposit **Quick answer:** Photograph the empty unit before you move a single box in: one wide shot per room from the doorway, then a close-up of every scratch, stain, chip, and missing item. Make sure the date is on the photos, email them to your landlord that week, and keep the originals. When you leave, take the same photos from the same spots. A matching pair of dated photos is the strongest thing a tenant can bring to a deposit dispute. Most deposit disputes are arguments about memory. The landlord says the carpet stain is new. You're sure it was there when you moved in. Neither of you can prove it, and the landlord is the one holding the money. Photos end that argument, but only if you take them at the right time, in the right way, and can show when they were taken. This guide covers all three. ## Why photos decide deposit disputes A deposit can usually be kept for damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, or cleaning needed to return the unit to its move-in condition. Every one of those depends on a comparison: what the place looked like when you arrived versus when you left. If nobody recorded the "before", the comparison comes down to whose account sounds more believable. A dated photo of the "before" changes that. It's hard to argue a scratch is new when there's a photo of it from the day you got the keys. ## What the rules say (two examples) Deposit rules depend on where you live, so check your own state, province, or country. Two places with clear written rules are worth knowing because they show where things are heading. **California.** Under California Civil Code section 1950.5, landlords themselves now have to take photos: - For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit immediately before, or at the start of, the tenancy. - Since April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit within a reasonable time after getting it back, before any repairs or cleaning they plan to charge you for, and again after those repairs or cleaning are done. - The landlord has 21 calendar days after you move out to send an itemized statement of deductions, and the photos can be sent by mail, email, flash drive, or an online link. - You can ask for an initial inspection, no earlier than two weeks before you move out, so you have a chance to fix problems before the final inspection. That the landlord takes photos doesn't mean you should skip your own. Their photos show what they chose to capture. Yours show what you saw. **England and Wales.** On GOV.UK, the rules say your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved protection scheme within 30 days of getting it, and must return it within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you'll get back. If you disagree, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is resolved. An inventory, a written record of the condition at the start of the tenancy, is what those disputes are decided on. Photos are what make an inventory believable. ## Move-in: the shot list Do this before you unpack. Boxes and furniture hide floors and walls, and anything you find after moving in is harder to prove was already there. Turn on every light and open the blinds. Then, for each room, take: 1. **One wide shot from the doorway**, showing as much of the room as possible. 2. **One wide shot from the opposite corner**, looking back at the door. 3. **A close-up of every problem**, with something for scale in the frame (a coin, your hand, a tape measure). These are the spots landlords most often charge for, so give them extra attention: | Area | What to photograph | |---|---| | Floors | Carpet stains, burns, and wear paths; scratches and dents in hardwood; cracked or chipped tiles | | Walls | Nail holes, scuffs, patched areas, paint that doesn't match | | Kitchen | Inside the oven and fridge, stovetop burners, countertop burns and cuts, cabinet doors and hinges | | Bathroom | Grout and caulk, mold spots, tub and sink chips, toilet seat, exhaust fan | | Windows and doors | Cracked glass, torn screens, broken blinds, locks, door frames | | Fixtures | Missing bulbs, broken light covers, smoke detector present | | Outside | Balcony, patio, yard, garage, parking space, anything you're responsible for | | Meters | Electricity, gas, and water readings, if they're in your name from move-in day | A short video walkthrough is a good extra, narrating the room and the date as you go. It isn't a replacement for photos, because a video frame is often too blurry to show a small mark clearly. If there's a move-in checklist from your landlord, fill it in and make sure every problem you photographed is written on it. A checklist and photos that agree with each other carry more weight than either on its own. ## Put the date on the photos A photo only helps if you can show when it was taken. There are two ways a date gets attached to a photo, and you want both. **The date in the file.** Your phone writes the capture date into the photo's metadata (EXIF). You can check it with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). The problem is that this date is invisible, and it's often removed when a photo is sent through a messaging app or uploaded to some websites. **The date on the image.** A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and address into the photo itself, where anyone can see it and no upload can strip it. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot. For photos you have already taken, the free [browser tool adds a timestamp](/add-timestamp-to-photo) from each photo's own EXIF date, without uploading anything. Be honest with yourself about what a printed date proves. A determined person can fake a timestamp, and a landlord's lawyer may say so. That's why the next step matters more than any app. ## Send the photos to your landlord the same week The single most useful thing you can do is email the photos to your landlord or property manager within a few days of moving in, with a short note: > "Attached are photos of the unit taken on move-in day, [date]. Please note the existing damage listed below so it isn't charged to my deposit." Now there's a copy of your photos, dated by the email itself, sitting in someone else's inbox. It's very hard to claim you took them later. To keep the email manageable, turn the photos into one file. The [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) puts them into a single dated PDF in your browser, and [image to PDF](/image-to-pdf) does a simpler version. A shared folder link works too, as long as you never edit what is in it. If the landlord replies and agrees, save that reply. If they don't reply, the email still counts as a record that you raised the issues. ## During the tenancy Photograph anything that breaks, and the date you reported it. A leak under the sink that you reported in March and the landlord fixed in May isn't your water damage. The report and the photos together show that. ## Move-out: the same photos, the same spots Clean first, remove everything, and then repeat the move-in shoot from the same positions. Open your move-in photos on another device and match each one: same doorway, same corner, same close-ups. Matching pairs are what win disputes. A move-in close-up of a carpet stain next to a move-out close-up of the same stain, the same size, makes the point with no explanation needed. Also photograph: - The clean oven, fridge, and bathroom, because cleaning fees are one of the most common deductions. - The keys on the counter, or the key handover. - Meter readings on your last day. If your area allows a pre-move-out inspection, like the one in California, ask for it. It gives you a list of issues while you still have time to fix them. ## If the landlord keeps part of your deposit 1. **Ask for the itemized list** of deductions in writing, if you didn't already get one. 2. **Match each deduction to a photo pair.** For each item, show the move-in photo and the move-out photo side by side. 3. **Reply in writing**, calmly, with the pairs attached. Point out anything that was already there at move-in, and anything that is normal wear and tear. 4. **Use the formal route if that fails:** the deposit protection scheme's dispute service in England and Wales, or small claims court or your local tenant agency in the US. Keep the original photo files, not just the PDF. If anyone questions the dates, the originals still carry the capture date in their metadata, and the email shows when you sent them. ## What photos can't do Photos are strong evidence, not magic. They can't prove that a stain wasn't made worse, that an appliance worked, or that a smell was there. For things like that, write them in your move-in note to the landlord, where they become part of the dated record. And photos only help if they're clear. A dark, blurry photo of a corner proves very little. Take a second shot if the first one isn't sharp. It costs nothing, and you only get one move-in day. ## The short version If you only remember one thing, make it this: the day you get the keys, before a single box comes in, walk every room with your phone and then email those photos to your landlord. Everything else in this guide builds on that one habit. It takes less than an hour, and it's the difference between arguing from memory and pointing at a dated photo. Sources: California Civil Code section 1950.5 (California Legislative Information); GOV.UK, "Tenancy deposit protection" and "Private renting: deposits". --- # JPEG vs PNG: We Measured Both, Here Is When Each One Wins > JPEG vs PNG with real numbers: the same photo came out 6x larger as PNG, the same graphic 25x larger as JPEG. Which format wins for photos, screenshots, logos and uploads. *Published: 2026-08-27* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/jpeg-vs-png **Quick answer:** Use **JPEG for photographs** and **PNG for graphics, screenshots with text, logos, and anything transparent**. This is not a matter of taste; the formats are built for opposite kinds of images, and picking the wrong one costs real bytes or real quality. We measured it: the same photograph saved as PNG came out **6 times larger** than the JPEG with no visible benefit, while the same flat-color graphic saved as JPEG came out **25 times larger** than the PNG and picked up visible edge artifacts on top. The rest of this piece is those numbers, the two or three real exceptions, and the metadata difference nobody mentions. ## The experiment Format debates attract a lot of "it depends" hand-waving, so we ran the comparison instead of describing it. Two 1200 x 800 images, each saved both ways with the same settings (JPEG at quality 85, PNG with standard optimization): **Image A, photo-like:** a smooth gradient with per-pixel noise, which is what real camera output looks like up close, since every sensor adds noise. **Image B, graphic-like:** four flat color blocks with clean white lines across them, which is what charts, screenshots of interfaces, and logos look like up close. | Same pixels, both formats | JPEG (85) | PNG | Verdict | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Photo-like image | **239 KB** | 1,428 KB | PNG is 6.0x larger | | Graphic-like image | 112 KB | **4.7 KB** | JPEG is 25x larger | Same machine, same dimensions, same minute. The only variable is what kind of image went in, and the result flips completely. And the graphic did not just cost more as a JPEG; it got worse. We sampled a pixel right at one of the hard color edges in the JPEG version and got back a value of (244, 255, 255) where the source was pure white. That off-white smudge is JPEG's edge ringing, the faint halo you have seen around text in over-compressed screenshots. The PNG's edge pixel was exactly what went in. ## Why the same format wins by 6x and loses by 25x The two formats make opposite bets about what an image is. **JPEG bets the image is a photo.** It carves the picture into 8 x 8 blocks and discards fine detail the eye is bad at noticing, especially subtle variations in smooth areas. Sensor noise and soft gradients are exactly that kind of detail, so photos shrink enormously with little visible cost. Sharp edges are the opposite of what it expects, and it smears them. **PNG bets nothing is disposable.** It compresses losslessly, finding repetition instead of discarding detail. Flat color regions are pure repetition, so a chart packs down to almost nothing. Per-pixel noise is the opposite of repetition, which is why our noisy photo ballooned to 1,428 KB: PNG faithfully stored every speck of grain. That is the whole story. Photos are noise and gradients, so JPEG wins. Graphics are edges and flat fills, so PNG wins. Screenshots sit with graphics almost always, the exception being a screenshot that is mostly a photo. ## The two capabilities that decide edge cases When the size logic does not settle it, one of these usually does. **Transparency.** PNG carries a real alpha channel; JPEG has nowhere to put one. Save a logo with a transparent background as JPEG and the transparency is gone, flattened onto white. This is not subtle and there is no workaround inside JPEG; if you need transparency, the decision is made for you. It is also why our [PNG to JPG converter](/png-to-jpg) asks what background color to flatten onto, rather than pretending the question does not exist. **Metadata.** JPEGs carry EXIF: capture date, camera, GPS, the lot. PNG technically gained an eXIf chunk in a later spec revision, but in practice almost nothing writes it, and browser conversions drop metadata wholesale; we dug into the details in [Do PNG files have EXIF data?](/photo-guides/do-png-files-have-exif-data). This cuts both ways. Converting a JPEG to PNG usually silently discards the photo's history, which is a loss if you care when and where it was taken, and a quiet privacy win if you were about to post it. Either way it should be a choice, not an accident: check what a file carries with the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), and strip deliberately with the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) rather than laundering metadata through a format change. ## Practical calls, one line each - **Photo for email, web, or a form upload:** JPEG, quality 80 to 90. If there is a size cap, aim at it with the [image compressor](/image-compressor). - **Screenshot of an app or website:** PNG. Text stays crisp and the file stays small. - **Logo or icon:** PNG, for the edges and the transparency. - **Chart or diagram exported from a tool:** PNG, by a mile; our test says 25x. - **Scanned document:** JPEG if it is essentially a photo of paper; PNG if it is high-contrast text you may need to read closely or OCR. - **Photo you plan to edit repeatedly:** PNG or a lossless original, because every JPEG re-save discards a little more. Edit once, export JPEG last. - **Need the smallest possible modern file:** neither; WebP and AVIF beat both, with compatibility trade-offs we covered in [WebP vs AVIF vs JXL](/photo-guides/webp-vs-avif-vs-jxl). ## Converting between them Both directions are legitimate and both run in your browser without uploading anything: [JPG to PNG](/jpg-to-png) when you need a lossless copy or are about to edit, [PNG to JPG](/png-to-jpg) when a portal insists on JPEG or the PNG is absurdly large for what it shows. One conversion myth worth killing: converting a JPEG to PNG does not recover quality. The detail JPEG discarded is gone; the PNG just preserves the damage losslessly, in a much larger file. Conversion changes the container, never the history. ## Frequently asked questions **Is JPEG or PNG better quality?** For identical pixels, PNG is technically perfect because it is lossless, while JPEG throws away detail to save space. On a photograph the difference is usually invisible at quality 85 and above. On sharp-edged graphics JPEG shows halos around edges, which is where PNG's losslessness earns its keep. **Which is smaller, JPEG or PNG?** Entirely content-dependent, as the table above shows: the photograph was 239 KB as JPEG and 1,428 KB as PNG, while the flat-color chart was 112 KB as JPEG and only 4.7 KB as PNG. Photos compress smaller as JPEG; graphics compress smaller as PNG. **Does PNG support transparency?** Yes, a full alpha channel. JPEG has none, so anything transparent gets flattened onto a background color the moment you save as JPEG. **Do PNG files keep EXIF data?** Mostly no in practice. The spec added an eXIf chunk, but very little software writes it, and browser conversions drop metadata entirely. If a photo's capture date or GPS matters to you, keep the JPEG original. ## Bottom line Photograph, JPEG. Graphic, screenshot, logo, or anything transparent, PNG. Our own measurements put the penalty for guessing wrong at 6x wasted space in one direction and 25x plus visible artifacts in the other, so the guess is worth getting right. And when a photo changes format, remember its metadata probably did not survive the trip: verify, do not assume. --- # How to Make a Picture Smaller on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows > Make a picture smaller in file size or in dimensions on any device. The built-in routes for iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows, and when each one falls short. *Published: 2026-08-26* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-make-a-picture-smaller **Quick answer:** "Smaller" means two different things, and the fix depends on which one you need. If a form or email rejects your photo, you need a smaller **file size**, which is compression. If the image is too big on screen or in a document, you need smaller **dimensions**, which is resizing. Every platform has a built-in route: **Preview's Adjust Size on Mac, Mail's size prompt on iPhone, Paint's Resize on Windows**, and assorted gallery options on Android. They all work, and they all stop short in the same place: none of them can hit an exact target like "under 200 KB". For that, use a compressor that takes a number. Here is each route, with its catch. ## First, which "smaller" do you need? The two kinds of smaller get mixed up constantly, so thirty seconds here saves a wasted round trip. - **File size** is measured in KB or MB and is what upload limits care about. You shrink it by compressing (lowering JPEG quality) or by resizing, since fewer pixels means fewer bytes. - **Dimensions** are measured in pixels and are what layouts care about. A 6000 x 4000 photo dropped into a document or website is oversized no matter how well compressed it is. The overlap runs one way: resizing always reduces file size, but compression never changes dimensions. If a portal wants both ("maximum 1000 pixels wide and under 500 KB"), resize first, then compress. ## On a Mac: Preview Preview handles both kinds of smaller, and Apple documents the route plainly: open the image and choose **Tools, then Adjust Size**. In that dialog you can type a new width or height, pick a preset from the "Fit into" menu, or switch the units to percent. With "Scale proportionally" on, changing one dimension updates the other so the photo does not stretch. That is resizing. For file size without resizing, use **File, then Export**, choose JPEG, and drag the Quality slider down. Preview shows the estimated file size under the slider as you move it, which takes the guessing out. The catch: the estimate is an estimate, and there is no way to ask Preview for "just under 500 KB". You nudge the slider and check. ## On an iPhone The iPhone gives you compression in a few places rather than one obvious tool: - **Mail** is the classic route. Attach a photo to an email and, at sending time, Mail asks whether to send Small, Medium, Large, or Actual Size, with the resulting file size shown next to each. Emailing a photo to yourself with a smaller size selected is a perfectly respectable resize workflow, and people have used it for years. - **Messages** compresses automatically, which is why texted photos arrive lighter than the original. You do not control the amount. - **Screenshots of a photo** produce a smaller PNG at your screen's resolution. Quick, but it strips the photo's metadata and trims quality; treat it as the crude option. Worth knowing: iPhones already shoot in HEIC, a format that holds JPEG-level quality in roughly half the bytes. If your problem is that a portal rejects the format rather than the size, that is a different fix, covered in our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) and in [HEIC vs JPG](/photo-guides/heic-vs-jpg-which-format-should-you-use). The catch on iOS: nothing built in accepts a target number, and Mail's four presets are the whole menu. ## On Windows: Paint, not Photos Here is the part that surprises people. Microsoft's own editing guide for the Photos app lists cropping, rotating, and light and color adjustments, and no resize. If you have been hunting through Photos for a resize button, that is why the hunt goes badly. The dependable built-in is the one that has been there for decades: **Paint**. Open the image in Paint, use the **Resize** control, and choose percentage or pixels. Keep "Maintain aspect ratio" ticked. Then save as JPEG for a photo. The catch: Paint offers no quality slider on save and no file-size preview, so hitting a byte target is trial and error with even less feedback than Preview gives. ## On Android Android is the least uniform of the four, because manufacturers ship different gallery apps. The routes that exist broadly: - **Email round trip.** Like the iPhone, most Android mail clients offer to shrink large attachments at sending time. - **The gallery's own resize**, where the manufacturer includes one. Samsung's Gallery, for example, tucks a resize option into its editor on many models. Presence and menu location vary by brand and version, so we will not pretend there is one universal path. - **Google Photos** can export a lighter copy through its share flow, though it too offers no explicit size control. The catch is the same as everywhere else, plus inconsistency: what works on one phone is missing on the next. ## When a number matters, none of the above is enough Every route so far shares one limit: you cannot tell it the answer you need. Portals, on the other hand, speak in numbers: a visa application caps photos at 240 KB, a job board wants under 500 KB, an old forum still insists on 100 KB. For those, use a compressor that takes the number and does the searching itself. Our [image compressor](/image-compressor) runs in the browser: type the KB target, drop the photo, and it tries qualities automatically until the file lands just under your number, downscaling only when it has to. It shows the exact resulting size before you download, and the photo never uploads anywhere, since the work happens on your device. The [MB to KB converter](/mb-to-kb-converter) is the same engine framed for the common "it is 4 MB and needs to be KB" emergency, and the [image resizer](/image-resizer) covers the dimensions side when a layout needs exact pixels. One honest warning that applies to every tool, ours included: extreme targets cost quality. Squeezing a full-resolution photo under 20 KB means aggressive downscaling, and it will look like it. If a form demands both a tiny file and a minimum resolution, those two requirements fight each other, and cropping tighter before compressing is often the only way to satisfy both. ## What making a picture smaller does to its metadata A detail most guides skip: shrinking a photo often quietly rewrites what is inside it. Screenshots carry none of the original photo's EXIF. Mail's resized copies and most compressors keep or strip metadata depending on the tool's choices, not yours. If the photo's date or GPS matters to you, check what survived with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) after processing; if you would rather it did not survive, strip it deliberately with the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) instead of hoping compression did it for you. ## Frequently asked questions **Does making a picture smaller reduce its quality?** Resizing discards pixels and compression discards detail, so yes, both cost something. At sensible settings the loss is invisible on screens. It becomes visible when you chase very small targets. **Can I make a picture smaller without changing its dimensions?** Yes. That is exactly what quality-based compression does: same pixels, fewer bytes. It works brilliantly on JPEGs and barely at all on PNGs, which are already losslessly packed. **Why is my photo still too big after resizing?** Check which number the portal is complaining about. If it wants under 500 KB and your resized photo is a PNG, the format is the problem; export as JPEG. If it wants smaller dimensions, no amount of compression helps. **What is the smallest a photo can reasonably go?** Depends on the pixels. As a rule of thumb from running a target-size compressor: a photo can usually reach 100 to 200 KB at acceptable quality, while 20 to 50 KB targets force visible downscaling. Documents and graphics compress much further than photos. ## Bottom line Work out whether you need fewer bytes or fewer pixels, reach for the built-in route on your platform (Adjust Size in Preview, Mail's size prompt on iPhone, Paint's Resize on Windows), and switch to a target-size compressor the moment a form gives you a number, because the built-ins cannot aim. Then glance at the result once at full size. Smaller is only a win if the picture still does its job. --- # How to Remove Metadata From a PDF (See What Yours Leaks First) > PDFs carry an author name, the software that made them, and edit dates. How to see that metadata, remove it on Mac and Windows, and what survives each method. *Published: 2026-08-25* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-remove-metadata-from-a-pdf **Quick answer:** Every PDF carries a hidden set of document properties: typically a **Title, Author, Subject, Keywords**, the **software that created it**, and **two timestamps**. Your name is very often in the Author field without you ever typing it there, because Word and most office apps fill it from your account. You can check it in seconds (File > Properties in Acrobat, Tools > Show Inspector in macOS Preview), and you can remove it either by clearing the fields in an editor or by rebuilding the file so the old properties never come along. Below is what a PDF really stores, shown on a file we built for this article, and the removal routes that hold up. Photos leak location and camera details through EXIF. PDFs have their own version of the same problem, and it gets far less attention, which is exactly why it bites people: a resume that names a different author than the applicant, a "fresh" report whose creation date is three years old, a confidential draft whose title still says draft. ## What a PDF actually stores about you PDF metadata lives in two places. The one everybody hits is the **Info dictionary**, a small set of key-value fields defined by the PDF standard. The second is an **XMP packet**, an XML block Adobe introduced that can mirror and extend the same fields. If XMP sounds familiar, it is the same standard photos use alongside EXIF; we cover that family in [EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP](/photo-guides/exif-vs-iptc-vs-xmp). To make this concrete, we generated a PDF the way an office app would, then read its properties back. This is everything the file volunteered: | Field | What our test file carried | | --- | --- | | Title | Q3 Financial Review CONFIDENTIAL | | Author | Jane Smith | | Subject | Internal audit draft | | Keywords | confidential, draft, audit | | Creator | Microsoft Word for Mac 16.88 | | Producer | macOS Quartz PDFContext | | Created | 2026-03-14 09:30 | | Modified | 2026-08-01 14:00 | Read that table the way a stranger would. The Author is a full name. The Title says confidential. The Creator names the exact software version, which dates your toolchain. And the two timestamps tell a story on their own: this "new" document was created in March and quietly edited in August. None of this shows on any page of the PDF. It only shows in the properties panel, which means the sender almost never sees it and the recipient absolutely can. ## First: look before you send Checking costs nothing and settles whether you have a problem at all. - **Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader:** File > Properties. The Description tab lists Title, Author, Subject, Keywords, the application, and both dates. - **macOS Preview:** Tools > Show Inspector. The first panel shows the document's properties. - **Most other readers** (Firefox, Edge, and the rest) expose the same fields under a Document Properties or Document Info menu item. If the Author field is empty and the dates do not embarrass you, you may not need to do anything. Empty is a perfectly common state; plenty of generators write nothing. ## Method 1: clear the fields in an editor If you have an editor that can write document properties (Acrobat's paid tiers can, as can LibreOffice and many PDF utilities), the direct route is to open the properties dialog, delete the contents of Title, Author, Subject and Keywords, and save a copy. Two things to know about this route: - **Clearing the visible fields does not always clear the XMP packet.** The Info dictionary and the XMP block are separate structures, and a lazy edit can blank one while the other keeps the old values. This is why the verification step at the end matters more than which tool you pick. - **The Producer field often refuses to stay empty**, because whatever software saves the file tends to stamp its own name there. A Producer that names a PDF library is harmless; the fields that identify a person are the ones worth fighting for. ## Method 2: rebuild the file so nothing carries over The more reliable route is not to edit the old file but to produce a new one. A rebuilt PDF starts with fresh properties belonging to whatever produced it, and the original Author, Title and dates simply never make the trip. We verified this behavior directly: taking the test file above and re-saving it through a rebuild pipeline left every identifying field blank. The new file knew nothing about Jane Smith, the audit, or the March creation date. Ways to rebuild: - **Print to PDF.** On both Mac and Windows, printing a PDF into a new PDF creates a file whose properties describe the print pipeline, not the original document. Page content survives; document properties do not carry over. - **A converter that reconstructs the file.** Our [Compress PDF](/compress-pdf) tool rebuilds the document page by page in your browser, so the output carries none of the input's properties. One honest caveat that matters: it re-renders each page as an image, which means selectable text becomes part of the picture. For a scanned document that is no loss at all. For a text contract you need to keep searchable, use the field-clearing route instead. - **Image round trip.** For single-page or image-heavy documents, exporting pages as images and recombining them with [Image to PDF](/image-to-pdf) produces a file with no ancestry. Same trade-off: the text layer is gone. The right choice depends on whether the text layer matters. Rebuilding is the cleaner strip; editing is the one that preserves searchability. ## What removal does not fix A few things survive every metadata pass, and pretending otherwise would be doing you a disservice: - **Content is content.** A name typed on the page, a header with your company logo, a signature: none of that is metadata, and no metadata tool touches it. - **Redactions have their own rules.** Covering text with a black rectangle in a viewer does not delete the text underneath. If you need true redaction, use a tool that actually removes the content, not one that draws over it. For images inside the document, permanent pixel redaction is the standard we apply in our [Pixelate and Redact](/pixelate-image) tool: the export rewrites the pixels, not a layer above them. - **Copies you already sent are already sent.** Metadata removal is a before-sending habit, not an after-the-fact fix. ## PDF vs photo metadata, in one minute If you already think about EXIF, the mapping is straightforward. The Author field is the PDF's version of the camera owner tag. Creator and Producer are the Make and Model. CreationDate is DateTimeOriginal. The practical difference is volume: a photo can carry GPS coordinates and hundreds of technical tags, while a PDF usually carries under a dozen fields. But the sensitive ones, name and dates, are just as loud. Photos get stripped with an [EXIF remover](/exif-remover); PDFs need one of the routes above because the container is different, even though the privacy problem is identical. ## Frequently asked questions **Does my PDF definitely have my name in it?** Not definitely, but check before assuming either way. Office suites fill the Author field from the account name by default, so documents born in Word or similar apps usually carry one. PDFs generated by web services often carry none. **Can people see PDF metadata without special tools?** Yes. Every mainstream PDF reader shows document properties through a normal menu item. No forensics involved; it is two clicks. **Does converting to PDF from Word remove the Word metadata?** No, usually the opposite: the export writes your account name into the PDF's Author field. The conversion is where the metadata gets in, not where it comes out. **Will removing metadata change how the PDF looks?** The field-clearing route changes nothing visible. The rebuild routes preserve the page appearance but flatten selectable text into images, so pick based on whether you need the text layer. **Is PDF metadata ever useful to keep?** Inside your own archive, yes: real creation dates and authorship make files findable and provable. The point is control at the boundary. Keep it internally, strip it when the file leaves. ## Bottom line A PDF tells more than its pages do: an author name you did not type, software versions, and honest timestamps that can contradict the story around the file. Check the properties before you send anything that matters, clear the fields when you need the text layer intact, rebuild the file when you want certainty that nothing carries over, and always reopen the result to confirm. The check takes ten seconds and it is the only step that never lies to you. --- # How to Check Camera Shutter Count on Mac (Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Canon) > Check your camera's shutter count on a Mac. Which brands store it in the photo file, which do not, and the free Terminal method that reads it in one command. *Published: 2026-08-23* · *11 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-check-camera-shutter-count **Quick answer:** On a Mac, the shutter count is read from the camera's own photo file with **ExifTool** in Terminal, in one command. It works well for **Nikon** and **Pentax**, partly for **Sony**, and essentially **not at all for Canon**, which does not write a usable actuation count into its files. Just as important: the count lives in the **maker note**, and almost every editing app deletes that section, so you need a file straight off the memory card. Here is the full picture, brand by brand, plus what to do when your camera is one of the ones that stays silent. Shutter count is the odometer of a camera. Every time the shutter fires, an internal counter goes up. Bodies are rated for a certain number of actuations before the mechanism is expected to need service, which is why the number matters most in two moments: when you are buying a used camera, and when you are selling one and want to prove it is barely used. The frustrating part is that there is no single, universal way to read it. What follows is the set of methods that hold up on macOS. ## First, the thing that trips almost everyone up The shutter count is not part of standard EXIF. Standard EXIF holds the capture date, exposure, ISO, camera make and model. The shutter count sits in the **maker note**, a manufacturer-private block that each brand structures its own way. That distinction has a very practical consequence: **the maker note is fragile.** Standard EXIF usually survives an edit. The maker note usually does not. We tested this on five real camera files. Every one still carried its full standard EXIF, between 50 and 68 tags, including make, model and capture date. Every one had lost its maker note entirely: | File from | Standard EXIF | Maker note | | --- | --- | --- | | Nikon D5200, saved from Photoshop | 59 tags | gone | | Nikon D300S, saved from Photoshop | 67 tags | gone | | Nikon D300S, saved from Photoshop | 68 tags | gone | | Canon EOS 40D, saved from GIMP | 50 tags | gone | | Canon scanner output | 16 tags | gone | So if you open a photo, run any shutter count check, and get nothing back, the answer is very often "this file has been edited", not "this camera does not record it". **What to use instead:** a JPEG or RAW file copied **directly from the memory card**, that has never been opened and re-saved by an editor, never sent through WhatsApp, Instagram or email, and never exported from Photos. On a used-camera purchase, ask the seller for exactly that: an untouched file straight off the card. ## Method 1: ExifTool in Terminal (the reliable Mac method) [ExifTool](https://exiftool.org/) is a free, open-source metadata tool by Phil Harvey. Among photographers it serves as the reference implementation for reading maker notes, covering Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and many others. There is an official macOS package. **Install it:** 1. Go to exiftool.org and download the macOS `.pkg` file. 2. Open the package and follow the installer. 3. It installs the `exiftool` command into `/usr/local/bin`. **Read the count:** 1. Open **Terminal** (Applications > Utilities, or Spotlight and type Terminal). 2. Type this, including the trailing space: ``` exiftool -ShutterCount -ImageCount -MechanicalShutterCount ``` 3. **Drag the photo file onto the Terminal window.** macOS pastes the full path for you, which saves fighting with spaces in filenames. 4. Press **Return**. If the camera records a count and the maker note survived, you get something like: ``` Shutter Count : 48213 Image Count : 48213 ``` If nothing prints, that is the answer for that file: either the brand does not store it, or the maker note was stripped. Try an untouched file from the card before concluding anything about the camera. **Want to see everything the file holds?** Run `exiftool -a -G1 -s` followed by the file path. That dumps every tag with its group, which is a good way to confirm whether a maker note is present at all. ## Method 2: A Mac app, if you would rather not use Terminal There are paid macOS apps that wrap the same idea in a window, and some read the count over USB directly from the camera rather than from a file. Reading over USB is genuinely useful for Canon bodies, since it asks the camera instead of the photo. Two honest caveats before you buy one: - **Model support is specific.** These apps list exactly which bodies they support. Check that your model is on the list before paying, not after. - **For Nikon and Pentax, an app will not tell you more than the free Terminal command does**, because both write the count into the file where ExifTool can already read it. ## Method 3: What macOS shows on its own Not much, and this is worth knowing so you do not go hunting. - **Preview** shows an Inspector (Tools > Show Inspector, then the Exif tab) with the standard fields: camera, lens, exposure, date. No shutter count. - **Photos** shows an info panel with similar standard fields. No shutter count. - **Finder's** Get Info shows file-level details only. None of them read maker notes. This is why the Terminal method exists. ## Brand by brand: who actually stores it This is where most shutter count articles get vague. Here is what the camera files really contain, based on ExifTool's published maker note tag tables. ### Nikon: yes, reliably Nikon is the best case. Its maker note carries several counters: - **ShutterCount** (tag `0x00a7`), which ExifTool documents as including "both mechanical and electronic shutter activations for models with this feature" - **MechanicalShutterCount** (tag `0x0037`), mechanical actuations only - **ImageCount** (tag `0x00a5`), total images captured On modern bodies with an electronic shutter, the difference between the first two is meaningful: total actuations versus wear on the physical mechanism. If both print, the mechanical number is the one that speaks to the shutter's remaining life. ### Pentax: yes, with two caveats Pentax stores **ShutterCount** at tag `0x005d`. ExifTool's own note on it is worth quoting, because it changes how you read the number: > "May be reset by servicing! Also, does not include shutter actuations for live view or video recording" So a Pentax count can understate real use in two ways: a service visit may have zeroed it, and live view and video shots may never have been counted. Treat it as a floor, not a total. ### Sony: sometimes, depending on the body Sony writes shutter counts, but where and whether it is valid varies by generation. ExifTool's tables show **ShutterCount** in more than one place, each carrying a model-specific warning: one is marked "only valid for some DSLR models", another is "not valid for the A450, A500 or A550", with a separate tag that is for "A450, A500 and A550 only". Practical translation: run the command, and if a number comes back, look up whether your specific body is one of the models the tag is valid for. A number that prints is not automatically a number that means what you think. ### Canon: effectively no This is the disappointing one, and it is also the case most people are searching for. Canon's maker note contains **FileNumber** at tag `0x0008`. That tag holds an image sequence number, the counter behind filenames like `IMG_4312`, and it is **not** a shutter actuation count. It resets, it can be set to manual or continuous numbering in the menu, and it tells you nothing reliable about shutter wear. Plenty of "shutter count checkers" quietly show you this number anyway. ExifTool's tables do list a real ShutterCount for Canon, but only inside a 1D Mark III specific section, and with an explicit warning that it "may be valid only for some 1DmkIII copies, even running the same firmware". So for the overwhelming majority of Canon bodies, **the count is not in the photo file at all.** No web tool, no Mac app reading a JPEG, and no Terminal command can extract something the camera never wrote. Anyone claiming otherwise is either showing you FileNumber or guessing. **The workable route for Canon owners:** use a utility that queries the camera over USB rather than reading a file, or have the count read during a service visit. On a used purchase, if the seller cannot produce a USB-read count, weigh the body's condition, the shutter sound, and the sensor and mount wear instead. ## Summary table | Brand | In the photo file? | Tag | Watch out for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Nikon** | Yes | `0x00a7`, `0x0037`, `0x00a5` | Mechanical vs total on electronic-shutter bodies | | **Pentax** | Yes | `0x005d` | Reset by servicing; excludes live view and video | | **Sony** | Sometimes | model-dependent | Validity varies by body generation | | **Canon** | Effectively no | `0x0008` is FileNumber only | FileNumber is not a shutter count | And for every brand: the file must still have its maker note, which means straight off the card, never edited. ## How to read the number once you have it A shutter count on its own means little without context. Camera bodies carry a manufacturer durability rating, and those ratings differ enormously by class: entry-level bodies are rated far lower than professional ones. Check the rating for your exact model on the manufacturer's specification page, then compare. Three things worth keeping in mind: - **A rating is an expectation, not an expiry date.** Plenty of shutters outlive their rating by a wide margin, and a few fail well before it. The rating is a statistical figure. - **A shutter is a replaceable part.** A high count is a price negotiation point, not automatically a reason to walk away, especially on a body that is otherwise in good condition. - **Low count is not automatically good.** A camera that sat unused in a damp cupboard for six years can be in worse shape than one that was used steadily. Look at the whole body. ## What this has to do with the rest of a photo's metadata Shutter count is one of the more obscure things hiding inside a photo file, but it is not the only one. The same maker note and EXIF block that stores it also carries the capture date, GPS coordinates, lens, exposure settings, and often the camera's serial number. If you want to see what a photo of yours is carrying, our free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) reads the standard metadata in your browser, with nothing uploaded. To find out what body took a photo, the [camera detector](/what-camera-took-this-photo) reads make, model and lens. And if you are about to sell a camera and post sample shots publicly, remember those files can carry your location and serial number: the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) strips them before you post. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I check shutter count from a photo online, without installing anything?** For Nikon and Pentax the number is in the file, so in principle yes. In practice the file has to be an unedited original from the memory card, which is exactly the file most people no longer have. And for Canon, no tool can read a number the camera never wrote. **Why does my Nikon show two different counts?** ShutterCount includes electronic shutter activations on bodies that have one; MechanicalShutterCount counts only the physical mechanism. On a mirrorless body used a lot in silent mode, the two can differ substantially. **My file gives no result at all. Is my camera broken?** Almost certainly not. The most common cause is a stripped maker note from editing or sharing. Test with a file copied directly from the card. **Does the count include video?** Not consistently. Pentax's own tag note says live view and video actuations are excluded. Treat video-heavy use as under-counted. **Can shutter count be faked?** The number in a file can be edited, like any metadata. For a used purchase that matters, prefer a count read from the camera over USB in front of you rather than a number in a JPEG the seller emailed. ## Bottom line On a Mac, one Terminal command with ExifTool answers the question for Nikon and Pentax, sometimes for Sony, and not for Canon. Before you trust an empty result, check that your file still has its maker note by using an original straight from the card, because editing software silently removes exactly the block the count lives in. And when you do get a number, read it against your specific model's durability rating rather than against a general rule of thumb. --- # Where to Get a Passport Photo Near Me (And When You Do Not Need To) > Where to get a passport photo near you: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, USPS, FedEx and UPS compared, what each costs, and how to make a compliant photo at home for free. *Published: 2026-08-21* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/where-to-get-a-passport-photo-near-me **Quick answer:** The places that take passport photos near you are **USPS Post Offices, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, FedEx Office and The UPS Store**. USPS publishes its price openly: **$15 for the photo**, on top of the **$35 acceptance fee** if you are also submitting your application there. Costco is no longer an option: Costco does not run its own photo service and points members to Shutterfly instead. But here is the part the store pages do not tell you: **the US State Department does not require a professional to take your passport photo.** A phone photo taken by someone else against a plain white wall is fully compliant, and you can crop it to the exact 2 x 2 spec [in your browser for free](/us-passport-photo), then print it at any photo counter for the price of an ordinary 4 x 6. ## The stores that take passport photos Almost every national chain with a photo counter offers passport photos. What differs is whether you walk out with **prints, a digital file, or both**, which matters because online renewals need a digital file and paper applications need a print. | Where | What you get | Price | | --- | --- | --- | | **USPS Post Office** | Hard copy prints, and digital photos on USB at many locations | **$15** photo fee (officially published), plus **$35** acceptance fee if applying there | | **CVS** | Prints in-store, digital copy at select locations | Set by the retailer, check your store's page | | **Walgreens** | Prints in-store, digital copy commonly available | Set by the retailer, check your store's page | | **Walmart** | Prints at the photo counter | Set by the retailer, check your store's page | | **FedEx Office / The UPS Store** | Prints, digital at some locations | Set by the location | | **Costco** | No longer available | Costco does not operate its own photo service | A note on the prices: **USPS is the only one of these that publishes a fixed national price**, which is why it is the only figure quoted above. Retailer pricing moves around, varies by location, and gets quoted wrongly all over the web, so check the specific store rather than trusting a number in an article, including this one. The USPS option has one genuine advantage worth paying for: if you are submitting a **first-time application** you have to appear in person at an acceptance facility anyway, and most Post Offices that accept applications can take your photo at the same visit. One trip, one queue. ## The thing the stores will not mention **The State Department does not require your passport photo to be taken by a professional.** There is no rule that a photo must come from a store, a booth, or a licensed photographer. The requirements are about the *photo*, not the *photographer*: correct size, correct head height, plain background, correct expression, recent, unedited. This is not true everywhere. **Canada requires a commercial photographer** and a studio stamp on the back of the print, so Canadians genuinely have to pay someone. But for a **US passport**, a phone photo meets the spec if you get the setup right. That is a real fork in the road, and it is the difference between paying a store and paying nothing. Ireland goes further and explicitly *encourages* the at-home route for online applications. The UK permits it for online applications too, while noting booth photos are more likely to be approved. We break the country rules down in [how to take a passport photo at home](/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-passport-photo-at-home). ## The at-home route, honestly Here is what actually works, and where people get it wrong. **What you need:** another person to hold the phone (not a selfie, arm's length distorts your face), a plain white or off-white wall, and daylight from a window in front of you rather than behind. **The setup that passes:** 1. Stand about 60 cm (2 feet) from the wall so you do not cast a shadow on it. Shadows on the background are one of the most common rejection reasons. 2. Have the photographer stand roughly 1.2 m (4 feet) away, phone at your eye level, and use the **rear camera** rather than the selfie camera. 3. Face the camera squarely, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open. 4. **No glasses.** Glasses have been banned in US passport photos since 2016. 5. Shoot several. Sorting through ten costs nothing. **Then crop it to spec.** This is the step people skip, and it is why home attempts fail: a phone photo is not 2 x 2 inches and your head will not land in the required 1 to 1 3/8 inch band by luck. Our [US passport photo maker](/us-passport-photo) overlays the official head-height guide while you position the shot, exports the exact 2 x 2 crop, and builds a print sheet. **Then print it properly.** Do not print passport photos on an office printer with plain paper, they get rejected on paper quality. Download the print sheet PDF and order it as a normal **4 x 6 print** at any pharmacy photo counter. A 4 x 6 costs the same regardless of what is on it, typically well under a dollar, and the sheet holds multiple copies. That is the whole trick: use the store for **printing** (which they do cheaply and well) rather than for **photography** (which they charge a premium for). The same trick works for ordinary keepsake prints: a [wallet size photo](/wallet-size-photo) is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, and a single 4 x 6 order holds two of them. ## What the photo has to meet, either way Whether a store takes it or you do, the same official US requirements apply: - **Size:** 2 x 2 inches square (51 x 51 mm). - **Head height:** 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm) from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head. - **Background:** plain white or off-white. - **Expression:** neutral, both eyes open, facing the camera. - **Glasses:** not allowed. - **Recency:** taken within the last 6 months, and it must reflect your current appearance. - **Editing:** no filters, no retouching, no digital changes. The full country-by-country table, including the 51 specs our tool supports, is in the [passport photo size chart](/passport-photo-size-chart). ## Which route should you take **Pay a store if:** you are applying at a Post Office anyway and want it done in one visit, you need it in the next hour, or nobody is around to hold the phone. **Do it at home if:** you have a plain wall, someone to take the photo, and fifteen minutes. You will spend under a dollar on the print instead of $15 or more, and you get to reshoot until it is right rather than accepting whatever the counter produced. **Do not do it at home if** you are applying for a **Canadian** passport, where a commercial photographer and a studio stamp are mandatory. That is documented on our [Canadian passport photo page](/canadian-passport-photo), including the parts competitors quietly omit. ## Bottom line "Passport photo near me" has a good answer (USPS, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, FedEx, UPS) and a better one: for a **US** passport, you do not need any of them to take the picture. The rules govern the photo, not the photographer. Shoot it against a white wall, [crop it to the official 2 x 2 spec](/us-passport-photo) in your browser, and pay the photo counter a dollar to print it instead of fifteen to shoot it. If you are applying somewhere else, check [what the rules are in your country first](/passport-photo-size-chart), because the DIY route is wide open in some places and flatly forbidden in others. --- # How to Transfer Photos From iPhone to Computer (Windows and Mac) > How to transfer photos from iPhone to a computer over USB, with or without iCloud, plus the fix for HEIC files that will not open once they land on Windows. *Published: 2026-08-21* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-transfer-photos-from-iphone-to-computer **Quick answer:** Connect the iPhone with a **USB cable**, unlock it and tap **Trust** when the prompt appears. On a **Mac**, open the Photos app, pick the device in the sidebar, and click **Import All New Photos** or **Import Selected**. On **Windows**, open the Photos app and import from the connected device. The step nobody warns you about comes next: the imported files are often **.heic**, and Windows will not open them without an extension. Apple's own fix for future photos is **Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible**, and for the photos you already transferred, [converting HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg) takes a few seconds in a browser. ## On a Mac Apple's official steps: 1. Connect the iPhone to the Mac with a **USB cable**. If you see a prompt to allow the accessory to connect, click **Allow**. 2. Open the **Photos** app on the Mac. It shows an **Import** screen with everything on the connected device. If that screen does not appear, click the device's name in the Photos sidebar. 3. If asked, **unlock** the iPhone with your passcode. If the iPhone asks you to **Trust This Computer**, tap **Trust**. 4. Choose where the photos go. Next to **Album** you can pick an existing album or create a new one. 5. Click **Import Selected**, or **Import All New Photos**. If you have **iCloud Photos** turned on, you can skip all of this: the photos sync to the Mac on their own. The catch is that iCloud syncing depends on both devices having space and signal, and it copies the *library*, not a folder of files you control. ## On a Windows PC Windows works, but there is a format problem to head off first. Apple's own guidance for best compatibility with Windows: > On your iPhone, open **Settings → Camera → Formats**, and tap **Most Compatible**. From then on, the camera captures photos and videos in **JPEG** and **H.264** rather than HEIC and HEVC. That setting only affects **future** photos. Everything already in your library stays HEIC. Then import: 1. Connect the iPhone to the PC with a USB cable, unlock it, and tap **Trust** on the iPhone. 2. Open the **Photos** app in Windows and choose to import from a connected device. (Windows also exposes the iPhone in File Explorer under **This PC**, where the photos live in the **DCIM** folder, if you would rather drag them yourself.) 3. Select what you want and import. One important caveat from Apple: **if iCloud Photos is turned on, you have to download the original, full-resolution versions to the iPhone before importing to the PC.** Otherwise you may copy across optimised placeholder versions instead of the real files. On the iPhone that is **Settings → Photos → Download and Keep Originals**. ## The HEIC problem, and how to fix it This is the actual reason most people end up searching for help after the transfer works. Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as **HEIC** by default. It stores the same image at roughly half the size of a JPG, which is great on the phone and awkward everywhere else. Once the files land on a PC you may see: - Windows Photos saying it needs an extension to open the file - Thumbnails that never render - Upload forms rejecting the file outright - Editing software that will not open it There are three fixes, in order of how much work they are: **1. Convert the files you already transferred.** Drop them into a [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) and download JPGs that open anywhere. It handles batches and gives you a ZIP back, and because it runs in the browser the photos never get uploaded to anyone's server. If you need PNGs instead, [HEIC to PNG](/heic-to-png) does the same job. **2. Change the setting so it stops happening.** Settings → Camera → Formats → **Most Compatible**, as Apple recommends above. Photos take more space on the phone, but they open everywhere without a conversion step. **3. Install the Windows extension.** The HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store make Windows open HEIC files natively. This fixes viewing but not the upload forms that reject the format, so it solves half the problem. There is more detail on the format itself in [what is a HEIC file](/photo-guides/what-is-a-heic-file). ## Check what came across before you do anything else Two things are worth knowing about the transferred files: **The dates may be wrong.** Some transfer methods (especially anything that goes through a messaging app or a re-save) drop the original EXIF capture date, so photos arrive dated today and sort out of order. Drop one into the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) to see whether the original capture date survived. If it did not, you can [set the correct date](/edit-photo-date) and restore the ordering. **They probably carry your location.** iPhone photos usually store the **GPS coordinates** of where they were taken. That is useful in your own library and less useful when you email a batch to someone. See exactly what a photo reveals with the [photo location finder](/where-was-this-photo-taken), and [strip the metadata](/exif-remover) from copies you are about to share. ## Which transfer method should you use | Method | Best for | Watch out for | | --- | --- | --- | | **USB + Photos app** | Getting real files into a folder you control | HEIC format on Windows | | **iCloud Photos** | Keeping a Mac in sync automatically | Needs storage and signal; download originals before a PC import | | **AirDrop** (to Mac) | A handful of photos, quickly | Not available on Windows | | **Email or messaging** | One or two photos | Often recompresses the image and can strip EXIF | For a whole camera roll, USB is still the fastest and the most predictable, and it is the only one that does not depend on cloud storage. ## Frequently asked **Do I need iTunes to transfer photos?** No. Importing photos uses the Photos app on both Mac and Windows. iTunes is only relevant for syncing photos *to* the device. **Why does my iPhone not show up on the PC?** Almost always because the phone is locked or you have not tapped **Trust**. Unlock it, unplug and replug, and watch for the prompt. A charge-only cable will also do this, since some cables carry power but no data. **Can I transfer without a cable?** Yes, through iCloud Photos, or AirDrop to a Mac. For a Windows PC without cloud storage, USB is the practical route. **Will transferring delete the photos from my iPhone?** No. Importing copies them. Deleting from the phone is a separate, deliberate step, and worth doing only after you have confirmed the copies open properly on the computer. ## Bottom line USB cable, unlock, **Trust**, then import through the Photos app on either platform. The transfer itself is easy; the format is what trips people up. If the files land as **.heic** and nothing will open them, [convert them to JPG in your browser](/heic-to-jpg) and switch the iPhone to **Most Compatible** so it stops recurring. And before you forward that folder to anyone, [check what the metadata says](/exif-viewer). Holiday photos carry the GPS of where you took them, which is fine on your own drive and less fine in someone else's inbox. --- # How to Scan a Document on iPhone (Notes, Files, and What to Do Next) > How to scan a document on iPhone using Notes or Files, save it as a PDF, and get the text out of it. The official Apple steps, plus the free browser tools for what comes after. *Published: 2026-08-21* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-scan-a-document-on-iphone **Quick answer:** Your iPhone has a document scanner built in, no app to install. In **Notes**, open a note, tap the attachment button and tap **Scan Documents**; hold the phone over the page and it captures automatically once it detects the page edges. The same scanner lives in the **Files** app under the **More** button. Either way you get a **multi-page PDF**, not a photo, which is what matters when someone asks you to "scan and send" a form. If you need the text out of that PDF afterwards, or need to shrink it for an upload limit, [a browser can do both](/pdf-to-text) without uploading anything anywhere. ## Scanning in Notes (the one most people use) Apple's official steps: 1. Open the **Notes** app and open a note, or start a new one. 2. Tap the attachment button, then tap **Scan Documents**. 3. Position the iPhone so the page fills the screen. Adjust **Flash** or **Filters** if you need to. 4. Hold steady. The iPhone **captures automatically when it detects the page boundaries**. 5. Scan the remaining pages, then tap **Save**. The result is saved as a **PDF inside the note**. Tap it, then use the share button to mail it, message it, or save it to Files. The auto-capture is the part worth trusting. Hovering and waiting a beat produces a straighter, better-cropped scan than tapping the shutter yourself, because the phone waits until it has locked onto all four corners. ## Scanning in Files (better when it is going somewhere else) If the document is destined for a folder, iCloud Drive, or an upload rather than a note, start in **Files** instead and skip a step later: 1. Open **Files** and navigate to the folder you want the scan in. 2. Tap the **More** button, then tap **Scan Documents**. 3. Place the document in view of the camera. In iOS 26 you can also pick **flash** or an **image filter** here. 4. In **Auto** mode it scans on its own. To capture manually, tap the **Shutter** button or **press one of the Volume buttons**. 5. Save, and the PDF lands directly in that folder. The volume-button shutter is genuinely useful for thick or curled documents, where you are holding the page flat with one hand and cannot reach the on-screen button. ## Getting a better scan The scanner is good; the lighting usually is not. Three things fix almost every bad scan: - **Kill the shadow.** The most common problem is your own head and phone shadowing the page. Put the page near a window with light coming from the side, not from behind you. - **Use a contrasting surface.** A white form on a white table gives the edge detection nothing to lock onto. Put white paper on a dark table and the auto-capture fires instantly. - **Pick the right filter.** The default colour filter keeps stamps and signatures readable. **Black and white** produces much smaller files and crisper text for plain printed forms, which matters if there is an upload size limit at the other end. If a corner comes out wrong, you do not have to rescan: tap the scan, then drag the corner handles to re-crop before saving. ## What to do with the scan afterwards This is where people get stuck, because the iPhone gives you a PDF and the task usually needs something else. **"I need the text, not a picture of the text."** A scanned PDF is images of pages; you cannot select or search the words. Run it through a [PDF to text extractor](/pdf-to-text): it reads the text layer if there is one, and OCRs the pages if there is not, in 24 languages. Everything runs in your browser, which matters when the document is a contract or a medical form. **"The upload says the file is too large."** Scanner PDFs get big fast, especially in colour at several pages. Rescanning in the black and white filter is the first fix. If it is still too large, [compress the PDF](/compress-pdf) or [convert its pages to images](/pdf-to-jpg) and shrink those. **"They want photos, not a PDF."** Some portals reject PDFs. Turn the pages back into images with [PDF to JPG](/pdf-to-jpg). **"I already took photos instead of scanning."** If you photographed the pages rather than scanning them, you do not need to start over. [Combine the images into a single PDF](/image-to-pdf) in page order, which is what the recipient wanted in the first place. To pull the words out of a single photographed page, use [image to text](/image-to-text). ## Scan versus photo: why it matters Taking a photo of a document and scanning it are not the same thing, and the difference shows up at the other end: | | Photo | Scan | | --- | --- | --- | | Output | JPG or HEIC image | Multi-page PDF | | Perspective | Whatever angle you held the phone at | Flattened to a rectangle | | Cropping | The whole table, your hand, the floor | Just the page | | Multiple pages | Separate files | One document | | Metadata | Carries capture date, and often **GPS** | Page images in a PDF wrapper | That last row is worth pausing on. A **photo** of a document carries EXIF metadata including, in most default iPhone setups, **the GPS coordinates of where you took it**. If you photograph a lease or a payslip at home and email the image, you may be sending your home address along with it. You can check what a given photo reveals with the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), and strip it with the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover). Scanning avoids the issue, which is one more reason to use the scanner rather than the camera for paperwork. ## Frequently asked **Does the iPhone scanner work without an internet connection?** Yes. Scanning, cropping and PDF creation all happen on the device. **Can I sign the scan?** Yes. Open the PDF, tap the Markup button, then add a signature. This is what most "please sign and return" requests actually need. **Where do Notes scans get saved?** Inside the note itself. Use the share button to export the PDF to Files, Mail, or anywhere else. Starting the scan in Files instead saves you that step. **Can I scan on an iPad?** Same feature, same steps, in both Notes and Files. **Is there a page limit?** No practical limit, though very long colour scans produce large files. Use the black and white filter for anything over a few pages. ## Bottom line The iPhone scanner is in **Notes** (attachment button → Scan Documents) and in **Files** (More → Scan Documents), it auto-captures when it sees the page edges, and it hands you a proper multi-page PDF. Use a side-lit page on a contrasting surface and the scans come out straight the first time. Everything after the scan (pulling the text out, shrinking the file, converting pages to images) can happen in a browser tab without the document ever leaving your device. Start with [PDF to text](/pdf-to-text) if you need the words, or [image to PDF](/image-to-pdf) if you photographed the pages instead of scanning them. --- # How to Take a Screenshot on Mac, Windows, Chromebook, iPhone and Android > Every screenshot shortcut that works: Mac, Windows 11, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Samsung, where the files are saved, and what to do with a screenshot afterwards. *Published: 2026-08-19* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-any-device **Quick answer:** On **Mac**, press **Shift-Command-3** for the entire screen or **Shift-Command-4** to drag out a selection, and **Shift-Command-5** for the Screenshot app with a timer and save options. On **Windows 11**, press **Windows-Shift-S** to open the Snipping Tool overlay (rectangle, window, full screen or freeform), which copies to the clipboard and saves to Pictures > Screenshots. On a **Chromebook**, press **Ctrl + Show windows**. On **iPhone**, press the **side button and volume up** together. On **Android and Samsung**, press **power and volume down** together. Each one saves in a slightly different place, which is where most of the confusion actually lives. Below: every method, where the file ends up, and the part almost no guide covers, what a screenshot reveals about you and how to clean it up before you send it. ## How to take a screenshot on Mac Apple gives you three keyboard shortcuts and one app: - **Whole screen:** press and release **Shift, Command and 3** together. - **Part of the screen:** **Shift, Command and 4**. The pointer becomes a crosshair; drag to select. Hold **Space** while dragging to move the selection without resizing it, or press **Esc** to cancel. - **A window or menu:** press **Shift, Command and 4**, then tap **Space**. The pointer turns into a camera. Click the window to capture it, and hold **Option** as you click if you want to lose the drop shadow. - **The Screenshot app:** **Shift, Command and 5** opens a toolbar with a timer, a choice of where files are saved, whether to show the pointer, and screen recording. Screenshots save to the **desktop** by default, named with the date and time. If a thumbnail appears in the corner, click it to mark up or crop before it saves. One recent wrinkle worth knowing: on supported Macs running macOS 26 or later, the Screenshot app lets you capture in **HDR, which produces a HEIF file** rather than a PNG. That is great for fidelity and awkward for sharing, since HEIF/HEIC does not open everywhere. If you hit that, our [HEIC guide](/photo-guides/what-is-a-heic-file) covers how to open or convert one. ## How to take a screenshot on Windows 11 - **Windows key + Shift + S** opens the Snipping Tool overlay. Choose **Rectangle**, **Window**, **Full screen** or **Freeform**. The capture goes to your clipboard and, with auto-save on, to **Pictures > Screenshots**. - **Print Screen (PrtScn)** can be set to launch the same overlay: turn on "Use the Print screen key to open screen capture" in **Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard**. - **Windows key + Shift + R** starts a screen recording in the same tool. Note the difference from Mac: on Windows the shot lands on the **clipboard first**, so if you never paste or never enabled auto-save, it can feel like the screenshot vanished. ## How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook - **Whole screen:** **Ctrl + Show windows** (the key with the rectangle and two lines, where F5 sits on a normal keyboard). - **Part of the screen:** **Ctrl + Shift + Show windows**, then drag a selection. - **On a tablet-mode Chromebook:** press **power and volume down** together. Files land in **Downloads**, and a preview appears in the corner for quick sharing. ## How to take a screenshot on iPhone and iPad - **Face ID models:** press the **side button and volume up** at the same time, then release. - **Home button models:** press the **home button and the side (or top) button** together. - **iPad with Face ID:** **top button and volume up**. iPad with a home button: **top button and home**. A thumbnail slides into the bottom corner: tap it to crop and mark up, or swipe it away to save. Screenshots go to **Photos > Screenshots**, and on iPhone they are **PNG** files. ## How to take a screenshot on Android and Samsung - **Any modern Android:** press **power and volume down** together. - **Samsung Galaxy:** the same combination, and Samsung additionally supports **palm swipe**: swipe the edge of your hand across the screen, if it is enabled in Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures. - **Scrolling screenshot:** after capturing, tap the scroll-capture icon in the preview bar to extend the shot down a long page. Samsung and most Android skins support this; iPhone does the same for full pages in Safari via the "Full Page" tab. Files save to **Pictures > Screenshots** in your gallery. ## Do screenshots contain hidden data? More than most people expect, and this is where a screenshot differs from a photo. A screenshot carries **no camera EXIF and no GPS**, so it will not leak where you were. What it does carry is the timestamp of when it was taken, the device or software that produced it, and, far more importantly, **whatever was on your screen**: names, account numbers, addresses, open tabs, notification banners. We went through exactly what is inside one in [does a screenshot have metadata](/photo-guides/does-a-screenshot-have-metadata). If you want to check a specific file, drop it into our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and see the fields for yourself; nothing is uploaded. ## What to do with a screenshot afterwards The four things people almost always need next, all free and all in your browser: - **Crop out the parts you did not mean to share** (sidebars, tabs, that email preview) with the [crop tool](/crop-image). - **Redact sensitive details permanently** with the [pixelate and blur tool](/pixelate-image). Drawing a black box in a slide app is not the same thing: our redaction is baked into the exported pixels, so it cannot be undone by whoever receives it. - **Pull the text out** of a screenshot with [image to text OCR](/image-to-text), which is the fastest way to copy an error message, a receipt total or a table someone sent you as a picture. - **Shrink the file** for an upload limit with the [image compressor](/image-compressor), or convert PNG screenshots to smaller JPGs with the [PNG to JPG converter](/png-to-jpg). ## FAQ ### How do I screenshot on a Mac laptop? The same shortcuts as any Mac: Shift-Command-3 for the full screen, Shift-Command-4 for a selection, Shift-Command-5 for the Screenshot app. MacBook keyboards need no extra function key for these. ### Where do my screenshots go? Mac: the desktop by default (changeable in the Screenshot app's Options). Windows: the clipboard, plus Pictures > Screenshots when auto-save is on. Chromebook: Downloads. iPhone and Android: the Screenshots album in your photo library. ### How do I screenshot just one window instead of the whole screen? Mac: Shift-Command-4 then Space, then click the window. Windows: Windows-Shift-S and pick the Window mode from the overlay toolbar. ### How do I take a scrolling screenshot? Android and Samsung offer scroll capture in the preview bar after you take a shot. On iPhone, take a screenshot in Safari, tap the thumbnail, then choose the Full Page tab and save it as a PDF. ### Why can't I find my Windows screenshot? Because Windows-Shift-S copies to the clipboard rather than saving a file by default. Paste it somewhere, or turn on auto-save in the Snipping Tool settings so future captures land in Pictures > Screenshots. ### Do screenshots have GPS or location data? No. Screenshots are generated by the operating system rather than a camera, so there is no GPS and no camera EXIF. The risk with a screenshot is what is visible in it, not what is hidden inside it. ### How do I hide private information in a screenshot? Redact it properly: use a tool that writes the blur or black bar into the exported image, like our [pixelate and blur tool](/pixelate-image). Highlight boxes drawn in a document editor can often be removed by the recipient, which has caused real leaks. ### What format are screenshots saved in? PNG on Mac, Windows, Chromebook and iPhone, which keeps text crisp but produces large files. Android varies between PNG and JPG. If a form rejects your file for size, convert or compress it before uploading. ## Bottom line Shift-Command-3 or 4 on Mac, Windows-Shift-S on Windows, Ctrl + Show windows on a Chromebook, side button plus volume up on iPhone, power plus volume down on Android. The capture itself is the easy half; the half that matters is what you do next, so crop what you did not mean to share and [redact anything private](/pixelate-image) before the screenshot leaves your device. --- # What to Wear for a Passport Photo (Colours, Rules, and What Gets Rejected) > What to wear for a passport photo: the shirt colours that get rejected, rules for women, men, kids and babies, plus glasses, jewellery and head covering rules by country. *Published: 2026-08-18* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/what-to-wear-for-a-passport-photo **Quick answer:** Wear a **plain, mid-tone or dark top** with no patterns, no logos and no uniform. The single most common clothing mistake is **wearing white**: passport backgrounds are white, off-white or light grey, so a white shirt makes your shoulders disappear into the background, and Canada's passport service states outright that this gets photos rejected. Take off glasses (banned in the US and Australia, discouraged in the UK), remove anything shiny or face-covering, and keep religious head coverings plain and clear of the face. Beyond that, dress how you normally look: the photo has to match the person turning up at the border. Clothing rarely gets its own section in official guidance, which is exactly why it causes avoidable rejections. Here is what the passport offices of the US, UK, Canada and Australia actually require, and what it means for what you put on before the shoot. ## The one rule everyone gets wrong: shirt colour Every country requires a plain light background: white or off-white in the US, cream or light grey in the UK, plain white or light grey in Australia, white in Canada. Your clothing has to **contrast with that background** so the edges of your head and shoulders are clearly visible. That single requirement rules out: - **White tops** (the big one). Canada's guidance says it plainly: avoid wearing white, it can blend into the background and will mean your photo gets rejected. - **Cream, beige, pale grey and very light pastels**, for the same reason. - **Anything with a strong sheen** that catches light and blows out. What works: navy, charcoal, black, forest green, burgundy, mid blue, or any solid mid-to-dark colour. If your skin tone is very fair, lean darker still; the contrast rule applies to your face against the background too. ## What to wear for a passport photo: women The rules are identical for everyone; the practical questions differ. - **Neckline:** anything from a crew neck to a modest V works. Very wide or strapless necklines can read as "no clothing" in a tight passport crop, which looks odd on the document even when it is technically allowed. - **Hair:** keep it off your face. All four countries require your full face to be visible and the edges of your face unobscured; the UK specifically rejects hair in front of the eyes. Tuck it behind your shoulders rather than letting it fall over the jawline. - **Make-up:** allowed and normal. Keep it close to your everyday look, avoid heavy highlighter or shimmer that reflects the light, and remember the photo has to still look like you at a border in five or ten years. - **Jewellery:** small and non-reflective is fine. Australia's rule is the most explicit: nothing may obscure any part of your face, especially around the eyes, mouth and nose, and no reflection from rings or studs. Large earrings that catch light are the usual offender. ## What to wear for a passport photo: men - A plain shirt, t-shirt or jumper in a mid or dark colour. Collared or not, both are fine. - **No uniforms.** The US is explicit: you cannot wear a uniform, clothing that looks like a uniform, or camouflage clothing. This catches out service members, security staff and anyone reaching for a work polo with a logo. - **Facial hair is fine**, and growing or shaving a beard does not require a new passport, since it counts as a small appearance change rather than a significant one. - **Headphones and earbuds off.** Australia states that AirPods and other wireless earbuds are not hearing aids and must be removed. Actual hearing aids may be worn. ## What to wear for a passport photo: kids and babies - **Children:** the same clothing rules apply, so plain and mid-toned again. Avoid hoods, character costumes and anything with a big logo. Children under 6 in the UK do not have to look directly at the camera or hold a neutral expression, and Australia allows an open mouth for under-3s. - **Babies:** dress them in a plain coloured onesie or top, not white, since they are usually photographed lying on a **white sheet**. That white-on-white combination is the number one reason baby photos come back rejected. No hats, no bibs, no dummies or pacifiers, and nobody else in frame, which includes a parent's supporting hand. The full method is in our [baby passport photo guide](/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-baby-passport-photo-at-home). ## Glasses, head coverings and accessories This is where countries genuinely differ, so check yours: | Rule | US | UK | Canada | Australia | |---|---|---|---|---| | Glasses | **Banned** since 2016 (medical exception with doctor's note) | Avoid unless you must; no tint, no glare, eyes clear | **Allowed** if untinted, eyes visible, no glare | **Banned** unless medically necessary; poor eyesight is not a reason | | Religious head covering | Allowed with a signed statement; full face visible | Allowed for religious or medical reasons | Allowed; full face visible, no shadows | Allowed; must be plain with no patterns | | Hats (non-religious) | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | | Hearing aids | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed (earbuds are not) | | Face coverings | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed | One more universal rule worth repeating: **you cannot edit the photo afterwards.** Removing glare from glasses, smoothing skin, changing clothing colour or cleaning up the background all count as alterations, and Canada in particular rejects applications over exactly this. ## Country-specific notes - **United States:** the uniform and camouflage ban is the clothing rule people miss. See the full spec on our [US passport photo page](/us-passport-photo). - **Canada:** the "avoid white clothing" instruction is official, not folklore, and Canada also requires a commercial photographer. Details on the [Canadian passport photo page](/canadian-passport-photo). - **United Kingdom:** contrast with a cream or light grey background, and hair must not cover the eyes. See the [UK passport photo page](/uk-passport-photo). - **Australia:** jewellery reflections and earbuds get their own mention in the official rules, and glasses are out unless medically necessary. ## FAQ ### What colour shirt is best for a passport photo? A solid mid-tone or dark colour: navy, charcoal, black, burgundy or mid blue. The photo needs clear contrast between you and the light background, which is why white and pale shades cause rejections. ### Can you wear white in a passport photo? You should not. White blends into the white or light background and Canada's passport service explicitly warns that it leads to rejection. If white is required for religious dress, layer it so the shoulder line still reads against the background, or discuss it with the photographer. ### Can you wear black in a passport photo? Yes, and it is one of the safest choices. Black contrasts strongly with every approved background colour. Just make sure the fabric is matte rather than shiny. ### Can you wear glasses in a passport photo? Depends where you are applying: banned in the US and Australia (medical exceptions only), allowed in Canada if there is no glare and your eyes are visible, and discouraged in the UK. When in doubt, take them off; no country rejects a photo for the absence of glasses. ### Can you wear jewellery or a nose ring in a passport photo? Yes, provided nothing obscures your face and nothing reflects light back at the camera. Australia's guidance singles out reflections from rings and studs. Small, matte and away from the eyes, mouth and nose is the safe standard. ### Can you wear a hijab, turban or kippah in a passport photo? Yes. All four countries permit head coverings worn daily for religious reasons. The conditions are consistent: your full face from chin to forehead must be visible, the edges of your face must be visible, there must be no shadows, and Australia additionally requires the covering to be plain without patterns. The US asks for a signed statement. ### Does what I wear affect biometric recognition? Indirectly, yes. Biometric systems map facial geometry, so anything that hides the jaw or face edges (hair, high collars, large jewellery, patterned coverings) makes matching harder. That is the reasoning behind most of these rules. ### Should I dress up for a passport photo? No need. Everyday clothing you would actually be recognised in is the goal, in a plain, mid or dark colour. This is an identity document, not a portrait session. ## Bottom line Plain, mid-tone or dark, no patterns, no logos, no uniforms, and definitely not white. Take the glasses off unless your country allows them, keep jewellery small and matte, and make sure hair is clear of your face. Get that right and the only remaining variables are lighting and framing, which our [free passport photo maker](/passport-photo) handles with per-country size and head-height guides. --- # Live Photo to Video (and Video to Live Photo): Every Method That Works > How to turn a Live Photo into a video with Apple's built-in Save as Video, how to make a video into a Live Photo, how to turn Live Photos off for good, and what they cost in storage. *Published: 2026-08-18* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/live-photo-to-video-and-back **Quick answer:** Turning a **Live Photo into a video** needs no app at all: open the photo in Photos, tap the More button, and choose **Save as Video**. The clip lands in Recently Saved while the original stays put. Going the other way, **video to Live Photo**, is the part Apple never built: iOS has no native converter, so you either set the video as a wallpaper-style Live Photo through a third-party app or accept a Loop effect instead. And if you would rather stop shooting them altogether, **Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > Live Photo** is the switch that makes "off" actually stick. A Live Photo is not a video and not quite a still. Your iPhone records **1.5 seconds before and after** you press the shutter, then stores the result as a photo plus a short movie file bundled together. That hybrid nature explains almost every question people have about them, so let us take them in order. ## How to turn a Live Photo into a video Apple's own method, no app required: 1. In the **Photos** app, swipe up to find **Media Types**, then tap **Live Photos**. 2. Tap the Live Photo you want. 3. Tap the **More** button (upper-right), then choose **Save as Video**. The video appears in your **Recently Saved** album, and the Live Photo remains in the Live Photos album untouched. If you want several of them stitched into one clip, Apple's own suggestion is to combine them in iMovie. One nuance worth knowing: the exported video is the full ~3 second capture, not just the frames after the shutter. If the interesting moment is at the end, that is fine; if the beginning is shaky, trim the exported video afterwards. ## How to turn a video into a Live Photo This is the direction with no official answer, and it is worth being straight about why: Apple provides no built-in video-to-Live-Photo converter in iOS. What people usually want is one of three things: - **A moving lock screen.** On modern iOS you can set a video directly as a Live wallpaper without converting anything, which solves the actual goal for most people. - **A Live Photo file to share.** This needs a third-party app from the App Store; the conversion itself is not something Photos will do. - **A GIF-style loop.** If your source is already a Live Photo, tap the **Live Photos** button at the top of the photo and choose **Loop** or **Bounce**. That gives you the looping effect without leaving Photos. Anyone promising a browser-based video-to-Live-Photo converter is overselling: the format is an Apple bundle (a HEIC still paired with a MOV), and writing one back into your photo library requires an app with library access, not a web page. ## How to turn Live Photos off, permanently Tapping the Live Photos button in the Camera app only turns it off **temporarily**: the Camera app switches it back on by itself. To make it stick: **Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings**, then turn on the switch next to **Live Photo**. Now the camera remembers your choice between sessions. To find them or check what you already have, the Photos app groups them under **Collections > Media Types > Live Photos**. ## What Live Photos cost you in storage This is the practical reason many people turn them off. A Live Photo stores two things: the still image (a HEIC file) and a short MOV clip beside it. In round numbers that means roughly **double the storage of a normal photo**, and the extra weight is video, which does not compress the way a still does. Two consequences worth knowing: - Exporting with **Save as Video** does not delete the Live Photo, so you now have three files. Delete the original if you only wanted the clip. - The still half of a Live Photo is a HEIC file, which brings its own compatibility questions on Windows and Android. We covered those in [what is a HEIC file](/photo-guides/what-is-a-heic-file), including how to open one anywhere. ## What happens when you share a Live Photo The motion survives some routes and dies on others, which is the source of a lot of confusion: - **Messages to another iPhone:** arrives live. Press and hold to play it. - **Mail:** Apple states plainly that a Live Photo sent via Mail goes as a **still image**. - **Most social platforms and messengers:** the still frame only, since almost nothing outside Apple's ecosystem understands the pairing. - **Sharing deliberately as a still:** open the photo, tap Share, then tap **Live** in the upper-left corner to switch it off before sending. If you want something that plays everywhere, export with Save as Video first and send the MP4-style video instead. That is the reliable cross-platform route. ## Do Live Photos keep EXIF and GPS data? Yes. The still half carries the same metadata as any iPhone photo: capture date, device model, and GPS coordinates if location is on. The paired video carries its own timestamps too, which is why an exported Live Photo video can still reveal when and where it was shot. You can check exactly what any file carries with our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), and strip it before sharing with the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover). For video files specifically, see [does video have metadata](/photo-guides/does-video-have-metadata). ## FAQ ### How do I turn a Live Photo into a video on iPhone? Photos app, swipe up to Media Types, tap Live Photos, select the photo, tap the More button, then Save as Video. The result lands in Recently Saved. ### How do I save a Live Photo as a video without an app? That is exactly what Save as Video does; it is built into Photos and needs nothing extra. Third-party apps are only necessary for the reverse direction (video to Live Photo). ### How do I turn a video into a Live Photo? iOS has no native converter. For a moving lock screen, set the video as your wallpaper directly. For an actual Live Photo file, you need a third-party app. For a looping effect on an existing Live Photo, use the Loop or Bounce effects in Photos. ### Can I convert a GIF into a Live Photo? Not with any Apple tool, and this is a heavily searched dead end. What Photos does offer is the reverse: converting a Live Photo into a Loop, which behaves like a GIF. Third-party apps handle GIF to Live Photo if you specifically need the file type. ### How do I turn off Live Photo permanently? Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings, then turn on the Live Photo switch. Without that step, the Camera app re-enables Live Photos on its own the next time you open it. ### Do Live Photos take up more space? Yes, roughly double a normal photo, because each one stores a still plus a short video. Turning the feature off, or periodically exporting the ones you care about and deleting the rest, is the practical fix. ### Why did my Live Photo lose its motion when I sent it? Because the destination did not support the format. Mail sends Live Photos as stills by Apple's own design, and most non-Apple platforms do the same. Export as a video when the motion is the point. ### Which iPhones support Live Photos? iPhone 6s and later, plus iPad (5th generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, iPad mini (5th generation) and later, and iPad Pro models from 2016 onwards. ## Bottom line Live Photo to video is a two-tap job Apple built into Photos. Video to Live Photo is the direction Apple never shipped, so treat any tool claiming an instant browser conversion with suspicion. If they are eating your storage or vanishing on send, either export the keepers as videos or turn the feature off properly through Preserve Settings, and remember that the still half is a HEIC file with all the [compatibility quirks that implies](/photo-guides/what-is-a-heic-file). --- # How to Take a Passport Photo at Home (US, UK, Canada, Australia) > Which countries let you take your own passport photo, the official rules for each, and the setup that gets it accepted the first time. US and UK: yes. Canada: no. *Published: 2026-08-18* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-passport-photo-at-home **Quick answer:** It depends on the country, and the differences are bigger than most guides admit. The **United States** officially accepts a photo taken by a friend or family member. The **United Kingdom** lets you take a digital photo with your own device during an online application, though it warns that booth photos are more likely to be approved. **Ireland** actively encourages taking the photo at home for online applications. **Canada** does not allow it at all: the photo must come from a commercial photographer and be professionally printed. **Australia** allows it in principle but recommends professional providers and explicitly advises against online photo services and mobile apps. Below: the official rule for each country, then the setup that actually passes. Passport photos are the single most common reason applications get delayed. The good news is that the failures are mechanical (wrong size, shadows, wrong expression), which means they are avoidable with a plain wall, a window, and someone to press the shutter. ## Where you can and cannot do it yourself | Country | Self-taken photo? | The official position | |---|---|---| | United States | **Yes** | The State Department lists "a friend or family member" as an accepted source, alongside acceptance facilities and photo shops. | | United Kingdom | **Yes, for online applications** | You can take one with your own device during the application, with someone helping. HM Passport Office notes booth or shop photos are more likely to be approved. | | Ireland | **Yes, encouraged** | The Passport Service states plainly that for online applications you can have your photo taken at home with a camera, tablet or phone. | | Canada | **No** | Photos must be taken in person by a commercial photographer or photo studio and professionally printed. Home-printed photos are not accepted. | | Australia | **Allowed, but discouraged** | The Australian Passport Office recommends professional providers and says it does not recommend online passport photo services or mobile apps, citing identity fraud risk. | If your country is in the "no" or "discouraged" row, the honest move is to pay the photographer. A rejected application costs far more than the photo. Our [Canadian passport photo guide](/canadian-passport-photo) covers what to check at the studio so you do not pay twice. ## The setup that passes **Background.** A plain, evenly lit wall. White or off-white for the US, cream or light grey for the UK, plain white or light grey for Australia. Stand about 60 cm away from it so your own shadow falls behind you and out of frame, not on the wall directly behind your head. **Light.** Face a window with indirect daylight. No flash, no overhead lights that cast eye-socket shadows, no lamps to one side. Overcast days are ideal. Shadows on the face and background are the most common rejection reason across all four countries. **Camera distance.** Have someone shoot from about 1.2 m away, camera at your eye level. Closer than that distorts your nose and face shape, which biometric systems reject. This is exactly why arm's-length selfies fail: the geometry is wrong even when everything else is right. **Pose.** Square to the camera, head straight and not tilted, eyes open and clearly visible, mouth closed, hair off your face and not obscuring the edges of your face. No glasses in the US and Australia; the UK says avoid them unless necessary; Canada permits them if there is no glare and the eyes are visible. **Take far more shots than you need.** Twenty frames costs nothing and gives you one where the eyes are open, the expression is genuinely neutral, and nothing is blurred. ## Getting the size right Every country has a different spec, and this is where DIY attempts usually fail: - **US:** 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), head 25 to 35 mm - **UK:** 45 x 35 mm printed, head 29 to 34 mm - **Ireland:** 35 x 45 mm minimum, up to 38 x 50 mm - **Australia:** 35 to 40 mm wide by 45 to 50 mm high, face 32 to 36 mm - **Canada:** 50 x 70 mm, face 31 to 36 mm Cropping by eye does not work; the head-height requirement is measured, not estimated. Our free [passport photo maker](/passport-photo) overlays each country's exact head-size guide on your photo as you position it, then exports a print-ready file. The full table of every country's dimensions is in the [passport photo size chart](/passport-photo-size-chart). One important restriction: **the photo itself must be unedited.** Cropping to the required size and composing the shot are fine. Retouching, brightness or contrast "fixes", background replacement, and filters are grounds for rejection in all four countries, and Canada's definition of "altered" is the strictest of the lot. ## Can you print a passport photo at home? The UK requires printed photos to be produced to a professional standard. Australia is more specific: dye sublimation prints on heavyweight glossy paper of at least 200 gsm, explicitly not inkjet. Canada rejects home-printed photos outright. Practical translation: shoot at home if allowed, but print at a photo counter. A 4x6 sheet with two correctly sized photos costs well under a dollar and comes out on the right paper. Home inkjet prints get rejected on paper quality even when the photo itself is perfect. ## Applying online changes the rules For UK and Irish online applications you upload a digital photo rather than a print, and two details catch people out: - The UK wants your **uncropped** original showing head, shoulders and upper body. The system does the cropping. Do not crop it yourself. - The UK requires the photo to have been taken **in the last month**, which is far stricter than the usual 6 months elsewhere. If you are unsure how old a photo is, [check its metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## If you would rather pay someone Nothing wrong with that, and it is the only legal route in some countries. [Where to get a passport photo near me](/photo-guides/where-to-get-a-passport-photo-near-me) compares USPS, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and the courier stores, including which of them hand you a digital file for an online renewal rather than just prints. ## FAQ ### Can I take my own passport photo at home? In the US, yes: the State Department accepts a photo taken by a friend or family member. In the UK and Ireland you can take your own digital photo for an online application. In Canada you cannot, and Australia recommends against it. The country table above is the short answer for each. ### How do I take a passport photo at home with an iPhone? Any modern iPhone or Android camera exceeds the resolution requirements, so the phone is never the limitation. Prop it at eye level about 1.2 m away (or have someone hold it), use the rear camera rather than the selfie camera, shoot in soft daylight against a plain wall, then crop to your country's spec with a [passport photo maker](/passport-photo). Do not use portrait mode: the background blur it adds counts as an edit. ### Can I use a selfie for a passport photo? No. Arm's length distorts facial proportions and most passport services rule it out explicitly. Have someone else hold the camera about 1.2 m away, or prop the phone on a shelf and use the timer. ### Can you print a passport photo at home? Technically yes, but it is the most common way a good photo still gets rejected. The UK requires professional-standard prints, Australia specifies dye sublimation on 200 gsm glossy paper (not inkjet), and Canada refuses home prints entirely. Print the file at a photo counter instead; it costs under a dollar. ### Does the background have to be pure white? Not always, and this trips up people who assume it does. The UK wants cream or light grey for prints, Australia accepts plain white or light grey, and the US wants white or off-white. What every country demands is that your face contrasts clearly with the background and that no shadows fall on it. ### Can I take my baby's passport photo at home? In the US, yes, and the rules are gentler: lay the baby on a plain white sheet, no other person in frame, and infants may have their eyes partly closed. See our [baby passport photo guide](/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-baby-passport-photo-at-home) for the full method. ### What should I wear for the photo? Avoid white (it merges with the background), avoid uniforms in the US, and skip anything with loud patterns. The full breakdown is in [what to wear for a passport photo](/photo-guides/what-to-wear-for-a-passport-photo). ### What if my passport photo gets rejected? You resubmit a new photo and the application is delayed by the round trip. That is the entire argument for getting the mechanics right the first time: plain wall, soft daylight, 1.2 m distance, neutral face, correct crop, professional print. ## Bottom line In the US, UK and Ireland you can legitimately take your own passport photo, and the savings are real. In Canada you cannot, and in Australia it is discouraged. Wherever you are, the failure modes are the same: shadows, wrong distance, wrong size, edited image. Fix those with a plain wall and a window, use the [free photo maker](/passport-photo) for the exact crop, and print at a counter rather than at home. --- # What Is a HEIC File? (And How to Open One on Windows, Mac, Android) > A HEIC file is the photo format iPhones save by default. Here is what the HEIC file type is, why Windows will not open it, and how to view or convert one free. *Published: 2026-08-17* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/what-is-a-heic-file **Quick answer:** A **HEIC file** is a photo saved in the High Efficiency Image Container format, the format iPhones and iPads have used by default since iOS 11. It stores the same picture as a JPG at roughly **half the file size**, which is why Apple switched to it. The catch is compatibility: Macs and iPhones open HEIC files natively, but **Windows needs the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store**, many Android phones and web apps will not display it at all, and plenty of upload forms reject it outright. The fastest fix when something will not open a .heic file is to convert it to JPG, which takes a few seconds in a browser and nothing gets uploaded. If you have ever AirDropped or emailed photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC and been met with a file your computer refuses to preview, you have met HEIC. Here is what it actually is, and every practical way to open one. ## What is a HEIC file? HEIC stands for **High Efficiency Image Container**. It is a container format that holds images compressed with HEVC (H.265), the same codec used for high-efficiency video. Apple adopted it in 2017 with iOS 11 and it has been the iPhone default ever since. What it offers over JPG: - **About half the file size** at comparable visual quality, which is why a 4 MB JPG becomes roughly a 2 MB HEIC. - **Better colour depth:** 16-bit colour versus JPG's 8-bit, so smoother gradients and skies. - **Transparency support**, which JPG has never had. - **Multiple images in one file:** Live Photos, burst sequences, and depth or portrait-mode data can all live inside a single container. - Full **EXIF metadata** support: date, camera, and GPS travel with the file exactly as they do in a JPG. You can read them with our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), which handles HEIC directly. The trade-off is universal support. JPG works on every device made in the last thirty years. HEIC works properly on Apple hardware and, with help, on Windows. ## HEIC file type: HEIC, HEIF, and .heic explained You will see the terms used interchangeably, so to be precise: - **HEIF** is the standard: High Efficiency Image File Format. - **HEIC** is Apple's implementation of it, using HEVC compression. - **.heic** is the file extension you see in Finder or File Explorer. Some devices write **.heif** instead; they are handled the same way. None of that changes how you open one, so if your file is .heif rather than .heic, every method below still applies. ## How to open a HEIC file on Windows 10 and 11 Windows shows a thumbnail for HEIC files but the Photos app often stops with **"You need an extension to use this file."** Two routes: **Install the extension.** Microsoft distributes **HEIF Image Extensions** through the Microsoft Store. Install it, restart the Photos app, and .heic files open like any other photo. Note that Microsoft also offers **HEVC Video Extensions** as a separate, paid item, and its guidance is that you may need both, even for photos only; the HEIF extension alone is enough on many systems, so try it first. **Or convert instead.** If it is a one-off file, an email attachment, or a work PC where you cannot install Store apps, converting is faster than fixing the system. Our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) decodes the file in your browser and hands back a JPG, with an option to keep or strip the original metadata. Nothing is uploaded. ## How to open a HEIC file on Mac Nothing to install. macOS has supported HEIC since High Sierra: double-click to open in Preview, or drag it into Photos. Export to JPG with **File > Export**, choosing JPEG as the format, when you need to send it to someone on Windows. ## How to open a HEIC file on Android Support is inconsistent. Android 10 and later can decode HEIF at the system level and Google Photos generally displays HEIC files, but many gallery apps, messaging apps and web uploads still choke on them. The reliable move on Android is to convert to JPG first: our converter runs in the mobile browser exactly as it does on desktop. ## How to open a HEIC file online, without installing anything This is the route that works on every device, including locked-down work laptops: 1. Open our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) in any browser. 2. Drop the .heic file (or several at once) onto the page. 3. Download the JPG, or the whole batch as a ZIP. The decoding happens in your browser via JavaScript, so the photo never leaves your device. That matters more than people assume: HEIC files from an iPhone usually carry GPS coordinates, and most online converters upload your photo to a server to do the job. If you need PNG instead, use the [HEIC to PNG](/heic-to-png) version, and for other formats the [image converter](/image-converter) covers the rest. Most people meet HEIC for the first time right after moving photos off the phone. If that is where you are, [how to transfer photos from iPhone to computer](/photo-guides/how-to-transfer-photos-from-iphone-to-computer) covers the import itself and where the format bites. ## How to stop your iPhone from making HEIC files If you would rather not deal with conversion again, change the camera default: **Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible.** Your iPhone will shoot JPG from that point on. Photos already taken stay HEIC. There is also a middle path many people miss: leave the camera on High Efficiency to save storage, and set **Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic**. iOS then converts to JPG on the way out when the destination needs it, while your library stays compact. Which default suits you is the subject of our [HEIC vs JPG comparison](/photo-guides/heic-vs-jpg-which-format-should-you-use). ## FAQ ### What is a .heic file and why do I have one? It is a photo taken by an Apple device using the High Efficiency Image Container format, the iPhone default since iOS 11. You have one because someone shared an iPhone photo with you without converting it, or because your own iPhone is set to High Efficiency. ### How do I open a HEIC file in Windows 11? Install HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store and reopen the file in Photos, or convert the file to JPG in your [browser](/heic-to-jpg) if you cannot install Store apps. Windows 10 works the same way. ### Can I convert HEIC to JPG for free? Yes, and without uploading anything. Drop the file into our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg): it decodes in the browser, offers a quality slider, keeps or strips metadata as you choose, and batches to ZIP. No account, no watermark, no size cap. ### Is HEIC better than JPG? Technically yes: about half the size at similar quality, more colour depth, transparency, and multi-image support. Practically it depends on where the photo is going. Anything that must be opened by strangers, uploaded to an old portal, or attached to a form should be JPG. ### Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality? Slightly, since JPG is also lossy and the image is re-encoded. At high quality settings the difference is invisible on screen. What you definitely lose is file-size efficiency: the JPG will be roughly twice the size of the HEIC. ### Do HEIC files keep EXIF and GPS data? Yes. Date, camera model, and GPS coordinates are stored in HEIC just as in JPG, and they survive most conversions unless you deliberately strip them. Check what any photo carries with our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), or remove it with the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) before sharing. ### Why can't I upload a HEIC file to a website? Most upload forms accept a fixed list of formats, usually JPG and PNG, and HEIC is rarely on it. Convert to JPG first; if the form also has a size limit, our [image compressor](/image-compressor) hits a target file size after conversion. ### What opens HEIC on Android? Google Photos usually displays HEIC on Android 10 and later, but support across other gallery and messaging apps is patchy. Converting to JPG in the mobile browser is the dependable answer. ## Bottom line A HEIC file is just an iPhone photo in Apple's efficient format: half the size of a JPG, same picture, full metadata. Macs open it natively, Windows needs the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, and Android is hit or miss. When you need something that opens anywhere, convert it to JPG in the [browser](/heic-to-jpg) in a few seconds, or switch your iPhone to Most Compatible and stop the problem at the source. --- # How to Take a Baby Passport Photo at Home (US Rules, Step by Step) > Take an acceptable US baby passport photo at home: the white-sheet method, the car seat trick, the infant eye rule, and how to crop it to 2x2 for free. *Published: 2026-08-16* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-baby-passport-photo-at-home **Quick answer:** Babies need a passport, and yes, you can take the photo yourself for a US application. The official method: lay the baby on a **plain white or off-white sheet** (or drape the sheet over a car seat and put the baby in it), shoot from a few feet away with the baby facing the camera, make sure **no other person, and no parent's hand, is visible**, and avoid shadows on the face. For infants it is officially acceptable if the **eyes are not entirely open**, a rule that exists only for babies. Then crop the best shot to the 2 x 2 inch spec with the head sized 1 to 1 3/8 inches; our [free passport photo tool](/us-passport-photo) draws those guides on your photo. One caveat before you start: this is the US flow. Canada [requires a commercial photographer](/canadian-passport-photo) even for babies. Anyone who has tried to get a six-month-old to face a camera with a neutral expression knows why this is the passport photo people dread. The good news: the State Department wrote the rules with real babies in mind, and the tolerances are more forgiving than adult photos. Here is the whole process. ## What the official rules actually say for babies Straight from the State Department's photo guidance: - **Background:** place the child on a plain white or off-white sheet. Draping the sheet over a car seat and placing the child in it is explicitly endorsed. - **No one else in the photo.** A supporting hand at the edge of the frame is the classic rejection reason. If you must support a newborn's head, hide the support entirely under the sheet. - **The child must face the camera** with a neutral expression and the full face visible. - **The infant eye exception:** it is acceptable if a baby's eyes are not entirely open. Every other age group must have both eyes open. - **No shadows on the face.** Even lighting matters more with babies because you cannot ask them to move. Everything else matches the adult spec: color photo, taken in the last 6 months, printed at 2 x 2 inches with the head (chin to top) between 1 and 1 3/8 inches, no filters or edits. ## The setup that works **The floor method (newborns and pre-sitters):** spread the white sheet somewhere with soft, indirect daylight, a big window out of direct sun is ideal. Lay the baby flat on their back, stand over them, and shoot straight down from about 3 feet. Straight down matters: an angle distorts the head shape and gets photos rejected. **The car seat method (squirmy babies):** cover the car seat completely with the sheet, click the baby in semi-reclined, and shoot from directly in front at the baby's face level. The seat holds the pose so you can work on timing instead of wrangling. **Timing:** a just-fed, just-changed baby buys you a ten-minute window of calm. Take dozens of shots in burst mode; you need exactly one where the face is neutral, the eyes are as open as they get, and nothing else is in frame. ## From snapshot to compliant photo 1. Pick the sharpest frame with even light, a centered face, and no hands or toys visible. 2. Open it in our [US passport photo tool](/us-passport-photo). It crops to the exact 2 x 2 spec and overlays the official head-size guide (1 to 1 3/8 inches), so you can see immediately whether the head sits in range. 3. If the sheet photographed slightly gray, reshoot with more light rather than editing: the photo must be unedited, and brightness fixes count as edits under the rules. 4. Download the print layout and have it printed at any photo counter for under a dollar, or keep the digital version for an online application. The [size chart](/passport-photo-size-chart) covers the specs if you are applying somewhere other than the US, and many countries' visa photos accept the same DIY approach. ## FAQ ### Can a baby passport photo have closed eyes? Partially, yes, if the child is an infant: the official rule says it is acceptable if a baby's eyes are not entirely open. Fully closed eyes are still worth avoiding if you can catch a better frame, and toddlers and older children must have their eyes open. ### Can I hold my baby in the photo? No. No other person can appear in the photo, and that includes a visible supporting hand or arm. Use the sheet-covered car seat if the baby cannot hold a pose alone. ### Does the baby need a neutral expression? Officially yes, the child's expression should be neutral, but examiners are realistic about infants. What gets photos rejected is the mechanical stuff: someone else in frame, heavy shadows, the head at an angle, or the wrong size. ### How recent must the photo be? Taken within the last 6 months, same as adults. Babies change fast, but you do not need to update the photo during the passport's validity; the 6-month rule applies at application time. If you are unsure when a photo was taken, [check its metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ### Does this work for Canadian baby passports? No. Canada requires every passport photo, babies included, to be taken by a commercial photographer and professionally printed. Our [Canadian passport photo guide](/canadian-passport-photo) covers what to check at the studio. ## Bottom line White sheet, soft daylight, shoot from straight above or straight ahead, keep every hand out of frame, and take far more shots than you think you need. The infant eye rule is on your side, and the cropping, head-size math, and print layout are what the [free tool](/us-passport-photo) is for. Total cost: the print. --- # iOS 27 Camera and Photos: What's New, and Is There a Timestamp Option? > Every camera and Photos change Apple has confirmed for iOS 27, from Siri mode in Camera to Spatial Reframing, and the answer to the old question: can the iPhone camera stamp the date on photos yet? *Published: 2026-08-09* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/ios-27-camera-timestamp **Quick answer:** iOS 27 was released on **Monday, September 14, 2026**, and its photography changes are real: a Siri mode inside the Camera app, AI editing in Photos (Spatial Reframing, an Extend tool, an upgraded Clean Up), new texture and grain controls in Photographic Styles, a library that loads new photos up to 70 percent faster, and Shared Albums that finally work properly with Android and Windows. What it still does not bring is the feature people have asked about for a decade: **there is no setting to print the date, time, or location on your photos.** The Camera records all of that as hidden EXIF metadata, and the Photos app shows it when you swipe up, but nothing puts it on the image itself. For that you still need a timestamp app for new photos or a browser tool for existing ones; both are covered below. A note on sourcing: everything listed here is named on Apple's own iOS 27 page and in Apple's press releases. Feature roundups written during the summer betas also circulated Log video options, camera widgets, and star ratings for photos. Apple does not name any of those, so we have left them out rather than repeat them. ## What's new in the iOS 27 Camera The Camera app itself gets one headline change: - **Siri mode in Camera.** You can start a visual search straight from the viewfinder and act on what the camera sees. Apple's example: point the phone at a restaurant receipt and it offers to split the bill with Apple Cash, itemized. - **Upgraded Photographic Styles.** New texture and grain controls, on the iPhone models that support the latest generation of Photographic Styles. ## What's new in iOS 27 Photos Photos is where the everyday changes are: - **Spatial Reframing.** Improve a photo's composition after it has been taken, rather than getting the framing right in the moment. - **The Extend tool.** Expand a shot beyond its original framing, which is what fills in the corners when you straighten or change aspect ratio. - **An upgraded Clean Up.** It removes noticeably larger objects than the iOS 26 version could. - **A faster library.** Apple says photos load up to 70 percent faster after being taken. - **Shared Albums that cross platforms.** Full-resolution sharing, new ways to filter and react to photos, and friends on Android or Windows can join and contribute through iCloud.com. ## Still missing: a timestamp on the photo itself The gap has outlived ten major iOS versions and it is still here in iOS 27: the built-in Camera cannot stamp the date, time, or GPS onto a photo. Nothing in Apple's iOS 27 material mentions such a setting, and the reasoning has been consistent for years, since the data is all captured invisibly anyway. Open any photo and swipe up and you will see the exact second it was taken, the device, and a map pin, as we walk through in [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). The problem is that hidden metadata does not travel. Send that photo through WhatsApp or upload it to most platforms and the EXIF is [stripped on the way](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data); export it, edit it, or screenshot it and the original date is gone or replaced. If the person receiving your photo needs to see when and where it was taken, invisible metadata is the wrong vehicle. That matters for job sites, deliveries, inspections, rentals, and insurance documentation, which is exactly who keeps asking Apple for the feature. ## How to actually get a timestamp on iOS 27 Two routes, depending on whether the photo exists yet: **For new photos: shoot with a timestamp camera.** Our [Timestamp Camera: GPS Photo](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) app replaces the stock camera for work shots. It burns the date, time, GPS coordinates, and the reverse-geocoded street address into the image pixels at the moment of capture, with network-synced time and offline support. Because the stamp is part of the picture, it survives every messenger, upload, crop, and export that would destroy EXIF. **For photos you already took: stamp them in the browser.** Our free [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) tool reads the real capture date from the photo's EXIF and draws it onto the image, with 81 date formats and any position or color. The [GPS Camera](/gps-camera) tool does the same and adds coordinates and address. Both run entirely in your browser, so the photos never leave your device. ## One more iOS 27 wrinkle: AI edits and trust With Spatial Reframing, Extend, and a stronger Clean Up on every iPhone, "was this photo edited?" becomes a fair question about any image, and the honest answer is that casual viewers will not be able to tell. Apple clearly knows it. On the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max there is a new **Reference mode** (we cover how to use it in [Apple Reference Image on iPhone 18 Pro](/photo-guides/apple-reference-image-iphone-18-pro)): the camera captures signed sensor data that Private Cloud Compute develops into what Apple calls an unalterable reference image, viewable in Photos next to the main shot like a digital negative, so you can compare the two and see whether anything was changed. Apple has also said support for the SynthID standard is coming in a software update later this year, for identifying images that were generated or edited with AI. Two caveats worth knowing: reference capture is not available in China at launch, and in the EU it is initially view-only, so you can develop and view reference images on iOS 27 but not capture them yet. That is a strong answer for people buying a new Pro. It does nothing for the photo you took last year on an iPhone 13, or for a photo somebody else sends you. For those, the practical checks (the EXIF Software tag, Error Level Analysis, visual tells) are collected in [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited). And it is one more argument for visible stamps on photos that matter: a date burned into the pixels at capture is the part no later edit quietly rewrites. ## FAQ ### Does the iPhone camera have a timestamp setting in iOS 27? No. Like every iOS version before it, iOS 27's Camera records the date, time, and location as hidden metadata only. A visible stamp requires a third-party camera app for new photos or a stamping tool for existing ones. ### Can the new Siri camera mode add a timestamp? No. Siri mode in Camera runs a visual search on what the viewfinder sees and offers actions based on it. It does not modify or stamp your photos. ### Do iOS 27 photos still contain EXIF and GPS data? Yes, nothing changed there: every photo carries its capture date, device, and (with Location Services on) GPS coordinates. You can read it all with our free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), and the Photos info panel shows the highlights. ### When was iOS 27 released? On Monday, September 14, 2026, as a free update for every compatible iPhone: open Settings, then General, then Software Update. iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 arrived the same day. The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, which ship with it, go on sale September 18. ### Will updating to iOS 27 change my existing photos? No. Updating does not alter your library or its metadata. The new editing tools only change a photo when you use them on it, and Photos keeps the original recoverable. ## Bottom line iOS 27 is a good update for iPhone photography: Siri inside the viewfinder, editing tools that can reframe and extend a shot after the fact, and a library that finally shares properly with the non-Apple half of the world. But the timestamp question has the same answer it had in iOS 17: the Camera will not print the date on your photos, and metadata alone does not survive sharing. Shoot the photos that matter with a [timestamp camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630), stamp the ones you already have in the [browser tool](/add-timestamp-to-photo), and let iOS 27's new tricks handle the rest of your library. --- # How to Remove Metadata From a Video (Location, Date, Device) > Strip location, date, and device info from a video before sharing: iPhone and Android steps, a free ExifTool command, and how to verify the file is clean. *Published: 2026-08-08* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-remove-metadata-from-a-video **Quick answer:** The fastest safe route depends on the device. On iPhone, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location before sending; the shared copy leaves without coordinates. To clean the file itself on the phone, an EXIF app such as ExifHub can strip just the GPS or everything from a MOV or MP4. On a computer, the free ExifTool strips everything in one command: `exiftool -all= clip.mp4`, with no re-encoding and no quality loss. Windows Explorer's "Remove Properties" button only clears a few fields on videos, so do not rely on it. And whatever method you use, verify the result in the free MediaInfo app before the file goes anywhere important. A phone video can carry your exact GPS coordinates, the recording date, and your device model, as we broke down in [does video have metadata](/photo-guides/does-video-have-metadata). Social platforms strip that data on upload, but original files sent by email, cloud link, or "as document" in messengers deliver it intact. Here is how to clean a video properly on every device, and how to prove to yourself that it worked. ## What you are actually removing Three things matter for privacy, in this order: - **GPS location.** iPhone stores it as an ISO 6709 string in a QuickTime key; many Android camera apps embed a similar tag. This is the field with real-world risk, since it can point at your home or workplace. - **Recording dates.** The container's creation date plus, on iPhone, a local-time date with your timezone offset, which narrows down where in the world you were. - **Device identity.** Make and model of the phone or camera, and sometimes the editing software that touched the file. Resolution, codecs, and bitrates also live in the file, but they describe the footage, not you, and they cannot be removed anyway. ## iPhone: turn off location in the share sheet 1. Select the video in Photos and tap the share button. 2. Tap **Options** at the top of the share sheet. 3. Turn off **Location** and share. The copy that goes out has no GPS. To hide the location on the video in your library, open it, tap the info button, then **Adjust Info**, **Adjust Location**, and **No Location** (Photos keeps the original, so **Revert** can bring it back). To stop iPhone recording location in the first place, go to **Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera** and choose **Never**. ## iPhone: clean the file itself, without a computer The share sheet toggle only covers location, and only for that one share. When you want a clean file on the phone, whether that is just the GPS gone or every tag gone, use an app that rewrites the video's metadata. We make [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) for this, so bear that in mind. On MOV and MP4 files it can: - **Strip just the GPS** and keep the recording date, for clips where the date is useful context. - **Erase everything:** location, device make and model, timestamps, serial numbers. The footage itself is untouched: same frames, same quality, same orientation. Each edit is saved as a new copy and the original stays as it was, so delete the original afterwards if the aim was to get the location off your phone as well. It all runs on the device with nothing uploaded, and cleaning several files in one go is part of ExifHub Pro. ## Android: remove location in Google Photos Open the video in Google Photos, swipe up, tap the three-dot or edit option next to the location entry, and remove it. As with photos, Google Photos reliably updates its own record; whether the underlying file's tag is rewritten varies by device, so for a file you are about to send elsewhere, prefer the computer method and verify afterwards. ## Windows and Mac: strip everything with ExifTool Windows Explorer's Properties dialog has a tempting "Remove Properties and Personal Information" link, but on video files it clears only a handful of fields and leaves the QuickTime keys (including GPS) untouched. The reliable tool is the free [ExifTool](https://exiftool.org), the same utility we used to [change a video's date](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-video): ``` exiftool -all= clip.mp4 ``` That removes GPS, device keys, and descriptive tags in one pass. Three things to know: - **No quality loss.** ExifTool rewrites metadata only; the video and audio streams are untouched. Your original is kept as a backup ending in `_original`. - **Header dates are stubborn.** The MP4/MOV format requires a creation date field in its headers, so it cannot be deleted, only overwritten. If MediaInfo still shows a date after `-all=`, blank it explicitly by adding `"-CreateDate="` and `"-ModifyDate="` to the command. - **Batches are trivial.** Point the same command at `*.mp4` to clean a whole folder at once. ## The blunt method: re-export Trimming a single frame in any video editor and exporting, or converting the file with a desktop converter, writes a fresh file whose metadata is just the export moment. It works everywhere without installing anything, but the video is re-encoded, so quality takes a small hit and the process is slow on long footage. Use it when ExifTool is not an option; keep an original if quality matters. ## Verify before you share Do not trust any tool blindly, including the ones above. Open the cleaned file in the free MediaInfo app (Windows, Mac, Linux) and confirm the GPS key, the device model, and the original recording dates are gone, the same check we walked through in [how to tell when a video was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-when-a-video-was-taken). Ten seconds of verification beats an assumption. ## When platforms do it for you, and when they do not WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube re-encode every normal upload and discard location and device metadata along the way, just as they [strip photo EXIF](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). The risk sits entirely with **original files**: email attachments, Drive and Dropbox links, AirDrop, marketplace listings, and videos sent "as document" in messengers all deliver your metadata untouched. Clean those before sending; let the platforms handle the rest. ## The flip side: sometimes the metadata is the point If you record work videos where the when and where must be provable (deliveries, inspections, incidents), stripping metadata is the opposite of what you need, and hidden metadata is too fragile to rely on anyway: one WhatsApp send and it is gone. Our Timestamp Camera iOS app burns the date, time, and GPS location visibly into the frame while recording, so the proof survives every platform because it is pixels, not tags. ## What about photos? Photos are the one-drag case: our free [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) strips every hidden tag in the browser, with nothing uploaded, and its advanced mode can remove selectively, for example [only the GPS while keeping the date](/photo-guides/how-to-remove-only-gps-from-a-photo). Run your photos through it with the same habit you now have for videos. ## FAQ ### Does removing metadata reduce video quality? Not with a metadata editor like ExifTool: it rewrites tags and never touches the video stream. Only the re-export method re-encodes the footage, and that is the method to avoid when quality matters. ### Does Windows "Remove Properties and Personal Information" work on videos? Only partially. It clears fields like title and author but leaves the QuickTime keys, which is exactly where an iPhone stores GPS. Use ExifTool for videos and treat the Explorer button as a photos-only convenience. ### Can I remove just the location and keep the date? Yes. ExifTool can delete individual fields, so removing only the GPS key while keeping the recording date is one command. On iPhone, the share sheet's Location toggle does the same thing for shared copies, and ExifHub's Strip GPS option does it to the file. ### Does WhatsApp remove video metadata for me? For videos sent normally, yes: the re-encode discards location and original dates. Files sent as documents keep their metadata, which cuts both ways: bad for privacy, useful when you actually want the recipient to have the original data. ### How can I check that the metadata is really gone? Open the file in MediaInfo and look for GPS, device make and model, and the original recording date. If none appear, the file is clean. Checking the copy you actually shared (not the original) is the habit that catches mistakes. ## Bottom line Strip a video's metadata with the iPhone share sheet's Location toggle for quick sends, or with one free ExifTool command for a properly clean file, and always verify the result in MediaInfo. Remember that platforms clean normal uploads for you, while original files leak everything. Give your photos the same treatment in our free [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover), and when the date and place are meant to be seen rather than hidden, burn them into the frame from the start. --- # How to Change the Date on a Video (iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac) > Change a video's recorded date on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac: the Photos app date editor, the Media created field, and free ExifTool commands. *Published: 2026-08-07* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-video **Quick answer:** It depends on which date you mean. The date your phone's gallery shows is easiest: on iPhone, open the video in Photos, tap the info button, then Adjust Info and Adjust Date & Time; on Android, use the date editor in Google Photos. The **Media created** date embedded inside the file cannot be edited in Windows Explorer at all; the free ExifTool utility rewrites it in seconds without re-encoding the video. And the Date created / Date modified you see in a folder are file system dates that reset on every copy, so changing those rarely achieves anything. Below is the right method for each case, plus the one thing to know before you rely on an edited date. There are plenty of honest reasons to fix a video's date: a camera whose clock was set wrong, a phone that recorded a trip in the wrong timezone, old footage digitized years after it was shot, or files that arrived with the import date instead of the recording date. Whatever the reason, the fix depends on where the date actually lives, so start there. ## Which date are you actually changing? A video carries up to three different dates, and people usually try to edit the wrong one first: - **The gallery date.** What Photos or Google Photos displays. It usually comes from the embedded metadata, but once the video is in your library, the app keeps its own record that you can edit in place. - **The embedded date (Media created).** Stored inside the MP4 or MOV container, written when recording finished. This is what Windows shows under Properties, what most tools read, and what survives when the file moves between devices. It is stored in UTC, which trips people up; more on that in [how to tell when a video was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-when-a-video-was-taken). - **The file system dates.** Date created and Date modified in your folder describe the file's life on that disk, not the recording. Copying or downloading the file rewrites them. Match the method below to the date you actually need to change. ## iPhone: change the date in Photos 1. Open the video in the Photos app. 2. Tap the info button, or swipe up on it, then tap **Adjust Info**. 3. Tap **Adjust Date & Time**, set the correct date and time, and tap **Adjust**. To fix several clips, tap **Select** in the grid first and pick them. The edit is non-destructive: Photos keeps the original date next to your correction, which is why the same menu offers **Revert**. That makes it ideal for putting clips in the right place in your library. Apple does not document what date a shared or exported copy carries, though, so if the date has to be right for someone else, check the file you actually send. ## iPhone: write the date into the MOV or MP4 itself To change the embedded date on the phone rather than on a computer, use an app that rewrites the container's metadata. Our own [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) does this for **MOV and MP4** files from your library or from Files: it writes the date into the video's QuickTime fields, plus the file's own timestamps, and saves the result as a new copy so the original clip is never modified. Nothing is re-encoded and nothing is uploaded; the edit happens on the phone. Delete the older copy afterwards if you don't want both clips in your library. Applying one date to many videos at once is part of ExifHub Pro. ## Android: change the date in Google Photos 1. Open the video in Google Photos. 2. Tap the three-dot menu. 3. Tap the date, edit it, and save. Google Photos updates its own record immediately. Depending on the Android version and where the file lives, the original file's embedded metadata may or may not be rewritten, so if the file itself matters (not just how your library sorts it), verify with a metadata viewer afterwards and use the computer method below if needed. ## Windows: Explorer cannot edit Media created, ExifTool can Right-clicking a video, opening Properties, and hitting the Details tab lets you edit a title or rating, but the **Media created** field is read-only there. This is the dead end that fills the forums. The standard fix is [ExifTool](https://exiftool.org), the free command-line utility that reads and writes practically every metadata field that exists: ``` exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC=1 "-CreateDate=2026:05:14 09:30:00" clip.mp4 ``` That one line rewrites the container's creation date. Three details worth knowing: - **The `-api QuickTimeUTC=1` switch matters.** MP4/MOV dates are defined in UTC. With this switch, ExifTool treats the time you type as your local time and converts it correctly, so Windows and your phone display what you intended. - **Nothing is re-encoded.** ExifTool rewrites metadata only; the video and audio streams are untouched, so there is zero quality loss. Your original is kept as a backup file ending in `_original`. - **iPhone videos carry a second date.** MOV files from an iPhone also store a local-time creation date in a QuickTime key. To keep both in agreement, add: `"-Keys:CreationDate=2026:05:14 09:30:00+02:00"` with your own UTC offset. ## Mac: Photos app or the same ExifTool If the video lives in the Photos app, select it and use the menu item to adjust date and time, exactly like on iPhone. For a standalone file, ExifTool works the same as on Windows. Finder's Get Info only exposes file system dates, so it cannot fix the embedded date. ## Fixing many videos at once ExifTool shines here. To shift every clip in a folder forward by 3 hours (the classic wrong-timezone repair) without touching anything else: ``` exiftool -api QuickTimeUTC=1 "-CreateDate+=0:0:0 3:0:0" *.mp4 ``` Shifting preserves the real order and spacing of your footage, which is usually what you want when the clock was consistently wrong rather than randomly wrong. ## Before you rely on an edited date Be aware of what an edited date can and cannot do. Metadata is just data: anyone can change it, which is exactly why a video's internal date is a hint rather than proof, as we covered in [can EXIF data be faked](/photo-guides/can-exif-data-be-faked). An edited file often carries tells (per-track dates that no longer agree, file dates newer than the claimed recording, a writer signature from an editing tool), and anyone who checks carefully can [verify the claimed date](/photo-guides/how-to-verify-when-a-photo-was-taken) against them. Fixing a wrong clock is what these tools are for; manufacturing evidence is not, and it does not survive scrutiny. The flip side: if your future videos need a date that nobody can question or strip, metadata is the wrong place for it. Our Timestamp Camera iOS app burns the date, time, and GPS location visibly into the frame while recording, so the when and where survive every export, every messenger, and every re-encode, because they are pixels rather than tags. ## What about photos? Photos are the easy case: our free [EXIF Date Editor](/edit-photo-date) changes or shifts the capture date of one or hundreds of photos in the browser, with nothing uploaded. The same wrong-timezone and scanned-photo problems, fixed in a drag and drop. Windows users coming from the Properties dead end will find the photo-side walkthrough in [how to change a photo's date on Windows](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-windows). ## FAQ ### Does re-exporting a video change its date? Yes. Trimming, converting, or exporting a video writes a brand-new file whose creation date is the moment of export. That is the blunt way to reset all [metadata a video carries](/photo-guides/does-video-have-metadata), and the reason edited footage so often shows the wrong day. ### Can I change a video's date without re-encoding it? Yes. Metadata editors like ExifTool rewrite the date fields in place and never touch the video stream, so quality is identical and the operation takes a second even on huge files. ### Why does the video still show the wrong time after I changed it? Almost always the UTC trap: MP4/MOV dates are stored in UTC, and some tools display that raw value without converting to your timezone. Set the date with `-api QuickTimeUTC=1` and check it in a viewer that converts, as explained in [how to tell when a video was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-when-a-video-was-taken). ### Does changing the date in Photos change the original file? No. On iPhone the adjustment is non-destructive, and Photos keeps the original date so you can revert. To change the date inside the file, use ExifHub on the phone or ExifTool on a computer, then check the result. ### How do I change the date on many videos at once? Select multiple videos in Photos and adjust them together, apply one date to a set in ExifHub on the phone, or point ExifTool at a folder with a wildcard. Use the shift syntax when the clock was consistently off, so the relative order of your clips stays intact. ## Bottom line Change the gallery date on your phone with the built-in Adjust option, change the embedded Media created date with one free ExifTool command (with the UTC switch), and ignore the file system dates, which reset on every copy anyway. Fix wrong clocks and timezones freely, but treat any editable date as a label rather than proof. For photos, the same fix is a drag and drop in our [EXIF Date Editor](/edit-photo-date), and for footage whose date must hold up on its own, record it with the timestamp visible in the frame from the start. --- # How to Tell When a Video Was Taken (Check the Real Recording Date) > Find the exact date and time a video was recorded from its metadata, on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac, and learn why the timestamp is often shown in UTC. *Published: 2026-08-05* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-tell-when-a-video-was-taken **Quick answer:** A video stores its recording date inside the file's metadata, not in the file system timestamp you see in a folder. On iPhone, open the video in Photos and swipe up. On Android, tap Details in Google Photos. On Windows, right-click the file, open Properties, then Details, and read Media created. For the full picture, the free MediaInfo app shows every embedded date. One big caveat: MP4 and MOV files usually store the date in UTC, so the time can look several hours off from when you actually pressed record. And if the video arrived through WhatsApp or social media, the original metadata is usually gone. People check a video's real date for the same reasons they check a photo's: a clip someone sent that "was taken yesterday," an old family video with no context, an insurance or dispute situation where the timeline matters. With photos, the answer lives in EXIF and is easy to read with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). Video works differently, and it has a few traps of its own. Here is the complete map. ## Where a video actually stores its date A photo has one main home for its capture date: the EXIF field DateTimeOriginal. A video file (MP4 from most phones and cameras, MOV from iPhone) is a container, and the date can live in several places at once: - **Container creation time.** The MP4/MOV "movie header" stores a creation time written when recording finished. Most tools that show a video date are reading this field. It is almost always stored in **UTC**, not your local time. - **QuickTime keys (iPhone).** iPhones also write com.apple.quicktime.creationdate, which includes the **local time and timezone offset**, plus the device make and model, and often GPS coordinates. This is the most trustworthy date an iPhone video carries. - **File system dates.** "Date created" and "Date modified" in your folder describe the file on that disk, not the recording. They reset every time the video is copied, downloaded, or synced. Never use them as evidence of when a video was shot. ## How to check on each device ### iPhone 1. Open the video in the Photos app. 2. Swipe up on it, or tap the (i) info button. 3. The recorded date, time, and often the location appear in the info panel. Photos reads the QuickTime creation date, so the time shown is your local time at the moment of recording. This is the same flow as [checking when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ### Android 1. Open the video in Google Photos. 2. Swipe up, or tap the three-dot menu and choose Details. 3. The recorded date and time are shown, sometimes with the device name. If the video was recorded on that phone, this date comes from the camera app's metadata. If the video arrived from elsewhere, Google Photos may show the date the file landed on the device instead, so treat it with care. ### Windows 1. Right-click the video file and choose Properties. 2. Open the Details tab. 3. Look for **Media created** under the Origin section. Media created is the embedded recording date. If it is empty, the file has been stripped, re-encoded, or exported by an app that discarded the original metadata. The Created and Modified dates above it are file system dates, which are not what you want. ### Mac Finder's Get Info (Command-I) mostly shows file system dates. For the embedded date, open the video in QuickTime Player and press Command-I for the inspector, or use the MediaInfo app described next. ### The full picture: MediaInfo The free, open-source MediaInfo app (Windows, Mac, Linux) shows everything a video carries: Encoded date, Tagged date, per-track creation times, the iPhone's QuickTime keys, device model, GPS, codecs, and more. If a date exists anywhere in the file, MediaInfo will surface it. It is the video equivalent of dropping a photo into an EXIF viewer. ## The UTC trap: why the time looks wrong The single most common confusion with video dates: the time is off by exactly your timezone offset. That is because the standard MP4/MOV creation time is defined in UTC. A clip recorded at 9:00 PM in New York (UTC-4 in summer) will show 1:00 AM the next day in tools that read the raw container date. The date can even appear to be the wrong day. So before concluding a video's timestamp was faked or is wrong, subtract or add your timezone. iPhone videos are kinder here: the QuickTime creation date includes the offset, and the Photos app displays local time correctly. ## When the metadata is simply gone Expect no original metadata when the video arrived via: - **WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger:** videos are re-encoded on send, and the recording date is discarded. - **Instagram, TikTok, YouTube downloads:** the platform's export date replaces the original. - **Screen recordings:** they carry the date of the recording session, not of whatever is playing on screen. - **Edited exports:** cutting or converting a video usually writes a fresh creation time, the moment of export. This is the same story as photos on social platforms, and the reasoning in [which platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data) applies to video too. If a clip came through a messaging app, its internal date tells you about the send, not the shot. ## Can a video's date be trusted at all? The embedded date is written by the recording device and can be edited afterwards with the right software, exactly like photo EXIF. Treat it as a strong hint, not proof. Cross-check it the way you would [verify when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-verify-when-a-photo-was-taken): does the content match the claimed season and time of day, do shadows and weather agree, does the device model in the metadata match the sender's phone? For your own future recordings there is a more robust route: record with a visible timestamp burned into the frame. Our Timestamp Camera iOS app stamps the date, time, and GPS location onto the video as it records. A burned-in stamp survives WhatsApp, re-encoding, and every export, because it is part of the picture itself, not a metadata field that can be stripped. ## FAQ ### How do I find out when a video was recorded if it was sent to me? Usually you cannot, from the file alone. Messaging apps re-encode videos and discard the original recording date. Check the message timestamp for when it was sent, ask the sender for the original file (sent as a document or file attachment, which sometimes preserves metadata), or look for context inside the footage itself. ### Why does my video show a time that is hours off? The standard MP4/MOV creation time is stored in UTC. A tool reading the raw field shows UTC unless it converts to your timezone. Add or subtract your offset and the time usually lines up with reality. ### Do videos have EXIF data like photos? Not EXIF in the strict sense; EXIF is a photo standard. Videos store equivalent information (date, device, sometimes GPS) in the MP4/MOV container and, on iPhone, in QuickTime metadata keys. Tools like MediaInfo read all of it. ### Can I change the recording date of a video? Yes, the embedded date can be [changed with free tools](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-video), and simply re-exporting a video rewrites it. That is exactly why a video's internal date is a hint rather than proof, and why a visible burned-in timestamp is stronger when the date matters. ### Does the video's "Date modified" tell me when it was filmed? No. Date modified and Date created in your file manager describe the file's life on that disk. Copying, downloading, or syncing rewrites them. Only the embedded metadata speaks about the recording itself. ## Bottom line The real recording date of a video lives in its container metadata: swipe up in Photos on iPhone, Details in Google Photos on Android, Media created on Windows, MediaInfo for everything. Remember the UTC offset before declaring a timestamp wrong, and assume messaging apps have stripped the original date entirely. For photos, the same check takes ten seconds in our [free EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), and for footage where the date must be beyond doubt, record it with the timestamp visible in the frame from the start. --- # Does Video Have Metadata? What Your MP4 or MOV Reveals > Videos carry hidden metadata: recording date, device model, and often GPS location. Here is what is inside an MP4 or MOV, how to see it, and how to remove it. *Published: 2026-08-05* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/does-video-have-metadata **Quick answer:** Yes. A video file carries metadata just like a photo does: the recording date and time, the device make and model, technical details like resolution and codecs, and, for phone videos with location enabled, **GPS coordinates of where it was filmed**. iPhone MOV/MP4 files are especially rich, storing location and device info in QuickTime metadata keys. You can see it with your phone's info panel, Windows file Properties, or the free MediaInfo app. And if you share videos publicly, the location part deserves the same caution as photo EXIF. Most people know photos contain [EXIF data](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata). Fewer realize their videos are just as talkative. Here is exactly what a video file knows about you, how to read it, and how to strip it before sharing. ## What is inside a video file A video container (MP4 on most devices, MOV on iPhone) stores several layers of information alongside the actual footage: - **Recording date and time.** Written when the recording ends. The standard container field is stored in UTC; iPhones additionally store the local time with timezone. More on reading it in [how to tell when a video was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-when-a-video-was-taken). - **GPS location.** Phone videos recorded with location services on carry coordinates. iPhone writes them as an ISO 6709 string in a QuickTime key; many Android camera apps embed a similar location tag. Anyone with the original file can read where it was filmed. - **Device make and model.** iPhone videos name the exact model. Many Android and camera files do the same, and editing software often adds its own signature. - **Technical fingerprint.** Resolution, frame rate, codecs (H.264, HEVC), bitrates, audio channels, color space, and per-track creation times. Harmless for privacy, useful for spotting re-encodes. There is no literal "EXIF" block in a video; EXIF is a photo standard. But the container metadata plays the same role, and the privacy implications are identical. ## How to see a video's metadata - **iPhone:** open the video in Photos and swipe up. You get the date, device, and a map pin if location was recorded. - **Android:** open it in Google Photos, swipe up or tap Details. - **Windows:** right-click the file, Properties, Details tab. Look at Origin (Media created) and the Video/Audio sections. - **Mac:** QuickTime Player's inspector (Command-I) shows basics; Finder's Get Info mostly shows file system dates. - **Everything at once:** the free MediaInfo app (Windows, Mac, Linux) lists every field the file carries, including iPhone QuickTime keys and GPS. For one-off checks it is the video equivalent of our [photo EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). ## The privacy part: your videos can leak your location The same risk that applies to photo GPS applies to video, with one difference: people scrub photos and forget videos. A house tour clip, a video of your kids in the yard, a garage workout video, each can carry exact coordinates if it left your phone as an original file. The saving grace is how videos usually travel. WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube re-encode uploads and discard location metadata, the same way they [strip photo EXIF](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). The risk is the **original file**: email attachments, cloud links (Drive, Dropbox, iCloud), file transfers, marketplace listings, and videos sent "as document" in messengers all deliver the file with metadata intact. ## How to remove metadata from a video - **iPhone, before sharing:** in the share sheet, tap Options at the top and turn off Location (and All Photos Data where offered). The shared copy goes out without coordinates. - **Any platform, the blunt method:** re-export the video. Trimming one frame in an editor and exporting, or converting it with a desktop tool, writes a fresh file whose metadata is just the export moment. Quality is re-encoded, so keep an original if you care about it. - **Check your work:** open the shared copy in MediaInfo. If the GPS key and original dates are gone, you are clean. For the complete walkthrough, including Windows, Mac, the one-command ExifTool method, and batch cleaning, see [how to remove metadata from a video](/photo-guides/how-to-remove-metadata-from-a-video). For photos the same cleanup takes one drag and drop in our [EXIF remover](/exif-remover), which strips every tag in your browser without uploading the file anywhere. ## The flip side: sometimes you want the data visible Metadata is fragile: one WhatsApp send and the date and location are gone. If you record videos where the when and where are the point, work documentation, deliveries, inspections, incidents, relying on hidden metadata is the wrong tool. Our Timestamp Camera iOS app burns the date, time, and GPS location visibly into the video frame while recording. A visible stamp survives every re-encode and every platform, because it is pixels, not tags. ## FAQ ### Do MP4 files have EXIF data? Not EXIF specifically; that standard belongs to photos. MP4 and MOV files store comparable information (dates, device, sometimes GPS) in container metadata and QuickTime keys. Tools like MediaInfo read it all. ### Can you tell where a video was filmed? If the original file came from a phone with location on: yes, the coordinates are usually embedded and any metadata viewer will map them. If the video passed through social media or a messenger first: almost never, because platforms strip location on upload. ### Does WhatsApp remove video metadata? Yes. Videos sent normally through WhatsApp are re-encoded and lose their recording date and location. Files sent as documents can retain more of their original metadata, which is worth remembering in both directions: for privacy, and for receiving originals when the metadata matters. ### Do screen recordings have metadata? They carry a creation date (when you recorded the screen) and device info, but no camera details and no GPS by default. Their metadata describes the recording session, not the content on screen, similar to how [screenshots handle metadata](/photo-guides/does-a-screenshot-have-metadata). ### How do I check if a video someone sent me has been edited? Compare the container dates in MediaInfo: an Encoded date much later than the claimed recording date, editing software named in the writer field, or missing device info on a supposedly fresh phone video are all re-encode signals. Then judge the content itself, as covered in [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited); the same logic applies to frames. ## Bottom line Videos absolutely have metadata: date, device, technical details, and often your exact location. Read it with your phone's info panel or MediaInfo, strip it by disabling location on share or re-exporting, and remember that platforms strip it for you while original files do not. Treat your videos with the same metadata hygiene as your photos, and when the date and place need to be provable rather than hidden, put the stamp in the pixels instead. --- # Does Video Have EXIF Data? What MP4 and MOV Files Store > Video files do not carry EXIF; EXIF is a photo standard. But MP4 and MOV videos store similar data, the capture date, GPS, and device, in their container *Published: 2026-06-24* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/does-video-have-exif-data **Quick answer:** No. Video files do **not** contain EXIF, because EXIF is a still-image standard that lives inside JPEG and TIFF photos. A video still carries metadata, just in a different place: MP4 and MOV files store the **capture date, GPS location, and device** in their **container metadata** (QuickTime and MP4 atoms), not in an EXIF block. An iPhone video records the date and, when Location Services were on, the GPS coordinates. As with photos, platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp strip most of this on upload. Our browser tools read photo EXIF, not video; to check a video, use the device methods below. People ask this because they know a photo hides a GPS-and-camera block, and they assume a video works the same way. It does carry similar information, but the wrapper is completely different. Here is what a video file actually stores, where it lives, and how to read it. ## EXIF is a photo construct, not a video one EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) was defined for still images. It is embedded inside JPEG and TIFF files as a block of tags: the camera make and model, exposure settings, the capture date, and GPS. PNG and HEIC borrowed pieces of the idea, but EXIF itself never extended to video. Video formats grew up separately, around moving pictures and audio tracks, so they store their metadata in their own structures. When you ask "does this MP4 have EXIF," the honest answer is no, but it almost certainly has metadata that does the same job under a different name. ## Where video metadata actually lives An MP4 or MOV file is a tree of boxes called **atoms** (the format comes from Apple's QuickTime, which the MP4 standard is based on). Metadata sits in specific atoms: - **Creation date**: the `creation_time` field, or the QuickTime `©day` atom, records when the recording started. - **GPS location**: Apple devices write the coordinates into a `©xyz` atom using the **ISO 6709** format (latitude, longitude, and sometimes altitude). This is the video equivalent of a photo's GPS tags. - **Device and software**: atoms like `©make`, `©model`, and `©swr` can hold the phone or camera model and the software version. - **XMP**: some cameras and drones embed an **XMP** packet with extra fields, the same XMP standard used in photos. - **Technical track data**: resolution, frame rate, codec, duration, and bitrate are stored per track. These are not personal, but a metadata viewer will report them. So a video has a clear set of "EXIF-like" fields. They are just addressed by atom names instead of EXIF tag numbers. ## What an iPhone video stores A video shot on an iPhone with Location Services enabled typically carries: - The **capture date and time**, down to the second. - The **GPS coordinates** of where you were filming, in the `©xyz` atom. - The **device model**, for example "iPhone 15 Pro". That is enough to place a clip on a map and on a timeline, exactly like a photo. It is also why a raw video file can leak your location if you share the original, the same privacy concern photos have. ## Video metadata vs photo EXIF at a glance | Field | Photo (JPEG/HEIC) | Video (MP4/MOV) | | --- | --- | --- | | Standard | EXIF | QuickTime / MP4 atoms | | Capture date | DateTimeOriginal | creation_time / `©day` | | GPS | EXIF GPS tags | `©xyz` (ISO 6709) | | Device | Make / Model | `©make` / `©model` | | Extra metadata | XMP, IPTC | XMP | Different containers, the same kinds of facts. ## Social platforms strip video metadata too The privacy rule that applies to photos applies to video: when you upload a clip to **Instagram**, **TikTok**, **Facebook**, or **WhatsApp**, the platform re-encodes it and drops most of the metadata, including the GPS. The version other people see usually has no location. The catch, again, is the **original file**: the copy on your phone, or one you AirDrop or email directly, keeps the date and coordinates. If hiding your location matters, it is the original file you need to worry about, not the in-app post. Our guide on [which platforms strip metadata](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data) covers the photo side in detail, and video behaves the same way. ## How to see a video's date and location Because the data lives in container atoms rather than EXIF, you read it with the tools built into your device: - **iPhone or iPad**: open the clip in Photos, swipe up or tap the info button, and you get the date, time, and a map pin if GPS is present. - **Mac**: Get Info shows the date; the Photos app shows date and place; QuickTime's Movie Inspector shows technical details. - **Windows**: right-click, Properties, Details tab shows the recorded date and the track info, though location is often hidden there. ## Why our browser EXIF tools do not read video Our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) and the other tools on this site parse **photo** metadata. They read the EXIF, XMP, and IPTC blocks inside JPEG, HEIC, PNG, and TIFF files. They do not decode MP4 or MOV containers, so dropping a video on them will not show its atoms. If you want to understand the hidden data in your **photos**, see [what EXIF data is](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data) and where it lives; for video, the device methods above are the reliable route today. ## The short version A video has no EXIF, but it is not metadata-free. MP4 and MOV files keep the capture date, GPS, and device in QuickTime atoms instead of an EXIF block, an iPhone clip carries all three when location is on, and platforms strip most of it on upload just like they do with photos. So treat a raw video the way you treat a raw photo: the original file can reveal where and when it was shot. --- # What Can EXIF Data Reveal About You? A Privacy Guide > A photo's EXIF can expose where you live, your daily routine, and your device. *Published: 2026-06-20* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/what-can-exif-data-reveal-about-you **Quick answer:** A photo's EXIF can reveal exactly where it was taken (GPS often accurate to a few meters, which means your home, your workplace, or a child's school), when it was taken (a date and time stamp that, over many photos, maps your daily routine), and what device shot it (camera or phone model, sometimes a unique serial number or the exact lens). Any stranger can read all of this from a photo you share with the original file intact, using free tools and no special skill. The fix is simple: strip it with our browser-based [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) before you share. Nothing uploads. Most people picture a photo as just the pixels they see. Every photo your phone or camera takes also carries a hidden block of text called EXIF metadata, written into the file automatically. You never see it, but anyone who receives the original file can read it. This guide explains, calmly, what that block can say about you, when it matters, and how to remove it. ## What specifically leaks Here is what a typical photo from a modern phone can expose to whoever opens the original file. **GPS location (the biggest risk).** If location services were on, the file stores GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude, and these are not vague. Phone GPS is frequently accurate to within a few meters, enough to drop a pin on your front door or a specific bench in a park. A single geotagged photo can hand a stranger a precise address. **Timestamps (routine and pattern).** The DateTimeOriginal field records when the shutter fired, often to the second. One timestamp is harmless. Many together are not: they can show you are home every weekday at 8 a.m., at the same gym every Tuesday, or away on vacation right now. Patterns are what make timestamps sensitive. **Device make, model, and sometimes a serial number.** The Make and Model fields name your exact phone or camera (for example, *Apple iPhone 17 Pro*). Some cameras also write a body serial number or a unique lens identifier, which can link a set of "anonymous" photos back to one device, and therefore one person. **Software and embedded thumbnails.** The Software field records the OS version or editing app. And many files store a small preview image inside the EXIF block: if you crop a photo but your editor does not refresh that thumbnail, the original uncropped preview can survive in the file. People have leaked exactly what they tried to crop out this way. To see all of this for one of your own photos, drop it into our free [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). It reads the file in your browser and shows every field in plain tables, with GPS pinned on a map. For a field-by-field breakdown of what each tag means, see [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). ## Real situations where it matters This is not theoretical. Here are everyday moments where embedded metadata causes real problems. **Selling items on marketplaces.** You photograph a bike at home and post the listing. If you send a buyer the original file, the GPS in it points to your home address before you have agreed to meet anyone. **Posting a child's photo.** A photo from the first day of school or a weekend at the playground can carry the coordinates of that school or playground. Reshared with the file intact, that location travels with it. **Activists, journalists, and domestic-abuse survivors.** For some people, location exposure is a genuine safety risk. A photo's GPS can reveal a source's whereabouts, a reporter's position, or a safe address someone worked hard to keep private. **Dating apps and new contacts.** When you send a photo as a file to someone you have just met, the metadata goes with it. A device model plus a home geotag is more than most people intend to share early on. ## The nuance: you cannot rely on the platform There is good news, but it comes with a catch. Most large social platforms strip EXIF when you upload. Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, and others re-encode your image and remove the metadata from the copy other users can download. Our full breakdown is here: [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). But "the public feed strips it" does not mean your photo is safe everywhere. The metadata stays fully intact whenever you share the original file directly: - Sending a photo by **email** as an attachment. - Sharing a **cloud link** (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) to the original. - Sending it through a messenger **as a file or document** rather than as a photo (WhatsApp, Telegram, and others keep everything this way). - Letting anyone **download the original** you handed over. So the rule is simple: you cannot count on the platform to protect you, because so much sharing happens outside the platforms that strip. The only reliable approach is to handle it yourself before the file leaves your device. ## How to protect yourself Two quick steps, both running entirely in your browser with nothing uploaded. **1. Check what the photo carries.** Open our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) and drop the photo in. If the tables show GPS, a precise timestamp, or your device serial, that is exactly what a recipient would see too. **2. Strip it before sharing.** Open our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) and drop the file. One click wipes the full metadata block: GPS, date, device, software, IPTC, XMP, and maker notes. Download the clean copy and share that instead. If you would rather use your phone's own tools, see our step-by-step guides for [iPhone](/photo-guides/remove-exif-data-on-iphone) and [Android](/photo-guides/how-to-remove-exif-data-on-android). A useful default: if a photo is going somewhere public, or to anyone you do not fully trust, strip the metadata first. ## Frequently asked questions **Can someone really find my home from one photo?** If the photo was geotagged and you shared the original file, yes. The GPS coordinates resolve to a street address with ordinary, free tools. Stripping EXIF before sharing closes that path. **Does cropping a photo remove the location?** No. Cropping changes the visible pixels but leaves the EXIF block, including GPS, untouched, and can even leave an uncropped thumbnail behind. Use a remover, not a crop, to clear metadata. **Are screenshots safe to share?** Screenshots have no camera EXIF, no GPS, and no capture timestamp, because the system generates them. They are much lower risk on the metadata front, though anything visible on screen is still visible. **Do photos sent through iMessage or AirDrop keep metadata?** Yes. These send the full original file, so GPS, timestamp, and device details travel with the photo. Strip first if you do not want them shared. ## Bottom line A photo can quietly say where you were, when, and what you used to take it. That is useful for evidence and organization, and risky when you share publicly. You do not need to stop sharing photos. You just need one habit: check a photo with our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer), then clear it with our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) before it leaves your device. Both run in your browser, and nothing uploads. --- # How to Edit EXIF Data (Change Date, GPS, Camera) > Edit EXIF data free in your browser: change the capture date, fix or add GPS, set camera Make and Model, and add copyright. No upload, no install. *Published: 2026-06-20* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-edit-exif-data **Quick answer:** Yes, you can edit EXIF data in your browser for free. Drop a photo into our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) and change the fields that are wrong: DateTimeOriginal (the capture date), GPS coordinates, camera Make and Model, and copyright or author. The tool writes your changes back into the file and you download the corrected version. Nothing uploads, nothing installs, and the rest of the metadata stays untouched. EXIF is the hidden metadata block every photo carries (the full picture is in [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data)). Most of the time you just read it, but sometimes a field is wrong and you need to fix it. This guide covers when editing EXIF is the right move, which fields people change most, and exactly how to do it in your browser. ## Why edit EXIF data A few common reasons the metadata is wrong and worth correcting: - **The capture date is wrong.** The camera clock was never set, or it was set to the wrong time zone, so every photo from that trip is off by hours or days. Fixing DateTimeOriginal puts the photos back in the right order. - **You want attribution on your work.** Add your name to Artist and a copyright string to Copyright so the credit travels with the photo when it gets republished. - **GPS is missing or wrong.** Location Services was off when you shot, so you can back-fill the correct location by pasting in latitude and longitude. - **You are normalizing before an import.** Lightroom and Google Photos sort by DateTimeOriginal, so cleaning up dates first means the library groups everything by the correct day instead of by file-write time. This is editing, not removal. If your goal is privacy (stripping GPS and metadata before you share), that is a different job covered in [how to remove EXIF data on iPhone](/photo-guides/remove-exif-data-on-iphone). Editing changes a value; removal wipes it. ## How to edit EXIF in your browser Our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) edits individual fields and writes them back into the file. Here is the workflow: 1. Open the [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). 2. Drop your photo onto the page. The editor reads the existing EXIF and shows each field in an editable form. 3. Change the fields you need. Type a new date into DateTimeOriginal, paste coordinates into the GPS fields, or fill in Make, Model, Artist, and Copyright. 4. Hit Download. The tool inserts your changes and leaves every untouched tag byte-for-byte identical. Two things make this clean. Nothing uploads: the file is parsed and rewritten entirely in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device. And editing EXIF does not re-compress the image, because EXIF lives in a header block, not the pixel data, so changing a tag does not touch picture quality. (More on where that block physically sits in [where is EXIF data stored](/photo-guides/where-is-exif-data-stored).) **Format limits, honestly:** the editor works best on **JPEG**, where the EXIF block is well-standardized and easy to rewrite in the browser. **HEIC** (the iPhone default) stores the same tags inside a different container that browser tools round-trip poorly; convert to JPEG first with our [HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg) tool, then edit. **PNG** stores metadata in its own chunk format that browser canvas APIs do not write reliably, so for PNG a desktop tool like ExifTool is the better choice. To confirm what a photo currently holds, drop it into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). ## Which fields people edit most You can edit almost any tag, but a handful account for nearly every real edit: - **DateTimeOriginal** is the capture date and time, the single most important tag and the one most apps sort by. - **CreateDate** and **ModifyDate** are the file-creation and last-modified dates. When you fix a wrong clock, set all three together so they stay consistent. - **GPSLatitude** and **GPSLongitude** hold the location. Paste in coordinates to add or correct where the photo was taken. - **Make** and **Model** name the camera or phone. - **Artist** and **Copyright** carry your name and copyright string. That is the short list. For the full dictionary of every EXIF field, what it means, and how it is encoded, see the [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference). No need to repeat all of it here. ## Editing the EXIF date is not the only way to date a photo Three different things get confused, so it is worth separating them: - **Editing the EXIF date** changes the hidden DateTimeOriginal tag. It is invisible in the image and only shows up in a metadata viewer or when an app sorts by it. - **Drawing a visible timestamp** burns the date into the pixels themselves, in the corner of the photo, where anyone can read it without a tool. That is a separate job; use our [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) tool. A visible stamp and an EXIF date are independent, and they can even disagree. - **The file system date** is the created or modified date your operating system shows in Finder or File Explorer. It is a property of the file on disk, not part of the photo, and it changes whenever the file is copied or moved. Editing EXIF does not change it, and changing it does not change EXIF. If you want the photo's date to survive copying, sharing, and re-importing, EXIF DateTimeOriginal is the field that matters. ## A note on responsible use Editing the metadata on your own photos is completely normal. Fixing a wrong clock, adding your copyright, back-filling a location you remember, these are routine housekeeping. What does not work is editing EXIF to misrepresent when or where a photo was taken. EXIF edits are detectable. Forensic analysts do not trust any single tag at face value; they look at consistency across the whole file (does the GPS time zone match the clock, does the camera Model match the maker note, does the JPEG compression match the claimed source). Our guide on [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited) walks through exactly these checks. Put simply, rewriting a date in the [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) is not a substitute for trustworthy capture-time proof. If you need a date you can stand behind later, capture it correctly at the moment you take the shot rather than patching it afterward. ## FAQ **Will editing EXIF lower my photo quality?** No. EXIF lives in a header block separate from the pixels, so a clean edit does not re-compress the image and changes the file size by only a few hundred bytes. **Can I change just one field and leave the rest alone?** Yes. Our editor inserts your change and leaves every other tag byte-for-byte identical. Cheap tools sometimes overwrite the whole block; ours does not. **Does editing EXIF change what the photo looks like?** No. EXIF is invisible metadata. To put a visible date on the image, use [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) instead. **Can I edit EXIF on an iPhone HEIC photo?** Not directly in the browser. Convert it to JPEG first with our [HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg) tool, then edit the JPEG. **How do I check my edit worked?** Drop the downloaded file into the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) and confirm the field shows the new value. ## Bottom line To change a wrong capture date, fix or add GPS, set the camera Make and Model, or add copyright, drop the photo into our free [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). It runs in your browser, nothing uploads, and only the fields you touch change. Edit your own metadata freely, but remember that EXIF edits are detectable and are not proof of when a photo was really taken. --- # EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP: Photo Metadata Standards Explained > EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP, made simple. What each photo metadata standard stores, who writes it, how they overlap and conflict, and how to view all three free. *Published: 2026-06-20* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/exif-vs-iptc-vs-xmp **Quick answer:** EXIF, IPTC, and XMP are the three metadata standards that live inside a photo file. **EXIF** (Exchangeable Image File Format) is the technical capture data the camera writes automatically: date and time, GPS, aperture, shutter, ISO, camera and lens. **IPTC** (International Press Telecommunications Council) is descriptive and administrative data for publishing, born in the news industry: caption, byline, keywords, credit, copyright. **XMP** (Extensible Metadata Platform) is Adobe's modern XML-based wrapper that can hold EXIF fields, IPTC fields, and custom data, and is how edits, star ratings, and develop settings travel with the file. To see all three inside one photo, drop it into our free browser-based [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. People use "EXIF" as a catch-all for everything hidden inside a photo, but a single JPEG often carries three separate metadata standards at once, written by different tools for different reasons. This guide defines each one clearly, shows where they overlap and conflict, and points you to the right tool to read them. ## Comparison table | | EXIF | IPTC | XMP | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **What it stores** | Technical capture data: date, GPS, exposure, camera, lens | Descriptive and administrative data: caption, byline, keywords, credit | A flexible XML wrapper that can hold EXIF, IPTC, and custom fields, plus ratings and edits | | **Who writes it** | The camera or phone, automatically at capture | The photographer, editor, or agency, by hand | Adobe apps (Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge) and other modern editors | | **Format** | Binary tags in nested IFDs (APP1 marker) | Binary records (APP13 marker) | XML text (often APP1 or a sidecar `.xmp` file) | | **Typical use** | Sorting by date, GPS evidence, exposure recipe | Newsroom and stock-library publishing workflows | Non-destructive edits, ratings, structured pro metadata | | **Editable** | Yes, with an EXIF editor | Yes, with IPTC-aware tools | Yes, by any XMP-aware app | ## EXIF: what the camera records EXIF is written automatically the moment the shutter fires. Neither the camera nor the phone asks you; the firmware just stamps the technical facts of capture into the file. A typical smartphone photo carries 40 to 80 EXIF tags. The ones people actually check: - **DateTimeOriginal**: when the shutter fired. The single most-trusted field for sorting, evidence, and forensics. - **GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude**: where the photo was taken, in degrees-minutes-seconds. - **Make / Model**: the camera or phone, e.g. `Apple iPhone 17 Pro`, `Canon EOS R5`. - **FNumber**, **ExposureTime**, **ISO**, **FocalLength**: the exposure "recipe." EXIF is a binary format stored in the JPEG's APP1 marker, organised into nested directories called IFDs. Because the camera writes it without asking, EXIF is the most reliable evidence of when and where a photo was taken, and the first thing a fact-checker or insurance adjuster looks at. For the full field-by-field breakdown, see our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference). ## IPTC: what the publisher adds IPTC came out of the news industry in the early 1990s, decades before EXIF was about location and exposure. It answers a different question: not *how was this shot taken*, but *who made it, what is it of, and who gets the credit*. A photographer or photo editor fills these in by hand, usually in a tool like Photo Mechanic or Lightroom. Common IPTC fields: - **Caption-Abstract**: the descriptive caption that runs with the photo. - **By-line**: the photographer's name (IPTC's richer equivalent of EXIF's Artist). - **Keywords**: searchable tags, the currency of stock-photo libraries. - **Credit** and **Source**: the agency, newspaper, or studio behind the image. IPTC lives in a different part of the JPEG from EXIF (the APP13 marker), which is why a cheap tool can strip one and leave the other. If you sell to a stock agency or work in journalism, IPTC is where the publisher-required metadata goes. ## XMP: Adobe's modern wrapper XMP is the newest of the three, introduced by Adobe in 2001 as an XML-based, extensible container. Its big idea: instead of a fixed list of fields, XMP can hold *any* metadata, including mirrored EXIF and IPTC values, plus things neither of those standards ever defined. Lightroom and Photoshop lean on it heavily. What you find in XMP: - **dc:creator, dc:description, dc:rights**: Dublin Core fields that mirror IPTC byline, caption, and copyright. - **xmp:Rating**: the 0-to-5 star rating you set in Lightroom. - **Lightroom develop settings** (`crs:*`): exposure, contrast, shadows, highlights, tone curve, lens corrections. These are non-destructive edit instructions; the underlying pixels are untouched, and the edits travel as text. Because XMP is plain XML, it can also live *outside* the photo as a **sidecar** file. When you edit a RAW file (which you generally should not write into directly), Lightroom saves a companion `photo.xmp` next to `photo.cr3`. Move the RAW without its sidecar and you lose the ratings and edits. ## How the three overlap and conflict The same fact can be stored in more than one standard. A capture date can appear as EXIF `DateTimeOriginal`, IPTC `DateCreated`, and XMP `xmp:CreateDate` all at once. A photographer's name can be EXIF `Artist`, IPTC `By-line`, and XMP `dc:creator`. Usually they agree. Sometimes they do not, because one app updated XMP but left the old EXIF value in place. When values conflict, which one wins depends on the app reading the file. Adobe tools generally trust XMP first, then fall back to EXIF and IPTC. Camera-oriented and forensic tools trust EXIF. There is no universal rule, which is exactly why a viewer that shows all three side by side is useful: you can see the disagreement instead of guessing which value an app decided to show. Sidecar `.xmp` files add another wrinkle. The edits and ratings you see in Lightroom may not be embedded in the JPEG at all; they may live only in the sidecar. If you hand someone the image file alone, that metadata never travels. ## How to view all three for free Open our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer), drop in a photo, and read the tables. When a file carries EXIF, IPTC, and XMP, the viewer shows each in its own section, so overlaps and conflicts are obvious at a glance. It works on JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF, GPS is pinned on a map, and nothing uploads; the file is parsed in your browser. To understand *where* in the file each standard physically sits (which markers, which container boxes), see our guide on [where EXIF data is stored](/photo-guides/where-is-exif-data-stored). For a plain-English primer on EXIF specifically, start with [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). To change any field, our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) edits individual values without re-compressing the JPEG. ## FAQ **Is IPTC the same as EXIF?** No. EXIF is technical capture data written automatically by the camera (date, GPS, exposure). IPTC is descriptive and administrative data added by hand for publishing (caption, byline, keywords, credit). They are different standards stored in different parts of the file, and a photo can carry one, the other, or both. **What writes XMP data?** Adobe apps mostly: Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge, and Camera Raw. They write ratings, color labels, and develop settings into XMP, either embedded in the file or in a sidecar `.xmp`. Other modern editors and asset managers read and write XMP too, because it is an open standard. **Which metadata does Instagram keep?** Effectively none. Instagram, like most social platforms, strips EXIF, IPTC, and XMP on upload, including GPS. File-sharing channels like email, Dropbox, and AirDrop keep all three intact. For the platform-by-platform breakdown, see [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). **Can a photo have all three at once?** Yes. A professionally edited JPEG often carries EXIF from the camera, IPTC from the agency, and XMP from Lightroom, all in the same file. Our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) shows each in its own table. XMP is not limited to photos, either. PDFs carry the same XML packet alongside their own Info fields, which is how a document ends up naming its author without anyone typing it. We covered that side in [how to remove metadata from a PDF](/photo-guides/how-to-remove-metadata-from-a-pdf). ## Bottom line EXIF is what the camera records, IPTC is what the publisher adds, and XMP is Adobe's flexible wrapper that ties edits, ratings, and mirrored fields together. They overlap, occasionally conflict, and travel differently, especially when XMP lives in a sidecar. To see exactly what a given photo carries across all three, drop it into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). Nothing uploads. --- # Can EXIF Data Be Faked? How to Spot Edited Metadata > Yes, EXIF is trivially editable: any free tool can rewrite the date, GPS, or camera. Here is why EXIF alone is not proof, and how to spot faked metadata. *Published: 2026-06-20* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/can-exif-data-be-faked **Quick answer:** Yes. EXIF data is trivially editable. Any free tool, including ExifTool or our own [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor), can rewrite the date, GPS, camera model, or any other tag in seconds. So EXIF alone is **not proof** of when or where a photo was taken. The good news: faked metadata usually leaves tells, internal contradictions you can check. Drop a photo into our [Photo Forensics](/photo-forensics) tool to inspect it, and read on for the specific red flags forensic analysts look for. People treat the EXIF date and GPS like a notarized stamp. They are not. They are editable text fields inside the file, and changing them takes no special skill. This guide covers why EXIF is so easy to fake, how to spot when it has been faked, why it matters, and what makes a timestamp trustworthy. If your question is about the pixels rather than the metadata, see [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited); this post is about whether the metadata itself can be trusted. ## Why EXIF is easy to fake EXIF is just a block of structured text fields embedded in the photo file. Nothing about it is signed, encrypted, or locked. The camera writes those fields at capture, but any program that can open the file can rewrite them afterward, with no built-in warning that says "this was altered." The tools are everywhere. The open-source command-line tool [ExifTool](https://exiftool.org/) can set any tag with a single command. Our own browser-based [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) lets anyone change DateTimeOriginal, GPS coordinates, or the camera Make and Model in a few clicks, then download the modified file. We are honest about this: the same editor that legitimately fixes a wrong camera clock can also be used to backdate a photo or move its location. That is exactly why EXIF on its own cannot be the last word on a photo's origin. When someone says "the EXIF proves I took this on Tuesday in Denver," the right response is not to trust the field but to check whether it is consistent with everything else in the file. ## How to spot faked or edited metadata Faking one tag is easy. Faking every tag consistently is hard, because a real photo carries dozens of interlocking values a careless edit will not reconcile. Open the file in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) or [Photo Forensics](/photo-forensics) and look for these tells. **An editor in the Software tag.** Real cameras write firmware strings ("1.2.0", "iOS 19.2"). Editors write their product name: "Adobe Photoshop 26.0", "Adobe Lightroom Classic 14.3", "GIMP 3.0". If a photo claims to be straight off a camera but the Software tag names an editor, it was opened and re-saved after capture. **Timestamp mismatches.** A fresh capture has DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate that are nearly identical. If DateTimeOriginal says one thing but ModifyDate is hours, days, or years later, the file was saved again after the shutter fired. When the three dates disagree in ways a normal capture never would, someone has been editing. **GPS that does not match the scene.** If the coordinates place a photo in a desert but the image shows snow, or point to a city the photographer says they never visited, the location was likely back-filled or changed. Cross-check the pin against the visible content. **A missing or mismatched embedded thumbnail.** Many cameras embed a small JPEG thumbnail inside the EXIF. If someone edits the main image but forgets the thumbnail, it can still show the original, un-edited frame. A thumbnail that disagrees with the full image is a strong tampering signal. **Stripped or rebuilt EXIF structure.** When a file is re-saved by an editor, the order and completeness of its tags often change. A photo that claims to be an original but is missing the camera Make, Model, LensModel, and exposure fields, while carrying a recent ModifyDate, has been through a pipeline that rewrote its metadata. **Timezone and offset oddities.** The OffsetTime tags, GPSDateStamp, and the camera clock should agree. A DateTimeOriginal that conflicts with the GPS timestamp, or an offset that does not match the claimed location's timezone, is the kind of detail a faker overlooks. For the visual side of forensics, including Error Level Analysis (ELA), see [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited). Metadata checks and pixel checks are strongest together. ## Why this matters EXIF trust decides real outcomes. - **Insurance.** Adjusters rely on EXIF date and GPS to confirm damage photos were taken when and where claimed. A backdated date can turn a denied claim into an approved one, which is why adjusters now scrutinize metadata for the inconsistencies above. - **Journalism.** Fact-checkers use EXIF to verify a photo was shot at the claimed time and place. A single faked tag, if trusted, can launder a recycled image into "evidence." - **Legal and evidence.** In court, a bare EXIF date is the weakest link, because opposing counsel can demonstrate live how trivial it is to edit. - **Online marketplaces.** Sellers sometimes fake the capture date on listing photos to make stale inventory look fresh, or to dispute a buyer's claim. The throughline: EXIF can support a story, but it does not prove one. For the courtroom angle, see [are timestamp photos legal evidence](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence). ## What actually makes a timestamp trustworthy If after-the-fact EXIF is weak, what is strong? Trust comes from the moment of capture, not from a field anyone can rewrite later. - **Network-synced (atomic) capture time.** A timestamp written at capture from a network time server is correct within milliseconds and far harder to dispute than a device clock that might have been wrong or deliberately changed. - **A clear chain of custody.** A documented trail from camera to today, ideally with the photo emailed to yourself or backed up the same day, creates independent external timestamps that no one can edit retroactively. - **Cryptographic provenance (C2PA).** The emerging answer is Content Credentials, a cryptographically signed manifest defined by the C2PA standard that records a photo's origin and edit history in a way that breaks if tampered with. Unlike plain EXIF, a valid signature cannot be silently forged. See [how to check Content Credentials (C2PA)](/photo-guides/how-to-check-content-credentials-c2pa). To establish a photo's real capture time, [how to verify when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-verify-when-a-photo-was-taken) walks through the steps. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you tell if EXIF was edited? Often, yes. A clumsy edit leaves the tells above: an editor in the Software tag, mismatched DateTimeOriginal and ModifyDate, a thumbnail that disagrees with the image, GPS that does not fit the scene, or timezone offsets that do not line up. A careful edit can be clean, so no single check is proof, but combining metadata checks with pixel-level forensics catches most fakes. ### Does removing EXIF prove tampering? No. Stripping EXIF is common and usually innocent. Every major social platform removes it on upload for privacy, and many people strip it deliberately before sharing. Missing EXIF means you cannot use metadata to verify the photo, not that the photo is fake. ### Is a photo without EXIF fake? No. A photo with no EXIF is simply one whose metadata was stripped, which happens to almost everything posted to Instagram, Facebook, X, or WhatsApp, and to most screenshots. Absence of EXIF lowers your ability to verify origin, but it is not evidence of fakery. ## Bottom line EXIF can be faked in seconds, so it is never proof by itself. Treat the date, GPS, and camera fields as claims to be checked, not facts to be trusted. Look for internal contradictions in the metadata, combine that with pixel-level forensics, and lean on capture-time, network-synced timestamps and C2PA provenance when the stakes are real. To inspect a photo and run forensic checks in your browser, with nothing uploaded, use our [Photo Forensics](/photo-forensics) tool and [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). --- # Where Is EXIF Data Stored in a Photo? (JPEG, PNG, HEIC) > Where does EXIF actually live inside a photo file? The APP1 header, the IFD tree, byte offsets, and how JPEG, HEIC, PNG, TIFF, and WebP each store it. *Published: 2026-06-18* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/where-is-exif-data-stored **Quick answer:** EXIF is stored inside the image file itself, not in a separate sidecar file. In a JPEG it lives in the **APP1 marker segment**, a header block that starts with the bytes `0xFFE1` near the start of the file, with the tags arranged inside as a TIFF/IFD tree (IFD0, an Exif sub-IFD, and a GPS IFD). In HEIC the same tags sit in the container's metadata boxes; in PNG they can live in an `eXIf` chunk; TIFF stores them natively. Because the data is embedded, it travels with the photo whenever you copy or send it. Drop any photo into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) to see what's in there; nothing uploads. People often assume metadata lives in a hidden database on their phone, or in a small file next to the photo. It doesn't. The "when, where, and how" is written directly into the bytes of the image file, in a reserved region near the front. This guide explains *where* that region is and what happens when you edit or share the photo. ## The short version: it's in the file, near the top Open any JPEG straight from a camera and look at the first few hundred bytes. After the start-of-image marker (`0xFFD8`), one of the first things you hit is the **APP1 marker segment**, which holds the entire EXIF block. The compressed pixels come *after* it. So a typical camera JPEG runs: `0xFFD8` start marker, the `0xFFE1` APP1 marker holding EXIF, optional headers (APP2 ICC profile, APP13 IPTC, XMP), the pixel data, then the `0xFFD9` end marker. Because EXIF sits in a header near the top, separate from the pixels, a clean EXIF edit doesn't re-compress the image; the tool only rewrites the header region. ## The IFD tree: IFD0, Exif sub-IFD, GPS IFD The APP1 segment opens with `0xFFE1`, a two-byte length, and the identifier `Exif\0\0`. Right after that, the payload begins with a tiny **TIFF header**: EXIF is, internally, a small TIFF file embedded inside the JPEG. That header declares the byte order (`II` little-endian or `MM` big-endian) and an offset to the first directory of tags. From there, the tags are organized as a tree of **IFDs** (Image File Directories), not one flat list. Each has a job: - **IFD0** (the "0th" or "TIFF" directory): camera and image-level fields like Make, Model, Software, Orientation, and Copyright. It also holds two pointer tags leading to the sub-directories below. - **Exif sub-IFD**: capture-time technical data. DateTimeOriginal, exposure settings, lens, ISO, color space. - **GPS IFD**: latitude, longitude, altitude, and GPS-derived timestamps, present only when a location was recorded. - **IFD1** (the "1st" directory): an embedded thumbnail the camera generated. A reader walks the tree: start at the TIFF header, jump to IFD0, follow the Exif pointer for capture settings, follow the GPS pointer for location. Our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) does exactly this and lays each directory out in its own table; the [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) is the full dictionary of each field. Values that fit in four bytes sit inline in the tag entry; larger ones, like a GPS coordinate, are stored elsewhere in the segment, with the entry holding a byte offset to them. ## How other formats store the same tags The EXIF *tags* are largely the same across formats. What differs is the container the tags get tucked into. - **JPEG / JPG**: the APP1 marker segment described above. - **TIFF**: stores EXIF natively. A TIFF file *is* a structure of IFDs, so EXIF isn't bolted on, it's part of the base format. JPEG's EXIF is a borrowed copy of this TIFF layout. - **HEIC**: the iPhone default since iOS 11. Its HEIF container is built from nested "boxes," and the EXIF tags live in an item-metadata box rather than a JPEG-style marker. Same tags, different shelving. - **PNG**: can carry EXIF in a dedicated `eXIf` chunk; simpler tools sometimes use `tEXt` or `iTXt` text chunks instead. Many web-exported PNGs carry none at all. - **WebP**: stores EXIF in an `EXIF` chunk inside its RIFF container. The tag reference covers the [per-format editing caveats](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) in detail. ## Why "embedded" matters: the metadata travels with the file Because EXIF lives inside the file, it follows the photo everywhere the file goes. Copy the JPEG to a USB stick, attach it to an email, or drop it in a shared folder, and the GPS coordinates and capture time come along. This is exactly why metadata is so useful for evidence and so risky for privacy: the proof, and the leak, are baked in. It also explains why removing EXIF is not a one-line delete. The tags are woven into the file's header structure, so stripping them means **rewriting the file** without that region. Our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) does this in your browser. ## What happens when you edit, screenshot, or upload Because EXIF is part of the file, what survives depends on whether the file gets re-encoded: - **Copy, move, rename**: the bytes are unchanged, so EXIF is preserved. - **Crop, rotate, light edits**: most editors keep the block and just update the dimension and orientation tags. Some rewrite it; check afterward with the [viewer](/exif-viewer). - **Screenshot**: a screenshot is a brand-new image with its own minimal EXIF and none of the original's camera or GPS data. It's effectively a metadata wipe. - **Upload to social platforms**: Instagram, Facebook, X, and WhatsApp strip EXIF on upload by re-encoding. File-sharing tools like email, Dropbox, and AirDrop keep it. For the bigger picture of what EXIF records and why people check it, see [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). ## FAQ **Is EXIF stored in a separate file next to the photo?** No, it's embedded inside the image file itself. (Some pro RAW workflows use `.xmp` sidecars, but standard EXIF in a JPEG, HEIC, PNG, or TIFF lives inside the image.) **What's the difference between the APP1 block and the IFDs?** APP1 is the JPEG slot that holds the EXIF. The IFDs (IFD0, Exif sub-IFD, GPS IFD) are the directory tree *inside* that slot. The maker note is the most fragile part of all of this: it is where the camera's shutter count lives, and almost every editing app deletes it on save. [How to check camera shutter count on Mac](/photo-guides/how-to-check-camera-shutter-count) shows what survives and what does not. ## Bottom line EXIF isn't kept in a hidden app database or a sidecar file. It's embedded in the image: in a JPEG that means the APP1 marker segment near the top, structured as a TIFF/IFD tree (IFD0, Exif sub-IFD, GPS IFD). HEIC, PNG, WebP, and TIFF store the same tags in their own containers. Because it's baked in, the metadata travels with every copy. To see where your photo's metadata lives: [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). To strip it before sharing: [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). For the meaning of every tag: [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference). All in your browser, nothing uploads. --- # What Font Do Timestamp Cameras Use? The Classic Look > The classic orange timestamp font is a seven-segment LED style from old film cameras. Here are the free lookalike fonts and how to recreate the look. *Published: 2026-06-18* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/what-font-do-timestamp-cameras-use **Quick answer:** The classic timestamp-camera look is a 7-segment, dot-matrix style **orange digital font**, the kind printed by 1980s and 1990s film and disposable cameras that had a "quartz date" back. It is not one single named font. It is an LED/LCD seven-segment style. Common modern lookalike fonts include **DSEG** (a free seven-segment font family), **Digital-7**, and dot-matrix fonts. To put that retro date stamp on your own photos today, use our free [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) tool. It offers many date and time formats, positions, and colors, including the classic orange, so you can recreate the look in seconds. If you have ever flipped through a box of old photos, you know the look instantly: a small glowing orange date in the bottom-right corner, in chunky digital numerals. People search for the exact font behind that stamp all the time, but the honest answer is that it was never one font. It was a hardware style. Here is where it came from, the fonts that recreate it now, and how to get the look on a digital photo. ## Why old cameras printed an orange date The orange date came from a feature called a **quartz date back** (sometimes "databack" or "quartz date"). It was a little module built into the back of the camera, with its own quartz clock, that exposed the date directly onto the film at the moment you took the picture. Here is the part that surprises people: the date was not ink. The databack used a tiny array of **LED segments** that shone light onto the film. Because it physically exposed the film, the number became part of the negative, just like the rest of the image. So why orange? The amber-orange color showed up reliably across scenes, whether the photo was bright or dark, indoors or out, and stayed legible against almost any background. That is why nearly every quartz-date camera, from point-and-shoots to disposables, landed on the same warm orange. The shape of the numbers came straight from the hardware too. The databack drew each digit with **seven-segment LED elements**, the same bar layout you see on a digital alarm clock or a microwave. Cheaper models used a coarser dot-matrix grid. Either way, the numerals were blocky, even-width, and unmistakably digital. That seven-segment aesthetic, plus the orange, is the entire "timestamp camera" look. ## The fonts that recreate it today There is no original font file to download, because the old cameras did not use a font in the software sense. But several modern fonts mimic the shapes closely enough to read as a real quartz date stamp. - **DSEG** is the closest free match. It is an open-source font family built to look like seven-segment and fourteen-segment LCD/LED displays. It even includes a "classic" variant with the faint "off" segments visible, exactly like a real display. If you want one name to remember, this is it. - **Digital-7** is another popular free seven-segment lookalike, widely used for clock and timer graphics. It is cleaner than DSEG and reads as a crisp digital clock. - **Dot-matrix fonts** recreate the grainier grid look of some cheaper databacks. Search for "dot matrix" or "LED dot" font families. - A plain **monospace font in amber** also works. You lose the true seven-segment shape, but an even-width font in orange still reads as "retro timestamp," because the color and corner placement do most of the heavy lifting. The takeaway: the font matters less than the **color and position**. Get the orange and the bottom-right corner right, and almost any blocky digital numeral sells the effect. ## How to get the look on your own photos now You do not need to install a font or open a design app. Our browser tool does it directly: 1. Open [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) and drop in your photo. It runs entirely in your browser, so nothing uploads. 2. Pick a date and time format. The classic disposable-camera style is a short numeric date in the corner. 3. Set the stamp color to **orange or amber**. This is the single most important choice for the retro look. 4. Move the stamp to the **bottom-right corner**, the traditional placement for quartz-date cameras. 5. Download. The date is now baked into the pixels, just like the old film stamps. If you want the date to be accurate going forward, our [GPS Camera](/gps-camera) captures new photos with the date, time, and location stamped on at the shutter, so you never have to add it afterward. ## Why the retro timestamp look is popular again The orange date stamp is having a real comeback, driven mostly by nostalgia. Disposable cameras and early-2000s "digicam" photos are trendy again, and the "2000s aesthetic" is everywhere on Instagram and TikTok. A warm orange date in the corner instantly reads as authentic and a little vintage, even if the photo was shot this morning on an iPhone. For a lot of people that little stamp is shorthand for a memory: it says "this really happened, on this day." Adding it back to a clean JPEG or PNG is a quick way to borrow that feeling. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the orange date font on old photos called?** It does not have an official name, because it was a hardware feature, not a font. It is a seven-segment LED date printed by a camera's quartz date back. The modern font that matches it most closely is the free DSEG family. **Is there a free timestamp font?** Yes. DSEG is free and open-source and is the closest match to the classic seven-segment look. Digital-7 is another free option. **How do I add a retro date stamp to a digital photo?** Drop the photo into [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo), choose a numeric date format, set the color to orange or amber, and place it bottom-right. Nothing uploads. **Can I get the look on an iPhone or Android photo?** Yes. The tool works on any device with a browser and accepts JPEG and PNG files straight from your iPhone or Android camera roll. Timestamps live outside photos too. If you are here because a chat server needs one, our [Discord timestamp generator](/discord-timestamp) builds the tags that render in every reader's own timezone, and the [YouTube timestamp tool](/youtube-timestamp) links a video at an exact second. ## Bottom line The classic timestamp-camera font is not a font at all. It is the orange, seven-segment LED date that old film and disposable cameras burned onto the negative through a quartz date back. The free DSEG and Digital-7 fonts get you the shape, but the color and corner placement matter most. The fastest way to get the whole look is our browser-based [Add Timestamp to Photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) tool. Pick orange, drop it bottom-right, and download. --- # How to Remove EXIF Data on Android (3 Free Ways) > Strip EXIF, GPS, and location from Android photos before sharing. *Published: 2026-06-18* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-remove-exif-data-on-android **Quick answer:** For a quick share, use **Google Photos**: open the photo, tap *More options* (three dots) → *Remove location*. That strips GPS but leaves date, camera, and the rest of the EXIF in place. For a **full wipe** (GPS, date, camera, lens, IPTC, XMP), open our free browser [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) in Android Chrome, pick the photo, and download the cleaned copy. Nothing uploads, no app install. Native Android tools mostly remove location only, so if you want real privacy the browser remover is the reliable one. Every photo your Android phone takes carries a hidden metadata block: when it was shot, where, with what camera, at what settings. That block travels with the file whenever you share by email, Gmail attachment, Drive, Dropbox, Telegram, or any direct file transfer. Usually harmless. Sometimes not. If you are posting a photo of your home, your kid, your workplace, or a marketplace listing, you probably do not want the GPS coordinates riding along inside the file. This guide covers the three practical ways to remove EXIF on Android, what each one actually strips, and when to pick which. ## Why EXIF on Android photos matters Android phones write a lot more than the picture itself. A typical photo from a Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, or other modern Android device carries roughly 40 to 80 EXIF tags. The privacy-relevant ones: - **GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude / GPSAltitude** (the exact spot the photo was taken) - **DateTimeOriginal** (when the shutter fired, often down to the second) - **Make / Model** (your phone model, for example *Google Pixel 9 Pro* or *Samsung SM-S928B*) - **Software** (Android build or camera app version, useful for forensic dating) - **LensModel** and exposure settings (aperture, shutter, ISO) For a full walk-through of every field, see our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference). The risk is not theoretical. Photos of houses leak addresses through GPS. Photos taken at a school leak the school's coordinates. Marketplace listing photos quietly reveal where you live. Most people have no idea any of this is embedded, because the Gallery info panel usually shows a small map without coordinates. The most important thing to understand up front: **removing location is not the same as removing EXIF.** Almost every built-in Android option only strips GPS. Date, camera, lens, and software tags stay. We cover the difference in detail below. ## Method 1: Google Photos "Remove location" (GPS only) Google Photos has a built-in way to drop the location off a shared copy. It is the fastest option, but it is GPS only and it has some quirks worth knowing. 1. Open the photo in *Google Photos*. 2. Tap *More options* (the three-dot menu, top right). 3. Tap *Remove location*. 4. Confirm. What this does: removes the GPS coordinates so the location no longer shows on the map. What it does **not** do: it leaves DateTimeOriginal, camera make and model, lens, and exposure settings untouched. Anyone who opens the file in an EXIF viewer still sees when it was taken and what phone took it. There are two more catches. First, the behavior varies by app version: in some versions *Remove location* only affects the copy you share through Google Photos, not the original in your library or a copy you pull straight off the device. Second, if you back up to Google's servers, the location may still be associated with the photo in your own account even after you strip it from a shared link. **Use this for:** a quick share where you only care about hiding where the photo was taken and you trust the recipient. **Do not use this for:** anything that needs a complete metadata wipe. GPS is the most sensitive tag, but it is not the only one. ## Method 2: Gallery / Files app "Details" then remove location (manufacturer dependent) Most Android phones ship with a gallery or files app that exposes photo details and, on some, a way to strip location. The exact steps vary by manufacturer. **Samsung Gallery:** 1. Open the photo in *Samsung Gallery*. 2. Swipe up, or tap *More options* (three dots) → *Details*. 3. Tap *Edit* next to the location, or use *Remove location data* if your One UI version offers it. **Pixel (Files by Google / Photos):** 1. Open the photo. 2. Tap *More options* → *Details* or *Remove location*. 3. Confirm. **Other manufacturers** (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola) bury a similar option under the photo *Details* or *Info* panel, sometimes labeled *Remove location* or *Discard location*. Be honest with yourself about what these do: native Android gallery and files tools almost always remove **location only**, not the full EXIF block. They are built to answer "stop showing where this was taken," not "wipe every trace of metadata." After using them, the date, camera, and lens tags are still inside the file. If you check the result in an [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer), you will usually see GPS gone but everything else intact. **Use this for:** keeping a photo in your library without the location attached. **Do not rely on this for:** a privacy share where you want zero metadata leaving the device. ## Method 3: Browser EXIF Remover (full wipe, nothing uploads) When you need to strip *everything* (GPS, date, camera, lens, IPTC, XMP), the built-in Android options are not enough. Use a browser-based remover. This works directly on your phone, no app install, and the photo never leaves the device. 1. Open Android Chrome and go to our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). 2. Tap to select the photo (or multiple photos) from your gallery. 3. Tap *Download*. The cleaned file has no metadata block at all. The whole process runs locally in your browser using JavaScript; the photo is never uploaded to any server. It works on JPEG and PNG, and on HEIC where your browser supports it. **Use this for:** marketplace listings, dating profile pictures, public-forum posts, photos of children that get re-shared, any photo where you want nothing leaving your phone. **Verify it worked:** open the cleaned file in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). The tables should be empty or near-empty. (Orientation and pixel dimensions may survive, which is normal and not sensitive.) This is the only one of the three methods that reliably gives you a full strip on Android without trusting a manufacturer's "remove location" feature to do more than it actually does. ## Removing location vs stripping all EXIF This is the part most guides gloss over, so here it is plainly. | Method | GPS | Date | Camera / lens | IPTC / XMP | |---|---|---|---|---| | Google Photos → Remove location | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | Samsung Gallery / Pixel → Remove location | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | Browser EXIF Remover ([/exif-remover](/exif-remover)) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | "Remove location" answers one question: where was this taken. A full EXIF strip answers a different one: what does this file reveal about me at all. If your goal is real privacy, location-only is not enough. The date can place you at an event, the camera model can fingerprint your device across photos, and the software tag can narrow down your phone and Android version. For a public share, strip all of it. If you also want to remove what is *visible* in the photo, a face, a license plate, a house number, a screen with private text, EXIF removal does nothing for that. The pixels are untouched. Pair the strip with our [Blur Faces](/blur-faces) tool, which also runs in the browser and uploads nothing. ## Does re-sharing through apps strip EXIF anyway? Sometimes, but you cannot count on it. Most social platforms re-compress photos on upload and drop the metadata as a side effect: - **Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat**: strip EXIF on upload, including GPS. - **Gmail, Drive, Dropbox, Telegram (as file), email attachments**: keep EXIF intact. The catch is that this only happens server-side, and only on the copy the platform hosts. Any time you send the **original file** (an email attachment, a Drive link, a direct file transfer), the EXIF travels untouched. And platform behavior changes without notice, so treating "they strip it anyway" as your privacy plan is a bad bet. For the full breakdown of which platforms strip and which keep, see [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). ## On iPhone instead? If you are doing this on an iPhone rather than Android, the built-in options and steps are different. See our companion guide: [how to remove EXIF data on iPhone](/photo-guides/remove-exif-data-on-iphone). The browser [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) works the same on both. ## Frequently asked questions **Does Google Photos "Remove location" delete all EXIF?** No. It only removes GPS coordinates. Date, camera make and model, lens, and exposure tags stay in the file. For a full wipe, use the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). **Do I need to install an app to remove EXIF on Android?** No. Our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) runs in Android Chrome with no install, and the photo never uploads. **Does cropping or editing in Google Photos strip EXIF?** No. Editing updates the ModifyDate tag but keeps the EXIF block, including GPS and DateTimeOriginal. Crop, rotate, and filters do not remove metadata. **Will removing EXIF lower my photo quality?** No. Stripping metadata only removes the hidden text block. The pixels are re-saved without re-compressing them down, so the image looks the same. **How do I check what metadata is still in a photo?** Open the file in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). It lists every EXIF, IPTC, and XMP tag, pins GPS on a map, and runs entirely in your browser. ## Bottom line On Android, "remove location" and "remove EXIF" are two different jobs. Google Photos and your Gallery app handle the first: they drop GPS but leave the date, camera, and lens tags inside the file. For the second, a true full strip, open our browser [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover), wipe everything in one tap, and confirm with the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). No app, no upload, nothing leaves your phone. ## Tools used in this guide - [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): full metadata wipe in your browser - [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer): verify what survived - [Blur Faces](/blur-faces): strip visible faces and license plates --- # Do PNG Files Have EXIF Data? What PNGs Actually Store > PNG can technically carry EXIF via the eXIf chunk, but most PNGs store text metadata instead and many carry almost none. Here is what PNGs really hold. *Published: 2026-06-18* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/do-png-files-have-exif-data **Quick answer:** Classic EXIF is really a JPEG and TIFF construct, so most PNGs do **not** carry the camera EXIF block you would find in a photo. PNG *can* technically hold EXIF: the **eXIf** chunk was added to the PNG specification in 2017, and some software writes EXIF there. But far more often a PNG stores its metadata as plain text in **tEXt**, **iTXt**, or **zTXt** chunks, and many PNGs, especially screenshots, carry little or no metadata at all. PNG files from most sources have **no GPS** by default. To see exactly what a PNG holds, drop it into our free browser-based [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. To strip whatever is there, use our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). It is a fair question, because PNG is everywhere: screenshots, logos, diagrams, exported designs, AI art. People assume every image file carries the same hidden GPS-and-camera block that makes JPEG photos a privacy concern. PNG mostly does not work that way. Here is what a PNG actually stores, when it does carry metadata, and how to view or remove it. ## PNG was not designed for camera EXIF PNG was created in the mid-1990s as a lossless format for graphics, screenshots, and web images, not as a camera format. Cameras write JPEG (and raw), and the EXIF standard grew up inside JPEG and TIFF. So when PNG defined how it stores extra information, it did not adopt the EXIF block. It used its own system of **chunks** instead. A PNG file is a sequence of chunks. Some are required (the pixels, the dimensions). Others are optional and hold metadata, and those optional chunks are where any "EXIF-like" information in a PNG lives. ## What a PNG actually stores Instead of one EXIF block, a PNG can carry several kinds of optional chunks: - **tEXt**: uncompressed Latin-1 text, stored as keyword plus value pairs. Common keywords are *Title*, *Author*, *Description*, *Software*, *Comment*, *Creation Time*. This is the classic PNG way to stamp a caption or the name of the program that made the file. - **iTXt**: international (UTF-8) text, optionally compressed. This is where modern tools write longer or non-Latin text, and where an **XMP** packet is usually stored when a PNG carries XMP metadata. - **zTXt**: compressed Latin-1 text, the same idea as tEXt but zlib-compressed to save space. - **eXIf**: the chunk added to the PNG spec in 2017 that lets a PNG embed a real EXIF block, the same structure a JPEG uses. Most everyday PNGs do not have it, but editors and converters that preserve metadata may write it. - **Color and rendering chunks**: **gAMA** (gamma), **sRGB**, **iCCP** (embedded ICC color profile), **pHYs** (pixel density / DPI), and a **tIME** chunk for the last-modification time. These are not personal metadata, but a viewer will still report them. So a PNG's "metadata" is mostly text chunks and color information, with EXIF only present when something deliberately wrote an eXIf chunk. ## PNG vs JPEG metadata at a glance The difference is easiest to see side by side: | | JPEG | PNG | | --- | --- | --- | | **Native metadata** | EXIF block (from the camera) | tEXt / iTXt / zTXt text chunks | | **Carries EXIF?** | Yes, by design | Only via the optional eXIf chunk | | **GPS location** | Common in camera photos | Almost never | | **Camera / lens / exposure** | Yes, in camera photos | Almost never | | **Typical use** | Camera photos | Screenshots, graphics, exports | In plain terms: a JPEG straight from a phone usually tells you *when, where, and with what camera*. A typical PNG tells you little more than its dimensions, its color profile, and maybe which program made it. For the full background on the EXIF side of this, see [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). ## When a PNG DOES carry metadata PNGs are not always blank. A PNG is more likely to hold useful metadata when it came from one of these: - **Exported from an editor.** Save or export a PNG from **Photoshop** or **Lightroom** and the file can carry an XMP packet (in an iTXt chunk), edit history, a software tag, copyright, and sometimes a real eXIf block if the original was a photo. Design and screenshot tools often stamp at least a *Software* keyword. - **Some Android screenshots.** Certain **Android** builds and screenshot apps write a software tag or device hint into PNG text chunks. This is usually a device or app name, not GPS. - **AI-generated images.** Many AI image tools embed the **prompt**, model name, seed, and settings directly into the PNG's text chunks. Tools built around **DALL-E** and **OpenAI** images, and many open-source generators, do exactly this, so an AI PNG can quietly contain the exact prompt that produced it. If you want to know which of these applies to a file you received, do not guess. The only reliable way is to read the actual chunks, which the viewer below does. ## Do PNG screenshots have location? Generally **no**. A screenshot is a capture of what was on screen, not a photo of the world, so there is no GPS reading to record, and PNG screenshots almost never carry location metadata. The one thing to watch is the *pixels*, not the metadata: if the screenshot visibly shows a map pin, an address, or a navigation app, the location is in the image itself, where no metadata tool can catch it. We cover this in depth in [does a screenshot have metadata](/photo-guides/does-a-screenshot-have-metadata). ## How to view a PNG's metadata in your browser Drop the PNG into our browser-based [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). It reads the tEXt, iTXt, and zTXt text chunks, parses an eXIf block if one is present, shows any XMP packet, and reports the color, gamma, and density chunks. Nothing uploads; the file is parsed locally in your browser. You will typically see dimensions, a color profile, maybe a software or comment field, and, for AI images, the embedded prompt. The GPS and camera sections will usually be empty, which confirms the PNG carries no location or camera data. You can also check natively. On **macOS**, open the PNG in *Preview*, then *Tools then Show Inspector*. On **Windows**, right-click then *Properties* then *Details*. These native tools are lighter and will not show every chunk, so use the viewer when you need the full picture. ## How to remove PNG metadata If a PNG carries an embedded prompt, a software tag, an XMP block, or an eXIf chunk you would rather not share, strip it. Our browser-based [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) wipes the metadata chunks and downloads a clean PNG in one click. Nothing uploads. Two reminders. First, the remover handles the *metadata* layer only; if the image visibly shows something private, you still need to crop or redact the pixels. Second, if you are converting a PNG to a photo format, our [PNG to JPG converter](/png-to-jpg) lets you control whether metadata carries over to the new file. ## Common questions **Does a PNG ever have GPS coordinates?** Almost never. Standard PNGs from screenshots, editors, and AI tools do not write GPS. The only way a PNG would carry GPS is if a tool deliberately wrote a full eXIf block copied from a GPS-tagged source, which is rare. Check with the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) if you need to be sure. **Is PNG metadata the same as EXIF?** Not usually. Most PNG metadata is plain text in tEXt, iTXt, or zTXt chunks, plus color and gamma data. A PNG only contains true EXIF when it has the optional eXIf chunk, which most PNGs lack. **Why does my AI-generated PNG contain text?** Many AI image tools embed the prompt, model, and settings into the PNG's text chunks so the image is reproducible. If you do not want to share the prompt, strip it with the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) before posting. For the broader question of when PNG is the right format at all, size and quality measured side by side, see [JPEG vs PNG](/photo-guides/jpeg-vs-png). ## Bottom line PNG was not built for camera EXIF. It can carry EXIF through the optional eXIf chunk added in 2017, but most PNGs instead store text metadata in tEXt, iTXt, and zTXt chunks, and many, especially screenshots, carry almost nothing and no GPS. To see exactly what a given PNG holds, use our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); to clean it before sharing, use our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). Both run in your browser, and nothing uploads. --- # How to Verify When a Photo Was Taken (and Spot a Faked Date) > Verify a photo's real date by comparing EXIF timestamps, GPS time, file order, and content credentials, and learn the patterns that reveal an altered date. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-verify-when-a-photo-was-taken **Quick answer:** To verify a photo's date, open it in a free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and compare the three timestamps EXIF records: **DateTimeOriginal** (when the shutter fired), **CreateDate**, also called DateTimeDigitized (when the file was first written), and **ModifyDate** (the last time it was saved). On a genuine fresh capture all three are nearly identical. If they disagree in a suspicious way, or if DateTimeOriginal is missing while ModifyDate is recent, the date may have been altered. GPS time, file order in a sequence, and content credentials add confidence. Use the EXIF viewer to read the timestamps and our [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) to dig deeper. When a photo's date matters for an insurance claim, a legal dispute, a warranty deadline, or a "when did this damage happen" argument, you cannot just trust the date the file claims. EXIF dates are editable in seconds with free tools, so a date alone is not evidence. This guide is about legitimate verification: how to read the timestamps a photo carries, what a normal pattern versus a tampered pattern looks like, and how to cross-check the date against signals that are harder to fake. It is framed strictly for detection, not for altering anything. ## The three EXIF timestamps EXIF stores three separate date fields, and the relationship between them is the single most useful thing you can read. - **DateTimeOriginal** is meant to record the moment the shutter fired. This is the "when was this taken" date. - **CreateDate** (the EXIF tag DateTimeDigitized) records when the image was first digitized or written to a file. On a digital camera this is the same instant as DateTimeOriginal. - **ModifyDate** records the last time the file was saved. Any re-save, edit, or export updates it. **The normal pattern.** A photo taken on a phone or camera and never edited has DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate all within a second or two of each other. That tight agreement is what an untouched capture looks like. **Suspicious patterns.** Watch for these: - **DateTimeOriginal missing, ModifyDate recent.** If the shutter date is gone but the file was saved recently, the original capture data may have been stripped or the file may have been generated or re-exported rather than captured. - **ModifyDate earlier than DateTimeOriginal.** A file cannot logically be saved before it was taken. This usually means one of the fields was edited by hand. - **Round or identical fake-looking values.** Dates set to midnight exactly, or all fields forced to the same arbitrary day, can indicate a manual edit. - **A Software tag that names an editor.** If DateTimeOriginal looks clean but the Software field reads "Adobe Photoshop" or a metadata tool, the dates passed through software that could have rewritten them. Read all three in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). For background on the fields, see [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## Cross-checks beyond the EXIF date Because EXIF dates are editable, the strongest verification compares them against signals that a casual faker is unlikely to align. **GPS timestamp.** When Location Services were on, the camera also writes a GPS block that includes its own UTC date and time, taken from satellite time. Compare the GPS date with DateTimeOriginal. They should match (allowing for time-zone offset). If the EXIF says one day and the embedded GPS time says another, one of them was changed, and GPS time is the harder one to forge. **Sun position and shadows.** The length and direction of shadows encode the time of day and the season for a given location. If a photo claims to be a winter afternoon but shows short overhead shadows consistent with summer noon, the claimed date is inconsistent with the scene. This is a sanity check, not a precise clock, but it catches dates that are wildly wrong. **Surrounding photos in a sequence.** Cameras and phones assign file names and numbers in order (IMG_0412, IMG_0413). If the photo in question carries a date that breaks the monotonic order of the frames around it, or sits in a folder whose neighbors are all months apart from it, the date is worth questioning. **File system dates.** The operating system's created and modified timestamps on the file are weak (they reset on copy and download), but a file system date that predates the claimed DateTimeOriginal is a contradiction that deserves a second look. ## Why a burned-in timestamp is harder to fake EXIF lives in the file header, separate from the pixels, which is exactly why it is easy to rewrite. A timestamp burned into the pixels at the moment of capture is a different matter. To change it, someone has to edit the image itself: paint out the old digits and render new ones that match the font, lighting, and compression of the original. That leaves the kind of traces covered in [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited), and a careful look with Error Level Analysis in the [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) can often reveal the patch. This is why, for photos where the date may be challenged later, the most defensible approach is to capture with the date stamped onto the image at the shutter. You can [add a timestamp to a photo](/add-timestamp-to-photo) at the moment you take it, so the date lives in the pixels and in the EXIF together. For more on how courts and adjusters treat these, see [are timestamp photos legal evidence](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence). ## Content credentials C2PA Content Credentials add a cryptographic layer on top of all of this. A growing number of cameras, including recent iPhone models, can attach a signed capture credential that records when and with what device the image was made. Because the manifest is signed, altering the recorded date breaks the signature. Drop the file into [contentcredentials.org/verify](https://contentcredentials.org/verify) or read [how to check content credentials (C2PA)](/photo-guides/how-to-check-content-credentials-c2pa) to see whether a credential is present and intact. When it is, it is the strongest date evidence available. ## Honest limits No method here is a guarantee. EXIF dates can be edited in seconds, so a clean-looking set of timestamps proves only that nobody bothered to make them disagree, not that the date is true. GPS time can be absent if Location was off. Content credentials are opt-in and are stripped by many platforms on upload, so their absence proves nothing. A re-export through a messaging app can quietly normalize all three EXIF dates and erase the very mismatches you were looking for. The reliable approach is to combine signals: read the three timestamps, cross-check GPS and the photo sequence, look for editing traces, and seek the original file and its content credentials from the source. Treat a single suspicious signal as a reason to investigate, not a verdict, and for any photo whose date you may need to prove later, stamp the date at capture so the evidence is baked in from the start. --- # How to Tell If a Photo Has Been Edited or Photoshopped (2026) > How to tell if a photo is edited or photoshopped: check the EXIF Software tag, run Error Level Analysis, read visual tells, and verify content credentials. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited **Quick answer:** Four practical signals tell you a photo has likely been edited. (1) **Metadata**: open a free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and read the Software tag. A value like "Adobe Photoshop 26.0" or "Adobe Lightroom", or a DateTimeOriginal that disagrees with ModifyDate, points to an edit. (2) **Error Level Analysis (ELA)**: run it in our [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) to highlight pasted or re-saved regions that compress differently from the rest of the image. (3) **Visual tells**: inconsistent lighting, soft or hard edges around an object, repeating cloned patterns, and warped backgrounds. (4) **C2PA Content Credentials**: a signed manifest that can record the edit chain. No single check is proof on its own; combine them. People reach for photo editing for harmless reasons (brightness, cropping, a quick blemish fix) and for dishonest ones (faking a document, removing a person, inventing damage for a claim). This guide is about telling the two apart. It covers what an edited file looks like in the metadata, what Error Level Analysis can and cannot show you, the visual red flags that survive a careful edit, and the honest limits of every method. If you suspect a fully synthetic image rather than a retouched real one, read [how to detect AI-generated images](/photo-guides/how-to-detect-ai-generated-images) instead, because the signals are different. ## Check the metadata first The fastest check costs nothing and takes under a minute. Open the photo in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and look at three things. **The Software tag.** When you open a JPEG or PNG in an editor and save it, the program usually stamps its own name into the EXIF Software field. Real cameras write firmware strings ("1.2.0", "iOS 19.2"). Editors write their product name: "Adobe Photoshop 26.0 (Macintosh)", "Adobe Lightroom Classic 14.3", "GIMP 3.0", "Pixelmator Pro". If a photo claims to come straight off a camera but the Software tag names an editor, the file was processed after capture. That alone does not prove a dishonest edit (Lightroom export is routine), but it tells you the pixels are not the untouched original. **Timestamp mismatch.** A fresh, unedited capture has DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate that are nearly identical. When ModifyDate is hours, days, or years later than DateTimeOriginal, the file was saved again after the shutter fired. That is exactly what happens when someone opens an image, edits it, and exports it. A large gap is a flag worth investigating. **Missing camera fields.** Real camera photos carry Make, Model, LensModel, FNumber, ExposureTime, and ISO. Many editors, especially when you "Save for Web" or export a flattened copy, drop most of this. A photo with a recent ModifyDate, an editor Software tag, and no camera fields at all has been through an editing pipeline that stripped the original capture data. For a full tour of these fields, see [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## Error Level Analysis (ELA), explained Error Level Analysis is the classic forensic test for splices and local edits. Open the file in our [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) and run the ELA view. Here is the idea. JPEG is a lossy format: every time you save, the image loses a predictable amount of detail. ELA re-saves the photo at a known quality and measures the difference between the original and the re-save, pixel by pixel. A photo that was saved once compresses uniformly, so the whole frame shows roughly even ELA brightness. But when someone pastes a region from another image, or clones a patch, or paints over an area, that region has a different compression history. After the re-save, it often glows brighter or darker than its surroundings. Sharp rectangular bright zones, an object that stands out against a flat background, or a face at a different error level than the body are all classic edit signatures. ELA is most reliable on JPEGs that have been saved a small number of times. It is weakest on PNGs (lossless, so the math differs), on heavily compressed social media re-uploads (which flatten everything to a similar level), and on edits where the whole image was re-exported at one quality after editing, which can erase the local difference. Treat a clean ELA as "no splice detected here", not "definitely untouched". ## Visual red flags Some tells survive even a careful edit, because they come from physics the editor did not reconcile. **Lighting and shadows.** Light in a real scene has one or a few consistent directions. If an inserted person is lit from the left while everything behind them is lit from the right, or casts a shadow that points the wrong way (or casts none at all), the object was probably added. **Edges and halos.** Look closely at the boundary of any suspicious object. A faint bright or dark halo, an unnaturally crisp cutout against a soft background, or smudged "liquify" warping near a waistline or jaw are signs of local manipulation. **Repeating patterns.** The clone and healing tools copy texture. Identical leaves, duplicated bricks, a repeated cloud shape, or a stretch of grass that tiles too perfectly suggest something was painted out and covered over. **Warped backgrounds.** Removing an object often bends the straight lines behind it. Door frames, tiles, railings, and horizons that gently curve where they should be straight are a strong tell that something was erased. ## Content credentials (C2PA) C2PA Content Credentials are a cryptographically signed manifest embedded in the file that can record the editing chain: which tool touched the image and what kind of change was made. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom can attach these credentials, and when they are intact you can read the edit history at [contentcredentials.org/verify](https://contentcredentials.org/verify) or learn more in [how to check content credentials (C2PA)](/photo-guides/how-to-check-content-credentials-c2pa). The catch is that credentials are opt-in and easy to lose. A screenshot, a re-upload through a platform that strips metadata, or an export from a tool that does not write C2PA will all leave nothing to verify. So C2PA is strong evidence of editing when present, but its absence proves nothing. Apple has taken a related route on the iPhone 18 Pro. Photos taken in its Reference mode carry signed sensor data that develops into a reference image you can compare against the photo to see whether it was changed. It only covers photos shot that way, on those phones, and viewing needs an Apple device on iOS 27 or later; the details are in [Apple Reference Image on iPhone 18 Pro](/photo-guides/apple-reference-image-iphone-18-pro). ## The limits Be honest about what these methods can and cannot do. A skilled editor working at a consistent JPEG quality, matching lighting carefully and re-exporting the whole frame once, can produce an edit that passes ELA and looks clean. A simple re-save, a format conversion to PNG, or a trip through a messaging app can wipe the Software tag, flatten ELA, and erase content credentials, hiding the traces of even a crude edit. And many flags have innocent explanations: an editor Software tag often just means the photo was color-corrected, and a timestamp gap can come from a routine export. The most important rule in forensics applies here. Absence of proof is not proof of innocence, and a single suspicious signal is a reason to look harder, not a verdict. When the stakes are real, combine all four checks, seek the original file from the source, and weigh the metadata, the pixels, and the story together. --- # How to Find the Location of a WhatsApp Photo > WhatsApp strips EXIF and GPS from photos sent normally. Learn the Send as Document trick that keeps location, plus how to find clues when metadata is gone. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-find-the-location-of-a-whatsapp-photo **Quick answer:** WhatsApp strips EXIF (including GPS) from photos sent the normal way, so a received WhatsApp photo usually has NO location. The workarounds: ask the sender to share the photo as a Document (File) instead of as a Photo, which keeps the original EXIF; check the original on the sender's device; or look for location clues in the image itself with a reverse image search or visible landmarks. Drop any photo into our [photo location finder](/where-was-this-photo-taken) to see if GPS survived. It is one of the most common photo questions there is: someone sends you a picture on WhatsApp and you want to know where it was taken. The frustrating truth is that a normally-sent WhatsApp photo almost never carries that answer. Here is exactly why, the one reliable trick that gets around it, and what to do when even that is not an option. ## Why WhatsApp photos have no GPS When you send a photo the normal way in WhatsApp (tapping the photo icon and picking an image), WhatsApp **re-encodes** the file before sending. It compresses the image to save bandwidth and, in the process, throws away the **EXIF** metadata block that held the date, camera model, and GPS coordinates. This is the same thing most social platforms do. Our guide on [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data) covers the full list, and [why Instagram strips EXIF data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data) explains the reasoning, which is mostly privacy and file size. The result is that the photo you receive is a fresh, lighter copy with no location baked in. So if you drop a normal WhatsApp photo into any [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), you will typically see no GPS at all. That is expected, not a bug. And importantly, the location was not "hidden" inside the file in some recoverable way; it was discarded during re-encoding. No tool can recover metadata that was never written into the file you received. ## The Send as Document trick that preserves EXIF There is one clean way to get a WhatsApp photo with its original metadata intact: send it as a **Document** (File) rather than as a Photo. The Document path does not re-encode the image, so the original EXIF, including GPS, travels with it. To ask a sender to do this: 1. In the chat, tap the attachment icon (the paperclip or plus). 2. Choose **Document** (on some versions it is **File**), not Photo or Gallery. 3. Browse to the image in Files or the gallery and select it. 4. Send. The recipient gets the original file, uncompressed, with EXIF intact. On **iPhone**, the sender picks Document and then navigates to the photo (they may need to save it to Files first). On **Android**, Document opens the file picker directly. Either way, the key is that the image goes through as a file attachment, not through the photo compression pipeline. This only works if the **sender** does it; you cannot retroactively make an already-compressed photo carry data it lost. So if location matters, ask before they send. ## Checking whether a given file kept its location Got a file and not sure whether the GPS survived? Just check it. Drop the image into our [photo location finder](/where-was-this-photo-taken). If GPS data is present, you get a map pin and a reverse-geocoded street and city address. If the file was re-encoded by WhatsApp, you will see no location, which tells you it came through the normal photo path. Everything runs in your browser; nothing uploads. Our broader walkthrough on [how to see where a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-where-a-photo-was-taken) covers the same process for photos from any source. The location finder is the fastest way to confirm in seconds whether a particular WhatsApp file is one of the lucky ones that kept its GPS (almost always meaning it was sent as a Document). ## When there is no EXIF: clues, search, and asking If the metadata is gone and you cannot get the original, location is not necessarily a dead end. It just shifts from reading data to reading the image: - **Reverse image search.** Upload the photo to a reverse image search engine. If the same image or scene appears elsewhere online with a caption or tag, that can pin down the place. - **Visible landmarks and signs.** Street signs, shop names, license plates, language on signage, architecture, mountains, or skylines are all clues. A single readable storefront name plus a map search often does it. - **Scenery and context.** Vegetation, weather, time of day, and even the direction of shadows can narrow a region. - **Just ask the sender.** The simplest option. The person who took it knows, and the original on their device still has full EXIF if you want to verify. Be realistic about what these methods can and cannot do. They can suggest a likely location from visible evidence, but they do not recover the precise GPS coordinates that re-encoding deleted. Treat them as informed guesses, not exact fixes. ## The privacy flip side There is a genuine upside to all of this. Because WhatsApp strips EXIF on normal sends, **the photos you send usually do not leak your location**. When you snap a picture at home and send it to a friend, you are not accidentally broadcasting your home address inside the file. For everyday messaging, that is a real privacy win that happens automatically. If you want to be deliberate about it, for example before posting a photo somewhere public, you can strip metadata yourself first with our [EXIF remover](/exif-remover). And if you ever need to confirm what a file is carrying before you share it, the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) shows you everything that is in there. ## Bottom line A WhatsApp photo sent the normal way has no GPS, because WhatsApp re-encodes and strips EXIF. To keep location, have the sender share it as a Document (File) instead of a Photo. To check any file fast, drop it into the [photo location finder](/where-was-this-photo-taken). When metadata is gone, fall back to reverse image search, visible landmarks, and asking the sender, but do not expect to recover exact coordinates that were stripped. The same stripping that frustrates you here is what quietly protects your own location every day. --- # How to Check Content Credentials (C2PA) and Verify a Photo > Content Credentials (C2PA) are a tamper-evident label on an image. Learn how to read the provenance manifest, spot AI generation, and what the limits are. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-check-content-credentials-c2pa **Quick answer:** Content Credentials (built on the open C2PA standard) are a tamper-evident "nutrition label" cryptographically attached to an image that records who made it, what tools touched it, and whether AI was involved. To check them, open a Content Credentials verifier (contentcredentials.org/verify or the Adobe inspect tool), drop the image, and read the manifest. Note: C2PA only exists if the creating tool added it, and it can be stripped, so absence is not proof. Cross-check with [EXIF](/exif-viewer) and [forensics](/photo-forensics). In 2026, "is this photo real or AI?" is a question almost everyone asks at some point, and Content Credentials are the most reliable answer the industry has agreed on so far. This guide explains what they are, how to check them in under a minute, what the manifest actually shows you, and the important limits that keep them from being a magic lie detector. ## What C2PA and Content Credentials are, and who uses them **C2PA** stands for the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, a standards group whose members include Adobe, Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Intel, and the BBC. **Content Credentials** is the consumer-facing name for the same thing: a small, cryptographically signed block of provenance data attached to a media file. Think of it as a tamper-evident seal. When a tool that supports the standard creates or edits an image, it writes a signed **manifest** into the file. The signature means that if someone changes the pixels or the manifest afterward, the verifier can tell the seal was broken. The manifest records a chain: where the file came from, what software touched it, and whether AI was part of the process. Who actually adds Content Credentials today: - **Adobe** apps (Photoshop, Lightroom, Firefly) can attach them on export. - **Cameras** from Leica, Sony, and Nikon can sign images at the moment of capture on certain pro models. - **AI generators** including OpenAI (DALL-E and images from ChatGPT), Google (Gemini and Imagen), and Adobe Firefly embed Content Credentials marking the image as AI-generated. - **Microsoft** tags AI images produced in its products. So a growing share of both real camera photos and AI images now carry this label, which is exactly what makes checking it worthwhile. ## How to check Content Credentials step by step 1. **Open a verifier.** The official one is contentcredentials.org/verify. Adobe also runs an inspect tool. Both run the same kind of check. 2. **Drop the image in.** Drag the file onto the page, upload it, or paste an image URL. The verifier reads the manifest locally and validates the signature. 3. **Read the result.** If a valid manifest is present, you will see the issuer, the date, the tools used, and any AI-generation flag. If the file has no manifest, the verifier simply says no Content Credentials were found. 4. **Cross-check.** Treat the manifest as one input, not the verdict. Open the same file in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) to compare. Some platforms now show a small "Cr" icon on images that carry credentials; clicking it opens the same verifier view. ## What the manifest shows A complete Content Credentials manifest can tell you a surprising amount: - **Capture:** the device or app that originated the image, and sometimes a capture timestamp signed by the camera itself. - **Edits:** each tool that modified the file, in order. You might see "opened in Photoshop, used generative fill, exported." That edit history is the most useful part for spotting manipulation. - **AI generation:** a clear flag when an image was created or substantially altered by an AI model, including which model or product produced it. - **Issuer:** who signed the manifest, so you know whether to trust the source. If the signature is intact, you can trust that the recorded history has not been altered since it was signed. That is the core promise: not "this image is true," but "this is a verifiable record of what happened to this file." ## The limits (read this part) Content Credentials are powerful but not absolute, and overtrusting them is its own mistake: - **They are optional.** A file only carries credentials if the creating tool added them. Plenty of real photos and plenty of AI images have none at all. - **They can be stripped.** Screenshotting an image, re-saving it, or uploading it to a platform that re-encodes files (the same way many platforms strip EXIF) can remove the manifest. See [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data) and [why Instagram strips EXIF data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data); the same re-encoding that drops EXIF often drops C2PA too. - **Absence is not proof.** No credentials does not mean "real" and does not mean "fake." It just means the label is not there. - **A broken signature is a signal.** If the verifier reports the manifest does not match the pixels, the file was altered after signing. That is a meaningful red flag worth investigating. There is also a regulatory tailwind worth knowing about. The **EU AI Act** requires that AI-generated and AI-manipulated content be marked in a machine-readable way, and C2PA is one of the leading standards being adopted to meet that requirement. That is a major reason adoption is accelerating in 2026, though it does not yet mean every AI image you meet will be labeled. ## How it complements EXIF and forensics Content Credentials answer "what is this file's signed history?" EXIF and forensics answer "what does the file itself reveal, label or no label?" You want all three. - **EXIF** holds the camera's own record: capture date, GPS, camera model, exposure. Drop any photo into the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) to read it. When C2PA is missing, EXIF is often the next-best provenance trail. - **Forensics** looks at the pixels directly: compression patterns, error level analysis, and inconsistencies that survive even when all metadata is gone. Our [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) and the guides on [how to detect AI-generated images](/photo-guides/how-to-detect-ai-generated-images) and [how to tell if a photo has been edited](/photo-guides/how-to-tell-if-a-photo-has-been-edited) cover this. Use Content Credentials first when they exist, because a valid signature is strong evidence. When they are absent or stripped, fall back to EXIF and forensic analysis. No single check is definitive, but together they give you a confident, defensible read on a photo's authenticity. ## Bottom line Content Credentials (C2PA) are a tamper-evident provenance label that says who made an image, what edited it, and whether AI was involved. Check them at contentcredentials.org/verify or Adobe's inspect tool by dropping the file in and reading the manifest. Remember the label is optional and strippable, so absence is not proof. Confirm everything with the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics). --- # How to Change a Photo's Date on Windows 10 and 11 > Change the date a photo was taken on Windows 10 and 11. File Explorer can edit Date taken, but it fails silently on many files. Use a browser EXIF editor. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *4 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-windows **Quick answer:** Windows File Explorer can edit a photo's "Date taken" through Properties > Details, but that only writes the EXIF tag for some formats, and Explorer hides errors when it fails. It silently does nothing on HEIC and PNG, and it cannot batch a folder reliably. The dependable, cross-format way to change the real capture date is a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date): it writes DateTimeOriginal into the file itself, with no install and no upload. Here is how both methods work, and when to use each. Windows has two separate ideas of a photo's "date," and most people change the wrong one. Below, the built-in method first, then the reliable one. ## Method 1: File Explorer Properties > Details (built-in, but limited) Windows 10 and 11 both let you edit the capture date without any extra software: 1. Open the folder, right-click the photo, and choose **Properties**. 2. Click the **Details** tab. 3. Find **Date taken**, click the value next to it, and type the new date and time. 4. Click **Apply**, then **OK**. For a standard JPEG straight off a camera or phone, this often works and writes the EXIF date into the file. So why not stop here? The limits are real, and Explorer does not warn you about them: - **It only edits some formats.** The **Date taken** field is blank and uneditable for **PNG** and **TIFF**, and for **HEIC** (the default iPhone format) Windows usually shows no editable date at all. - **It fails silently.** When Explorer cannot write the tag, it does not show an error. You type a new date, click OK, and nothing actually changes in the file. You only find out later when the old date reappears. - **No real batch.** Selecting many files and editing **Date taken** for all of them is unreliable: it skips files it cannot write and gives no report of what succeeded. - **It can touch the wrong tag.** Explorer's **Date taken** does not always map cleanly to **DateTimeOriginal**, so other apps may still read the old value. If your file is a clean JPEG and you only have one or two, the built-in method is fine. For anything else, use the next method. ## Method 2: Browser EXIF date editor (reliable, writes the file) To change the real capture date in a way that sticks across every app and format: 1. Open the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) in any browser on Windows. 2. Upload the photo (JPEG, and more). 3. Type the new date and time. 4. Click Apply and download the new file. This writes **DateTimeOriginal** directly into the file, which is the tag photo apps, cameras, and operating systems actually read for "when this was taken." It runs entirely in your browser, so the photo never uploads to a server, and there is nothing to install. When the date needs to be correct everywhere (for sorting, for sharing, for evidence), this is the method to trust. If you want to confirm what a file currently holds, open it in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) first. ## Why "Date modified" and "Date created" are NOT the date taken In a File Explorer folder, the columns you see most often are **Date modified** and **Date created**. These are filesystem timestamps, set by Windows, not by the camera: - **Date created** is when this copy of the file landed on this drive. Copy a photo to a new folder and it can become today. - **Date modified** is when the file's bytes last changed. Neither one is the capture date. The date the photo was actually taken lives inside the file as EXIF **DateTimeOriginal**. Sorting a folder by **Date created** can scramble photos into the wrong order even when their real capture dates are perfect. For the full breakdown, see [date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified). If your dates already look wrong, [why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong) covers the common causes. ## Changing the date on many photos at once Need to fix a whole batch (a trip, a scanned album, a camera with the clock set wrong)? File Explorer's multi-select edit is the part most likely to fail silently, so it is the worst tool for bulk work. A browser EXIF editor handles files one at a time but with certainty: each download genuinely carries the new **DateTimeOriginal**, and nothing is skipped without telling you. For very large batches, power users sometimes reach for a command-line tool, but for most people the browser editor is faster to learn and safer, because you can see and verify each result. ## The short version Windows File Explorer can edit **Date taken** through Properties > Details, but only for some formats, with no batch, and it hides its failures on **HEIC**, **PNG**, and **TIFF**. The reliable, format-proof fix is a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date): it writes **DateTimeOriginal** into the file, runs locally, and never uploads your photo. Remember that **Date created** and **Date modified** in the folder are not the capture date. Photos still on an iPhone can be fixed before they ever reach the PC: see [how to change the date of a photo on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone). For other platforms and the bigger picture, see [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). --- # How to Change a Photo's Date on Mac (Photos App and EXIF) > Change a photo's date on Mac. The Photos app Adjust Date and Time only edits the library, not the file. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *4 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-mac **Quick answer:** The Mac Photos app can change a photo's date through **Image > Adjust Date and Time**, but it only updates the Photos library database, not the EXIF date embedded in the file. So the moment you export the photo or move the original, the old date comes back. To change the real date that travels with the file, use a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date): it writes **DateTimeOriginal** into the file itself, runs locally in your browser, and works everywhere. Here are all three approaches, including ExifTool for power users. macOS keeps the date you see in Photos separate from the date stored in the file. That gap is why a date you "fixed" can reappear later. Here is how to fix it for real. ## Method 1: Photos app "Adjust Date and Time" (library only) The built-in Photos app makes this look easy: 1. Open **Photos** and select the image (or several images). 2. In the menu bar, choose **Image**, then **Adjust Date and Time**. 3. Set the corrected date and time. 4. Click **Adjust**. The date now looks right inside Photos, in the timeline and in Memories. This is genuinely useful for organizing your own library. The catch: **it does not rewrite the EXIF on the original file.** Photos stores the change as an adjustment in its own database. The underlying file still carries its original **DateTimeOriginal**. That matters the moment the photo leaves Photos: - **Export** the photo and, depending on your export settings, the EXIF can still hold the old capture date. - **Copy the original out** of the library (or use the file elsewhere) and Photos' adjustment is left behind entirely. - **Another app or another computer** reads the file's EXIF, not Photos' private database, so it shows the old date. In short, Photos fixes the date you see, not the date inside the file. For a fix that survives export and sharing, use one of the methods below. ## Method 2: Browser EXIF date editor (writes the file, works everywhere) To change the real capture date so it stays correct no matter where the photo goes: 1. Open the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) in any browser on your Mac (Safari or Chrome). 2. Upload the photo. 3. Type the new date and time. 4. Click Apply and download the new file. This writes **DateTimeOriginal** directly into the file, which is the tag every app and operating system reads for "when this was taken." It runs entirely in your browser, so the photo never uploads to a server, and there is nothing to install. Because the date now lives in the file, it stays correct after export, after AirDrop, and on any device. To check what a file currently holds before and after, open it in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). ## Method 3: ExifTool from the command line (for power users) If you are comfortable in Terminal, ExifTool is the precision tool. Install it (for example with Homebrew), then run a single command to set the capture date: ``` exiftool "-DateTimeOriginal=2024:07:15 14:30:00" photo.jpg ``` That rewrites **DateTimeOriginal** in the file, the same field the browser editor targets. ExifTool can also batch a whole folder and shift dates by a fixed offset (handy when a camera clock was off by a known amount). It is powerful but unforgiving: get the syntax wrong and you can write the wrong tag. For one-off fixes, or if Terminal is not your thing, the browser editor does the same job with no setup. ## Why this matters for sorting and evidence The capture date is not just cosmetic. It controls how photos sort into albums and timelines, and it is what people rely on when a photo's date needs to be trusted (insurance, claims, records, legal context). If the date only lives in the Photos database, it is invisible to everyone else and gone the moment the file is shared. Writing **DateTimeOriginal** into the file is what makes the date portable and verifiable. If your dates are already off, [why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong) explains the usual causes, and [date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified) untangles which date is which. ## The short version The Mac Photos app's **Adjust Date and Time** changes only the library, so the date reverts when you export or move the file. To change the real date, use a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date): it writes **DateTimeOriginal** into the file, runs locally, and never uploads your photo. ExifTool does the same from Terminal if you prefer the command line. If the photos are still on your iPhone, [changing the date on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone) saves the trip to the Mac. For other platforms and the wider guide, see [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). --- # How to Change the Date Taken in Google Photos (and Why It Does Not Stick) > Change the date taken in Google Photos via Edit date and time, learn why it only changes Google's database, and how a browser EXIF date editor makes it *Published: 2026-06-16* · *4 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-date-taken-in-google-photos **Quick answer:** Google Photos lets you edit a photo's date through the photo's info panel (three-dot menu, then Edit date & time), but this only changes the date inside Google Photos, not the EXIF date embedded in the file. When you download or export the photo, the old date can come back. To change the real date in the file so it stays correct everywhere, use a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) that writes DateTimeOriginal directly. It runs in your browser, with no upload and no app to install. Google Photos shows a tidy timeline sorted by date, so editing a date there feels like it fixes the photo. It does not. Here is how the in-app edit works, why it does not stick, and how to fix the file itself. ## Change the date in Google Photos (web and mobile) On the web at photos.google.com: 1. Open the photo. 2. Click the **info** button (the small "i") or the three-dot menu. 3. Choose **Edit date & time**. 4. Set the new date and time, then click **Save**. On the Android or iPhone app: 1. Open the photo and swipe up, or tap the three-dot menu. 2. Tap **Edit date & time**. 3. Set the new date and time, then tap **Save**. You can also select several photos, open the menu, and apply **Edit date & time** to all of them at once, which is handy for a batch of scans with the wrong date. ## The catch: it only changes Google's own database Here is what most people miss. The edit above updates the date in Google's database for your account. It does **not** rewrite the EXIF **DateTimeOriginal** stored inside the file. The result: - The photo sorts to the new date **inside Google Photos**, and that is all. - The file's real EXIF capture date is **unchanged**. - When you **download** that photo, or pull it out through **Google Takeout**, the date can revert to the original because the file never carried your edit. So the in-app edit is fine for tidying your own timeline. It is the wrong tool when the date needs to be correct in the file itself, for evidence, for sharing, or for sorting in any other app. To understand the two different dates at play, see [date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified). ## Fix the real date with a browser EXIF date editor To make the date stick everywhere the photo goes, you have to write it into the file: 1. Open the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) in any browser, on desktop or phone. 2. Upload the JPEG (or HEIC, or PNG). 3. Type the correct date and time. 4. Apply and download the new file. This writes **DateTimeOriginal** directly into the photo. Because the date now lives in the file, it survives downloads, AirDrop, email, a transfer to a new phone, and even a future Google Takeout export. The whole thing runs in your browser, so the photo never uploads to a server and there is nothing to install. If you want to confirm the change, open the new file in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and check that DateTimeOriginal now shows the date you set. ## Bonus: what Google Takeout actually exports This trips up a lot of people. When you export your library with Google Takeout, the JPEG files carry their **original EXIF date**, not the date you edited inside Google Photos. Google does include a separate **.json** sidecar file next to each photo that records the edited "photo taken time," but that is metadata Google keeps on the side. The image file's EXIF still holds the original timestamp. So if you import a Takeout archive into another app, or open the raw JPEGs, you will often see the old dates return, and the edits you carefully made in Google Photos appear to be gone. The fix is the same: if the date matters in the file, edit the EXIF directly with the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) before or after the export. That way the JPEG itself is correct and no sidecar file is required to keep your dates straight. ## The short version Google Photos **Edit date & time** changes the date in Google's database only. The EXIF date in the file does not move, and a download or a Takeout export can bring the old date back. To change the date for real, write **DateTimeOriginal** into the file with a browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date), then verify with the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). If you are still not sure why a date looks wrong in the first place, see [why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong) and [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). --- # How to Batch-Change Photo Dates (Fix Hundreds at Once) > Batch-change photo dates with a free browser EXIF date editor, Adobe Lightroom Edit Capture Time, or the ExifTool command line. Fix hundreds at once. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-batch-change-photo-dates **Quick answer:** To change the date on many photos at once, you have three good options on a computer: a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) that handles multiple JPEGs at once and can either set a date or shift every photo by the same amount, Adobe Lightroom's **Edit Capture Time**, or the **ExifTool** command line for full control (with one example offset command below). The most common triggers are scanned photos that all carry the scan date and dates that reset after a phone transfer. For a fast, no-install, no-upload fix, the browser editor is usually the place to start. Fixing one date is easy. Fixing three hundred is a different problem, and doing it one photo at a time is not realistic. Here is how to do it in bulk, and how to choose between setting an exact date and shifting by an offset. ## When you need a batch fix Batch date changes come up in a few recurring situations: - **Scanned prints.** A box of old photos scanned in one sitting all get stamped with today's scan date instead of the year they were actually taken. - **Phone or computer transfers.** Copying photos to a new phone, or saving them out of a chat app, often resets the file dates so a whole album lands on the same wrong day. - **Wrong camera clock.** A camera set to the wrong date stamps every shot in a trip incorrectly, so they all need the same correction. - **Timezone shifts.** You shot in another timezone and every photo is off by the same number of hours. The first two usually need an **absolute** date. The last two usually need an **offset**. More on that distinction at the end. If you are not sure which is wrong, start with [why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong). ## Browser EXIF date editor for batches (no install, no upload) The simplest option, and it handles both kinds of fix: 1. Open the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) in any browser. 2. Select all the JPEGs you want to fix. (iPhone HEIC photos need a quick pass through the [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) first.) 3. Choose **Set** to give them a date and time, or **Shift** to move every photo by the same number of minutes, hours, or days. 4. Apply and download the corrected files. This writes **DateTimeOriginal** into each file directly, so the new date sticks everywhere the photos go. It runs entirely in your browser, which means there is nothing to install and your photos never upload to a server. Set is the right pick for a stack of scans that all need the same year; Shift is the one for a trip shot on a camera whose clock was off. ## On iPhone: the Photos app or an EXIF app If the photos never leave your phone, you have two routes there. **The Photos app.** Tap **Select** in the grid, pick the photos, tap the info button, then **Adjust Info** and **Adjust Date & Time**. It is quick and reversible (the same menu has **Revert**). Two things to keep in mind: the correction lives in your Photos library rather than being rewritten into each file, and Apple's guide does not say how one adjustment is spread across a batch, so check the order of the photos afterwards. **An EXIF app.** [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8), which we make, lets you pick a whole set of photos or videos and apply one date (and, if you like, one location) to all of them. It writes the date into the EXIF, TIFF, and QuickTime fields of new copies and leaves the originals alone, all on the phone. Because it applies a single date, it suits the scanned-album case best; for a clock that was off by a few hours, shift the files with the browser editor instead. Batch processing is part of ExifHub Pro. The single-photo walkthrough is in [how to change the date of a photo on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone). ## Lightroom Edit Capture Time (shift or set) If you already use Adobe Lightroom (Classic), it has a solid batch tool: 1. Select all the photos to change in the grid. 2. Open **Metadata**, then **Edit Capture Time**. 3. Choose one of the modes: - **Adjust to a specified date and time** sets the first selected photo to a date you type and moves the rest to keep their spacing. - **Shift by set number of hours** adds or subtracts a fixed offset, ideal for a timezone fix. - **Change to file creation date** pulls the date from the file itself. 4. Click **Change All**. Lightroom keeps the relative order and gaps between shots when you set an absolute date, which is the behavior you want for a trip where only the starting point was wrong. ## ExifTool for power users **ExifTool** is a free command line tool that gives you total control over the batch. Once installed, open a terminal in the folder of photos. To **add three hours** to every JPEG (a common timezone correction): ``` exiftool "-DateTimeOriginal+=0:0:0 3:0:0" *.jpg ``` The format is `Y:M:D h:m:s`, so `0:0:0 3:0:0` means zero years, months, and days, plus three hours. Use `-=` instead of `+=` to subtract. To **set an absolute date** on every file instead: ``` exiftool "-DateTimeOriginal=2019:07:04 12:00:00" *.jpg ``` ExifTool writes the change into the files in place (it keeps a backup copy by default), so the new dates travel with the photos. It is the most flexible option, but it does require installing a tool and typing commands carefully. ## Absolute date vs offset: which one you want The single most important choice in any batch is this: - **Set an absolute date** when you want every photo to land on one specific date, or when one known correct date should anchor the rest. Good for scans and for albums that all reset to the same wrong day. - **Shift by an offset** when the dates are correct relative to each other but all wrong by the same amount, such as a timezone difference or a camera clock that was off by a fixed number of hours. The offset preserves the real gaps between shots. Get this backwards and you will flatten a whole trip onto one timestamp, or nudge already-correct photos out of order. When you are done, open one file in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) to confirm **DateTimeOriginal** moved the way you expected. For the single-photo version of all this, see [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo), and to understand which date you are even editing, see [date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified). --- # Does a Screenshot Have Metadata? What Screenshots Reveal > Screenshots carry some metadata but not the rich EXIF a camera writes. Here is what a screenshot reveals, what it does not, and how to check or strip it. *Published: 2026-06-16* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/does-a-screenshot-have-metadata **Quick answer:** Yes, screenshots have *some* metadata, but usually **not** the rich EXIF a camera writes. A screenshot typically records the **date and time it was captured**, the **device and operating system**, the **screen dimensions**, and the **software** that made it. But it has **no GPS location**, **no camera or lens fields**, and **no shutter or exposure data**, because nothing was actually photographed; the device just saved what was on screen. So a screenshot can reveal *when* and *on what device* it was made, but not *where*. To see exactly what a given screenshot carries, drop it into our free browser-based [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. It is a common worry: you grab a screenshot, share it, and wonder whether you just leaked your location or some hidden detail. The honest answer is that screenshots are far less revealing than camera photos, but they are not blank either. Here is exactly what they hold and what they do not. ## What metadata a screenshot DOES contain A screenshot is a digital image file, so it carries the basic technical metadata every image file has. What you will typically find: - **Capture date and time**: when the screenshot was taken, stored as a file timestamp and often in the EXIF or PNG metadata too. - **Pixel dimensions**: the width and height, which usually match the device's screen resolution. - **Device and operating system**: many platforms stamp the device model or OS into the file. - **Software**: the screenshot tool or OS component that created the image. - **Color profile and orientation**: standard image-rendering fields. The exact fields differ by platform: | Platform | Format | Typical metadata stamped | | --- | --- | --- | | **iPhone (iOS)** | PNG (or HEIC) | Capture date/time, pixel dimensions, often a "Screenshot" user comment; no GPS, no camera | | **Android** | PNG | Capture date/time, dimensions, sometimes device model and software; no GPS | | **Windows** | PNG | Capture date/time, dimensions, software (Snipping Tool / Snip & Sketch); minimal else | | **Mac (macOS)** | PNG | Capture date/time, dimensions, a "Screen Capture" software tag and resolution; no GPS | So a screenshot is enough to tell someone roughly when it was made and what kind of device made it. For the general background on these fields, see [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). ## What it does NOT contain This is the reassuring part. A screenshot is missing everything that makes a camera photo revealing: - **No GPS coordinates.** The device did not take a picture of the world, so there is no location to record. This is the single most important difference. - **No camera Make, Model, or LensModel.** No physical camera was involved. - **No exposure data.** No FNumber, ExposureTime, ISO, FocalLength, Flash, or WhiteBalance, because there was no shutter and no light meter. In short, the entire "where and with what" half of EXIF that a normal photo carries is simply absent from a screenshot. ## Can a screenshot reveal your location? Generally, **no**. Because screenshots have no GPS metadata, the file itself does not give away where you were. This is the opposite of a camera photo, where location often leaks through embedded GPS coordinates. There is one important exception, and it is about the **pixels, not the metadata**: if the screenshot *shows* something locating, the location is right there in the image. A screenshot of a map with a pin on your house, a navigation app showing your address, an email signature with your office address, or a check-in post all reveal location through what is visible on screen. No metadata tool would catch that, because it is part of the picture itself. So before sharing a screenshot, look at what is *in* it, not just what is attached to it. ## How to check a screenshot's metadata yourself Do not guess; look. Drop any screenshot into our browser-based [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and it lists every field the file actually carries, with nothing uploaded. You will typically see the capture date, dimensions, and software, and you will notice the GPS and camera sections are empty, which confirms the screenshot has no location data. You can also check natively: on **Mac**, right-click then Get Info, or open in Preview then Tools then Show Inspector; on **Windows**, right-click then Properties then Details; on **iPhone**, open the screenshot in Photos and tap the info icon, where you will see a date but no map. If you have ever been confused about which date a file shows, our explainer on [date taken vs date created vs date modified](/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified) covers why the timestamps can differ. ## How to strip it before sharing Even though a screenshot's metadata is light, you may still want a clean file before posting publicly, for example to remove the exact capture timestamp or device hints. Our browser-based [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) wipes all metadata in one click and downloads a clean copy; nothing uploads. Remember the two layers, though. The remover handles the *metadata* layer. It cannot touch the *pixel* layer, so if the screenshot visibly shows an address, a map pin, a name, or a private message, you must crop or redact those parts of the image before sharing. Stripping metadata and reviewing the visible content are two separate steps, and screenshots need both. Need the shortcuts themselves? Our guide to [taking a screenshot on Mac, Windows, Chromebook, iPhone and Android](/photo-guides/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-any-device) covers every device, where the files are saved, and how to redact them before sharing. ## Bottom line A screenshot carries modest metadata: a capture date and time, screen dimensions, and a hint of the device or software, but **no GPS, no camera, and no exposure data**. It can reveal *when* and roughly *on what* it was made, but not *where*, unless the location is visible in the picture itself. To see exactly what yours holds, use our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer); to clean it before sharing, use our [EXIF remover](/exif-remover). Both run in your browser, and nothing uploads. --- # Date Taken vs Date Created vs Date Modified: Which Photo Date Is Real? > Date taken, date created, and date modified explained: what each one means, where it lives, when it changes, and which date actually reflects when a photo *Published: 2026-06-16* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/date-taken-vs-date-created-vs-date-modified **Quick answer:** A photo carries three different dates and only one of them is the real shot date. **Date taken** is the EXIF DateTimeOriginal, the exact moment the shutter fired, written once by the camera and never changed by copying. **Date created** is when *this copy* of the file landed on the device you are looking at now; it resets every time you copy, download, or transfer the file. **Date modified** is when the file was last saved or edited. Only **date taken** tells you when the photo was actually shot. To read all three, drop the photo into our free browser-based [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. To fix a wrong one, use our [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date). People mix these three dates up constantly, and the confusion has real consequences: photos sort in the wrong order, a 2019 vacation shot suddenly shows today's date, and folders refuse to line up by when things actually happened. This guide explains what each date means, where it is stored, and which one to trust. ## The three dates at a glance | Date | What it means | Where it is stored | When it changes | Can you trust it as the shot date? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Date taken** | The moment the shutter fired | Inside the file, as EXIF DateTimeOriginal | Only if someone edits the EXIF | Yes, this is the real shot date | | **Date created** | When this copy arrived on this device | In the file system (the operating system), not in the file | Every copy, download, transfer, or restore | No, it is a filesystem timestamp | | **Date modified** | When the file was last saved or edited | In the file system | Every save, edit, or re-export | No, it tracks edits, not capture | The key split is *inside the file* versus *in the file system*. Date taken lives inside the photo and travels with it. Date created and date modified are stamped on by your operating system and are local to each device. ## Date taken (EXIF DateTimeOriginal) **Date taken** is the only date that comes from the camera itself. When you press the shutter, the camera writes **DateTimeOriginal** into the EXIF block embedded in the JPEG, HEIC, or raw file. It records the wall-clock time on the camera at that instant. Because it lives inside the file, this date survives copying, emailing, and uploading to a file-share. AirDrop a photo from an iPhone to a Mac and the date taken stays 2019; only the filesystem dates reset to today. This is why photo libraries like Apple Photos and Google Photos sort by date taken, not by date created. For the full breakdown of this field, see [what is EXIF data](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). The one weakness: date taken is only as accurate as the camera's clock. A camera set to the wrong time zone, or never set at all, writes a wrong DateTimeOriginal. That is a real and common cause of the dates being off, covered in [why is my photo date wrong](/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong). ## Date created (a filesystem timestamp) **Date created** sounds like it should mean "when the photo was created," but it does not. It means when *this particular copy of the file* was created on *this particular device*. Your operating system stamps it the moment the file appears in a folder. Copy a photo to a USB drive: the copy gets a brand-new date created of right now. Download it from email: today. Restore from a backup: today. Re-import to a new phone: today. The original capture moment is irrelevant to this timestamp; it only records when the bytes landed here. This is the single biggest source of confusion. People see "date created: today" in a file manager and assume the photo is new, when it is actually a years-old photo that was just copied over. ## Date modified (the last-saved timestamp) **Date modified** is when the file was last written to. Open a photo, crop it, and save: date modified updates to now. Re-export from an editor: it updates. Even some apps that re-save a file without visible changes will bump it. A useful tell: if date modified is *earlier* than date created, you are almost certainly looking at a copied file. The file was last edited at the source, then copied here later, so the new copy's creation timestamp is newer than the file's last real edit. Inside the EXIF, the matching field is **ModifyDate**, separate from the camera's CreateDate and DateTimeOriginal. ## Why folders sort by the wrong date File managers default to filesystem dates, not EXIF. **Windows File Explorer** sorts by "Date modified" out of the box, and **macOS Finder** sorts by "Date Created" or "Date Added." Neither default is the shot date. So a folder of old photos you just copied over will appear to be all from today, in copy order rather than capture order. To sort by the real date in Windows Explorer, add the "Date taken" column (right-click a column header, choose More, tick Date taken). On Mac, the Photos app already uses date taken; Finder does not expose it as a sort column, which is why the Photos library is the better place to view chronological order. ## The classic "2019 photo shows today" problem Here is the scenario almost everyone hits. You transfer a folder of 2019 photos to a new laptop. You open the folder, sort by date, and every photo says today. Panic. Nothing is lost. The date taken (2019) is still inside every file; only the filesystem date created reset to today during the transfer. Drop any of those files into our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and you will see DateTimeOriginal still reads 2019. The fix for sorting is to view them in a tool that reads date taken, as explained in [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## How to check all three dates The fastest way to see every date at once is our browser-based [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer): drop the photo in and it lists DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate side by side, with nothing uploaded. Your operating system shows the filesystem dates too: Windows via right-click then Properties then Details, and Mac via right-click then Get Info. ## How to fix a wrong date If the *date taken* itself is wrong (wrong camera clock, wrong time zone), the file system cannot help; you have to edit the EXIF. Our [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) rewrites DateTimeOriginal in your browser and downloads the corrected file. Platform-specific guides: - [How to change a photo's date on Windows](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-windows) - [How to change a photo's date on Mac](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-mac) - [How to change the date taken in Google Photos](/photo-guides/how-to-change-date-taken-in-google-photos) - [How to change photo date on Android](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-android) - [How to batch-change photo dates](/photo-guides/how-to-batch-change-photo-dates) ## Bottom line Three dates, one truth. **Date taken** (EXIF DateTimeOriginal) is the real moment the photo was shot and the only one that travels inside the file. **Date created** and **date modified** are filesystem timestamps that reset on copy and edit, so they tell you about *this copy*, not about the photo. When in doubt, trust date taken, and read it with our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). --- # Why Is My Photo's Date Wrong? (And How to Fix It) > Photos showing today's date instead of when they were taken, wrong times after a transfer, or a timezone that is off. *Published: 2026-06-10* · *4 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/why-is-my-photo-date-wrong **Quick answer:** A photo shows the wrong date usually because the file's "date created" or "date modified" was reset when you copied, downloaded, or synced it, while the real capture date lives in a separate EXIF field. Other causes are a camera with the wrong clock, a wrong timezone, or a scan of an old print stamped with today's date. To fix it for good, write the correct date into the file with a free [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date), which sets DateTimeOriginal so the date is right everywhere the photo goes. You open a folder of holiday photos and they all say today. Or a friend sends you a photo from last year and your phone files it under this morning. The date is wrong, and it is one of the most common photo problems there is. Here is why it happens and how to actually fix it. ## The root cause: photos have more than one date Most "wrong date" confusion comes from this. A photo carries several dates: - **Date taken (EXIF DateTimeOriginal):** the real moment the shutter fired. Written once by the camera. - **Date modified:** when the file was last saved or edited. - **Date created:** when this copy of the file landed on the current device. Your phone's gallery and your computer's file browser often sort by "date created" or "date modified," not "date taken." So the moment you copy a photo to a new device, it gets a brand new "created" date of today, even though the real capture date is unchanged inside the file. ## The common reasons your date is wrong **You transferred or downloaded the photo.** Copying to a new phone, restoring a backup, saving from WhatsApp or a chat, or downloading from the cloud often resets the file date to now. The EXIF capture date may still be intact, or the platform may have stripped it. **A messaging app re-saved it.** WhatsApp, Telegram (in Photo mode), and most social apps re-encode photos. The re-encoded copy gets a fresh date and frequently loses the original EXIF date entirely. **The camera clock was wrong.** If your camera or phone had the wrong date, or you crossed timezones without updating it, every shot is stamped with the wrong time. This is a real EXIF error, not just a file-system one. **It is a scan of an old print.** A scanner stamps the scan with today's date. A photo from 1995 will show this year unless you set the real date yourself. ## How to fix it for good The only fix that sticks everywhere is to write the correct date into the file's EXIF, not just change how one app sorts it. 1. Open the [free EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date). 2. Drop the JPEG onto the tool. 3. Type the correct date and time. 4. Apply and download the new file. This writes DateTimeOriginal directly into the photo, so every app, device, and platform that reads it shows the right date. It runs in your browser, nothing uploads, and there is no signup. For batches and timezone shifts, the same tool and the methods in [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo) cover it. ## Before you fix it, check what date is actually there It helps to see the current EXIF date before you change it, so you know whether the capture date survived or was lost. Drop the photo into an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) and read DateTimeOriginal. If it is correct there but your gallery shows the wrong date, the file is fine and only the app's sorting is off. If DateTimeOriginal itself is wrong or missing, edit it with the date editor above. More on reading dates in [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## How to stop it happening again - When transferring photos, use a method that preserves metadata (AirDrop, a cable copy of the original files, or "keep originals" in cloud settings) rather than re-saving from a chat. - Keep your camera and phone clock set to the correct date and timezone. - For shots where the date and time must be provable, capture them with the date burned onto the image at the shutter, so it cannot drift. A [GPS camera](/gps-camera) does exactly this. ## The short version The date is usually wrong because the file's created or modified date was reset on transfer, while the real date sits in EXIF DateTimeOriginal, or because a clock, timezone, or scan stamped the wrong time. Check the current date in an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), then fix it for good by writing the correct DateTimeOriginal with a free [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date). --- # How to See Where a Photo Was Taken (Find the GPS Location) > Find exactly where a photo was taken from its GPS metadata, on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and in your browser. *Published: 2026-06-10* · *4 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-see-where-a-photo-was-taken **Quick answer:** A photo records where it was taken in its EXIF GPS metadata, a latitude and longitude written by the camera at the moment of capture. To see it, drop the photo into a free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer); if the location is present it shows the coordinates and the address on a map. On iPhone, swipe up on a photo or tap the (i) button. On Android, open the photo in Google Photos and check Details. If a photo has no location, the camera had GPS turned off or the platform you got it from stripped the data. Every photo taken on a phone or a GPS-enabled camera can carry the exact spot where it was shot, accurate to within a few metres. That information lives in the file as EXIF metadata. Here is how to read it on every device, and what to do when it is missing. ## The fastest way: a browser EXIF viewer You do not need an app. Open our [free EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), drop the photo, and if it has GPS data the tool shows: - The latitude and longitude - The reverse-geocoded address (a human-readable place, not just numbers) - A map link to the exact location It reads the file entirely in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device. This works for JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF, including iPhone HEIC photos. ## On iPhone 1. Open the photo in the Photos app. 2. Swipe up on the image, or tap the (i) info button. 3. If location data is present, you will see a small map and the place name below the photo. 4. Tap the map to open it full screen. If there is no map, the photo has no GPS. That usually means Location Services was off for the Camera app when the shot was taken (Settings, Privacy and Security, Location Services, Camera). ## On Android 1. Open the photo in Google Photos. 2. Swipe up, or tap the three-dot menu and choose Details (or Info). 3. A map and address appear if the photo has location data. Some Android galleries hide this. Google Photos is the most reliable place to check, or use the browser EXIF viewer above for any file. ## On Windows 1. Right-click the photo file in File Explorer and choose Properties. 2. Open the Details tab. 3. Scroll to the GPS section to see Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude. Windows shows the raw numbers but not a map. Paste the coordinates into a maps site, or use the browser viewer which maps them for you. ## On Mac 1. Open the photo in Preview. 2. Choose Tools, then Show Inspector. 3. Click the GPS tab (the (i) with a location icon) to see the coordinates and a small map. ## Why a photo might have no location If you check and there is no GPS, one of these is true: - **The camera had location off.** No coordinates were ever recorded. - **A social platform stripped it.** Instagram, Facebook, X, WhatsApp (in Photo mode), and most feeds remove GPS on upload. A photo saved from one of these will have no location even if the original did. See [which platforms strip EXIF](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). - **It was edited or screenshotted.** Re-encoding and screenshots drop the metadata. This cuts both ways. If you want a photo's location gone before sharing, that is a feature: run it through our [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) and the GPS is cleared. ## See the rest of the metadata too Location is only one field. The same [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) also shows when the photo was taken, the camera and lens, the exposure settings, and the software used. If you need to find the date instead, see [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## The short version The location is in the photo's EXIF GPS metadata. The quickest read is a browser [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) that maps it for you, with nothing uploaded. iPhone and Android show it in the photo's info panel, Windows in file Properties, Mac in Preview's Inspector. No location means the camera had GPS off or a platform stripped it, and if you want it gone, the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) clears it in seconds. --- # How to See When a Photo Was Taken (Find the Original Date) > Find the exact date and time a photo was taken from its EXIF metadata, on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and in your browser. *Published: 2026-06-10* · *3 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken **Quick answer:** A photo stores when it was taken in an EXIF field called DateTimeOriginal, written by the camera at the moment of capture. To see it, drop the photo into a free [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer); it shows the exact date and time. On iPhone, swipe up on the photo or tap (i). On Android, open Google Photos and tap Details. The file's "date modified" is not the same thing: it changes when the file is copied or edited, while DateTimeOriginal stays fixed to the real moment of the shot. If you need to know the true date a photo was taken, do not trust the file's timestamp in your folder. Copying, downloading, or syncing a photo resets that date. The real capture moment is buried in the photo's metadata. Here is how to read it. ## The fastest way: a browser EXIF viewer Open our [free EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), drop the photo, and it shows the capture date and time straight from the file, along with the camera, lens, and exposure. It reads everything in your browser, so the photo never uploads. Works with JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF. ## On iPhone 1. Open the photo in the Photos app. 2. Swipe up on the image, or tap the (i) info button. 3. The date and time appear at the top of the info panel. This is the photo's stored capture date. To change it, see [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). ## On Android 1. Open the photo in Google Photos. 2. Swipe up, or tap the three-dot menu and choose Details. 3. The capture date and time are shown, often with the camera model. ## On Windows 1. Right-click the photo and choose Properties. 2. Open the Details tab. 3. Look for "Date taken" under the Origin section. This is the EXIF capture date, not the "Date modified" you see in the folder. ## On Mac 1. Open the photo in Preview. 2. Choose Tools, then Show Inspector. 3. The Exif tab lists the date and time the photo was captured. ## Date taken vs date modified vs date created These three confuse almost everyone: - **Date taken (DateTimeOriginal):** the real moment the shutter fired. Written once by the camera and meant to stay fixed. - **Date modified:** when the file was last changed or saved. Editing or re-exporting updates it. - **Date created:** when this copy of the file was created on the current device. Copying a photo to a new phone sets this to today, which is why a 2019 photo can show today's date in a file browser. Only "date taken" reflects when the photo was actually shot. That is the field the EXIF viewer reads. ## Why the date might be missing or wrong - **No date at all:** a screenshot, a heavily edited file, or a photo stripped by a social platform may have no DateTimeOriginal. - **Wrong date:** a camera with the wrong clock or timezone, or a scanner that stamped today's date on an old print. You can fix it with our [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date), which writes the correct DateTimeOriginal into the file. ## The short version The real "when" is the EXIF DateTimeOriginal field, not the file date in your folder. Read it fastest with a browser [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer), with nothing uploaded. iPhone and Android show it in the photo info panel, Windows under "Date taken" in Properties, Mac in Preview's Inspector. If the date is wrong, the [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) fixes it. --- # How to Change a Photo's Date on Android (Free, No App) > Three ways to change the date a photo was taken on Android: Google Photos, a free browser EXIF date editor that writes the file directly, and a gallery *Published: 2026-06-10* · *3 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-android **Quick answer:** The easiest way to change a photo's date on Android is Google Photos: open the photo, tap the three-dot menu, choose Edit date and time, and set the new date. But that only changes the date inside Google Photos, not the EXIF date written in the file. To change the date in the file itself, so it stays correct everywhere, upload the JPEG to a free browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date), set the new date, and download. It works in Chrome on Android with no app to install. Android has a hidden catch when it comes to photo dates: there are two different "dates," and most methods only change one of them. Here is how to change the date the right way. ## Method 1: Google Photos (quick, but app-only) 1. Open the photo in Google Photos. 2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner. 3. Choose Edit date and time. 4. Set the new date and time, then Save. This fixes the date you see in Google Photos and in its timeline. The catch: it does not rewrite the EXIF DateTimeOriginal in the actual file. If you send that photo to someone, or open it in another app, the old date can reappear. Good for organizing your own library, not for fixing the file. ## Method 2: Browser EXIF date editor (writes the file itself) To change the date inside the file, so it is correct everywhere the photo goes: 1. Open [our EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) in Chrome on your Android phone. 2. Upload the JPEG. 3. Type the new date and time. 4. Tap Apply and download the new file. This writes DateTimeOriginal directly into the JPEG. It runs in your browser, so the photo never uploads to a server, and there is no app to install. This is the method to use when the date needs to stick: for evidence, for sorting by real capture time, or for files you will share. ## Method 3: A gallery app Some third-party gallery apps (and file managers with an EXIF editor) can change the capture date too. They work, but most ask for broad storage permissions and some upload your photo to their servers to process it. If privacy matters, the browser editor above does the same job without uploading anything. ## Why the date was wrong in the first place Common reasons an Android photo shows the wrong date: - **Transferred or downloaded.** Copying a photo to a new phone, or saving it from WhatsApp or a download, often resets the file date to today. The original capture date may still be in EXIF, or may be gone. - **Camera clock wrong.** A camera or phone with the wrong date or timezone stamps every shot incorrectly. - **Scanned print.** A scan of an old photo gets stamped with the scan date, not the date the photo was actually taken. To check what date a photo currently has, see [how to see when a photo was taken](/photo-guides/how-to-see-when-a-photo-was-taken). ## The short version Google Photos changes the date in the app; a browser [EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date) changes the date in the file. For a fix that sticks everywhere, use the browser editor: it writes DateTimeOriginal directly, runs in Chrome on Android, and never uploads your photo. For other platforms, see [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo), or [the iPhone version of this guide](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone) if the photos are on an iPhone. --- # Which Social Media Platforms Strip EXIF Data? (2026 Comparison) > A verified June 2026 comparison of how Instagram, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram, Discord, Signal, iMessage, Google Photos and more handle EXIF *Published: 2026-06-03* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data **Quick answer:** Most public feeds strip EXIF metadata on upload: Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Signal all remove it from the file other people can download. WhatsApp and Telegram depend on how you send (Photo strips it, Document or File keeps it). Discord is partial. iMessage, Google Photos, and Flickr keep your metadata, including GPS. But stripping from the public file does not mean the platform never read it. To be certain, [check a photo's metadata](/social-media-metadata) and [remove it yourself](/exif-remover) before sharing. If you have ever worried that posting a photo leaks where you live, you are asking the right question. The answer is not a simple yes or no. It depends on the platform, and for some platforms it depends on how you send the file. Here is the full picture, verified in June 2026. ## The comparison table | Platform | EXIF / GPS on upload | Notes | |---|---|---| | Instagram | Removes | Re-encodes every upload. Meta reads and stores the original server-side. | | Facebook | Removes | Stripping since 2012. Meta still reads location on upload. | | X (Twitter) | Removes | DMs and some third-party API clients can retain metadata. | | TikTok | Removes | Removed during transcoding, photos and video. | | Snapchat | Removes | Snaps, Stories, Chat, and Spotlight. | | LinkedIn | Removes | Re-processes images. Profile vs post pipelines can differ. | | Reddit | Removes | i.redd.it re-encodes uploads. | | Signal | Removes | Privacy-first. Strips GPS by default. | | WhatsApp | Depends | Photo send strips it. Document send keeps 100%. | | Telegram | Depends | Photo send strips it. File send keeps the original. | | Discord | Partial | Strips JPEG in most cases. PNG can keep metadata. | | iMessage | Keeps | Sends the full original with GPS intact. | | Google Photos | Keeps | Preserves metadata in storage and on download. | | Flickr | Keeps | Keeps EXIF on purpose. Privacy settings control visibility. | ## The catch nobody mentions: stripped is not the same as private This is the part most guides get wrong. When Instagram or Facebook "strips" your EXIF, it means the file other users can download no longer contains it. It does not mean the platform never saw it. Meta reads the GPS and other metadata the moment you upload, stores the original on its own servers, and uses it for advertising and location features. The same is true for most large platforms. So "Instagram strips EXIF" protects you from other users, not from Instagram. If your threat model includes the platform itself, the only reliable fix is to remove the metadata before it ever leaves your device. ## The platforms that strip (from the public file) **Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Reddit, Signal.** For all of these, a photo someone downloads from your post will not contain GPS or camera EXIF. Signal goes furthest because it is privacy-first and strips before the image is even sent, so the platform itself does not retain it. Good to know: on X, images sent through Direct Messages or scheduled through some third-party tools can keep metadata that a normal post would strip. ## The "it depends" platforms **WhatsApp and Telegram** are the ones that trip people up, because the answer changes with how you send. - Send a photo the normal way (as a Photo) and both apps compress it and strip the EXIF, including GPS. - Send the same photo as a Document (WhatsApp) or a File (Telegram), which people do to keep full quality, and the original metadata is preserved completely. So the exact same image can be private or fully revealing depending on one tap. If you want to keep quality and keep your location private, strip the metadata first, then send as a Document or File. **Discord** is inconsistent. It strips EXIF from JPEG uploads in most cases, but PNG files can still carry metadata, and behavior varies by upload method. Do not assume Discord cleaned your file. ## The platforms that keep your metadata **iMessage, Google Photos, and Flickr** preserve EXIF, including GPS. - iMessage sends the full original file. The person you message gets your exact coordinates, timestamp, and device. - Google Photos keeps everything in storage and on download or share. That is a feature for organizing your own library, but it means a shared link can carry GPS. - Flickr keeps EXIF on purpose, for photographers who want to show camera settings. Privacy settings control who can see it, but it is there. If you share through any of these, assume the location travels with the photo unless you removed it first. ## How to check and protect yourself You do not have to guess. Two browser tools, no upload: 1. **Check what a photo reveals.** Drop it into the [social media metadata checker](/social-media-metadata). It shows whether the file carries GPS, the date, and the device, and repeats this platform table so you can decide per photo. 2. **Remove the metadata.** If you do not want to depend on the platform, strip every tag with the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) and upload a clean copy anywhere. This is the only method that works the same on every platform, including the keepers. And if your problem is the opposite, that you want the location and time to stay visible and survive every strip, a [GPS camera app](/gps-camera) renders the date, GPS, and address onto the visible image at capture, so the context is part of the picture instead of hidden metadata that platforms can remove. ## The short version Most public feeds strip EXIF from the file others download, but the platform usually read it first. WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord depend on how you send. iMessage, Google Photos, and Flickr keep it. The only way to be certain on every platform is to [check](/social-media-metadata) and [remove](/exif-remover) the metadata yourself before you share. --- # How to Record Front and Back Camera at Once on iPhone (2026) > Yes, your iPhone can record the front and back cameras at the same time. *Published: 2026-06-03* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-record-front-and-back-camera-at-the-same-time-on-iphone **Quick answer:** On the iPhone 17 generation (iPhone 17, Air, 17 Pro and Pro Max) and the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, the Camera app records both lenses at once with Dual Capture. On the iPhone 16 and every model before it, the Camera app still cannot, even though the hardware has supported it since the iPhone XR. Install a dual camera app like [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321), pick a layout (side by side, stacked, or picture in picture), and press record. Both lenses capture into one video. For combining two still photos into the same layouts, use our [free split screen photo tool](/split-screen-photo) in the browser. If you have ever tried to film a reaction while also showing what you are reacting to, you already know the problem. On most iPhones, the Camera app lets you tap to switch between the front and back lens, but only one records at a time, so you cannot show your face and the scene in the same shot. The good news: modern iPhones absolutely can record both at once. Apple shipped multi-camera capture support years ago. The Camera app just does not expose it. A dedicated dual camera app does. ## The iPhone 17 changed this answer, for the newest phones only For years the honest answer was a flat no: the stock Camera app ran one lens at a time, full stop. With the iPhone 17 lineup, Apple finally built the feature in. It is called **Dual Capture**, and the spec sheets list it on the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max as "Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps". The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, released in September 2026, list the same line. Two verified details worth noticing in that line before you celebrate: - **It starts with the iPhone 17.** We checked Apple's own spec pages: the iPhone 16's video section lists Cinematic mode, Action mode, and slo-mo, and no Dual Capture. Nothing older has it either. If you are on an iPhone 16, 15, 14, or anything earlier, which is most iPhones in use today, the built-in Camera app still records one lens at a time. - **It tops out at 30 fps.** Apple's spec commits Dual Capture to 4K at 30 frames per second, while the same phones record normal video at up to 4K 60 fps or higher. The simultaneous mode runs at half the frame rate the camera is otherwise capable of. Underneath, none of this is new hardware magic. iOS has offered an API called multi-camera capture since the iPhone XR era: it lets an app open the front and back cameras in one session and record both streams together. Apple left it out of the Camera app for six years; dual camera apps have been using it the whole time. ## Why the built-in Camera app cannot do it (iPhone 16 and older) On everything before the iPhone 17, the stock Camera app is built around a single active capture session. When you flip the camera, it tears down one lens and starts the other. There is no hidden setting that runs both, and no iOS update has added one to older models. So on an iPhone 16 or older this is not a hardware limit. It is a feature the default Camera app leaves out, and an app fills in. ## Which iPhones support dual camera recording Multi-camera capture needs the right chip. It works on: - iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max - iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and newer - iPad Pro (2020) and newer Older devices such as the iPhone 8 and earlier cannot run two cameras at once, no matter which app you install. If your iPhone is from 2018 or later, you are almost certainly fine. Notice the gap between the two lists: Apple's built-in Dual Capture covers only the newest phones, the iPhone 17 family and the iPhone 18 Pro models, while the app route covers roughly seven generations back. And even on those phones there is a reason people install an app anyway: Dual Capture records the way Apple decided it should, while [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321) lets you pick the layout, side by side, stacked, or picture in picture, before you press record. ## How to record both cameras at the same time The reliable way is a purpose-built app. Here is the flow using [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321), which is free to start. 1. **Install the app** from the App Store and open it. 2. **Allow camera and microphone access** when prompted. Both are needed so the two lenses record together with sound. 3. **Pick a layout.** Side by side puts the two feeds in a split frame. Stacked places one above the other. Picture in picture shows the back camera full screen with your face as a small inset, the classic reaction look. 4. **Press record.** The app captures the scene and your reaction at the same time and writes them into one video file. 5. **Save or share.** The finished clip lands in your camera roll, ready for Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube with no extra editing. That is the whole workflow. One device, one tap, both cameras. ## What you can use it for Recording both lenses at once unlocks a lot of formats that are awkward or impossible with a single camera: - **Reaction videos.** Show what you are watching and your real-time response in the same frame. - **Vlogs and travel.** Capture the view and narrate to camera without cutting between shots. - **Interviews and podcasts.** Keep both people on screen on one phone. - **Tutorials.** Show a process with the back camera while your face guides on the front. - **Everyday memories.** Get the moment and the people reacting to it together. ## For still photos: combine two images in the browser If you do not need video, and you just want two photos arranged in the same side-by-side or picture-in-picture layout, you do not need an app at all. Our [split screen photo tool](/split-screen-photo) does it in the browser: - Add two photos. - Choose side by side, stacked, or picture in picture. - Adjust the gap, swap the order, and download. Everything runs on your device, nothing uploads, and there is no watermark. It is the still-image companion to live dual camera recording: the tool handles photos after the fact, the app handles both cameras live. ## The short version On the iPhone 16 and older, the Camera app records one lens at a time, but your iPhone can still do both. A dual camera app uses the multi-camera capture that recent hardware already supports, so you can film your reaction and the scene in a single video. For two still photos in the same layout, the [free browser tool](/split-screen-photo) is the fastest route. Pick the one that matches what you are making: video or photo. --- # Best Dual Camera Apps for iPhone in 2026 (Front and Back at Once) > The best dual camera apps that record your iPhone front and back cameras at the same time. *Published: 2026-06-03* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/best-dual-camera-apps **Quick answer:** The best dual camera apps for iPhone in 2026 record the front and back cameras into one video, something the stock Camera app only gained with the iPhone 17 generation (the new iPhone 18 Pro has it too) and still cannot do on the iPhone 16 or anything older. [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321) is a strong free-to-start pick with side-by-side, stacked, and picture-in-picture layouts and 4K output. Choose by the layouts you need, the video quality, and whether you want a one-time purchase or a subscription. For combining two still photos into the same layouts, use our [free split screen photo tool](/split-screen-photo). On the iPhone 16 and every model before it, the Camera app records one lens at a time. If you want your face and the scene in the same shot, for a reaction video, a vlog, or an interview, you need an app that opens both cameras at once. Recent iPhones have supported this in hardware since the iPhone XR; the right app unlocks it. The iPhone 17 family and the new iPhone 18 Pro models are the exception, and they get their own section below. Here is what actually separates a good dual camera app from a frustrating one, and a comparison. ## What about Dual Capture on the iPhone 17 and 18 Pro? The iPhone 17 generation is the first where Apple ships this natively. The spec sheets for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max all list **"Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps"**; the iPhone 16's spec sheet lists no such thing. We verified all four pages before writing this, and the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, released in September 2026, carry the same line. So if you own an iPhone 17 or an 18 Pro, do you still need an app? Two honest observations from Apple's own spec line: - **30 fps is the ceiling** in Dual Capture, on phones that otherwise record 4K at 60 fps. Simultaneous capture costs frame rate in Apple's implementation. - **The spec line is the whole promise.** It commits to resolution and frame rate, and layout is whatever the Camera app decides. A dedicated app's entire reason to exist is the part Apple does not promise: choosing side by side, stacked, or picture in picture before you record, and keeping that choice. The practical split: iPhone 17 and 18 Pro owners who just want a quick clip are covered out of the box, and that is genuinely good news. Creators who care about the layout of the final frame, and everyone on an iPhone 16 or older, which is the overwhelming majority of iPhones in use, still reach for an app. ## What makes a good dual camera app Most dual camera apps can technically record both lenses. The differences show up in daily use. **Multiple layouts.** Side by side, stacked, and picture in picture each suit a different format. Reaction clips usually want picture in picture; interviews often want side by side. An app that locks you into one layout limits what you can make. **Real video quality.** Recording two streams is demanding. Look for 4K or at least crisp 1080p, a steady frame rate, and no heavy compression artifacts. Some apps quietly drop resolution to keep up. **Audio that matches.** The microphone should stay in sync with both feeds. Out-of-sync audio is the fastest way to make a clip look amateur. **No forced watermark.** A watermark stamped across your video is a deal-breaker for anything you plan to post under your own name. **Fair pricing.** Some apps are subscription only, some offer a lifetime unlock. If you record often, a one-time purchase usually wins. If you just need it once, look for a free tier. **Simple export.** The finished clip should save straight to the camera roll, ready to post, without a separate render step or a sign-in. ## A comparison of dual camera apps in 2026 A few categories you will see in the App Store: **Free with in-app purchases.** The common model. You can try the core dual recording for free, then unlock 4K, extra layouts, or watermark removal with a subscription or a one-time purchase. Good for testing before you commit. **Subscription only.** Some pro-leaning apps gate everything behind a monthly plan. Powerful, but expensive if you only record occasionally. **One-time purchase.** A smaller group sells a lifetime unlock. Best value for frequent creators who do not want a recurring bill. ### Dual Camera: Video Recorder [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321) records the front and back cameras into a single video with side-by-side, stacked, and picture-in-picture layouts. It outputs up to 4K and is built for reaction videos, vlogs, interviews, and tutorials. It is free to start, with an optional unlock that includes a lifetime one-time purchase option for people who do not want a subscription. Compatible with iPhone XR, 11, 12, 13 and newer, and iPad Pro (2020) and newer. Best for: creators who want both feeds in one clip with flexible layouts and a lifetime pricing option. ## What to pick based on what you make - **Reaction videos:** prioritize picture-in-picture layout and a clean export. Your face as the inset over the content is the format viewers expect. - **Vlogs and travel:** prioritize 4K and battery efficiency. You will record long takes. - **Interviews and podcasts:** prioritize side-by-side layout and stable audio sync. - **Tutorials:** prioritize picture in picture so your guidance and the process share the frame. ## Recording is only half of it: combining photos Not every dual-camera moment is a video. Sometimes you have two still photos, a before and an after, two faces, or a scene and a reaction, and you want them in one image. For that, you do not need an app. Our [split screen photo tool](/split-screen-photo) combines two photos in the browser: - Side by side, stacked, or picture in picture. - An adjustable gap in any color. - Swap the order, then download at full resolution. It runs entirely on your device, nothing uploads, and there is no watermark. Think of it as the photo companion to a dual camera app: the app records both lenses live, the tool arranges two stills after the fact. ## The short version The best dual camera app is the one whose layouts and pricing match how you record. [Dual Camera: Video Recorder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dual-camera-video-recorder/id6760689321) covers the common needs with side-by-side, stacked, and picture-in-picture layouts, 4K output, and a lifetime purchase option. Try the free tier first, confirm the layout and quality fit your content, then unlock what you need. And when the moment is a photo rather than a video, the [free browser tool](/split-screen-photo) handles it with no install. --- # What Is EXIF Data? A Plain-English Guide for Photographers > EXIF explained without jargon: what it is, what's inside, why it matters, and how to view, edit, or remove it from any photo. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data **Quick answer:** EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata embedded inside a photo file by the camera or phone that took it. A typical EXIF block includes the date and time, GPS coordinates, camera and lens, aperture, shutter, ISO, and copyright. It is invisible to the eye but readable by any EXIF viewer. To see what's in a photo, drop it into our free browser-based [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. To remove EXIF before sharing, use our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). EXIF is one of those acronyms photographers, journalists, insurance adjusters, and contractors run into constantly without anyone ever stopping to explain what it actually is. This guide does that. No jargon. By the end you'll know what's inside a photo file beyond the pixels, why it matters, and how to view, edit, or remove it. ## What EXIF stands for EXIF is short for **Exchangeable Image File Format**. It was introduced in 1995 by the Japan Electronic Industries Development Association (JEIDA) and is now the universal standard that cameras, phones, drones, and scanners use to write hidden information *into* the photo file itself, alongside the pixels. You can think of EXIF as a small text block stapled to the back of every photo. The block lists things like *when, where, with what camera, at what settings*, and *who took it*. Most viewers ignore the block; they just show the picture. But the block is there, and any EXIF reader can pull it out. ## What's actually inside an EXIF block A typical photo from a modern smartphone carries roughly 40 to 80 EXIF tags. The most commonly checked ones are: **Time and date** - **DateTimeOriginal**: when the shutter fired. The field most apps treat as "when the photo was taken." This is the one to trust for sorting, evidence, or forensic checks. - **CreateDate**: when the file was first written. Usually identical to DateTimeOriginal. - **ModifyDate**: when the file was last saved or edited. Will be different from the other two if the photo has been touched in an editor. **Location** - **GPSLatitude**, **GPSLongitude**: where the photo was taken, in degrees / minutes / seconds. - **GPSAltitude**: how high above sea level. - **GPSDateStamp** / **GPSTimeStamp**: when the GPS reading was taken (independent of the camera clock; useful for accuracy checks). **Camera and lens** - **Make**, **Model**: the camera or phone (e.g. *Apple iPhone 17 Pro*, *Canon EOS R5*). - **LensModel**: the lens (e.g. *iPhone 17 Pro back triple camera 6.5mm f/1.8*, *RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM*). - **Software**: firmware version or editing software. **Exposure settings (the "recipe")** - **FNumber** (aperture, e.g. f/2.8) - **ExposureTime** (shutter speed, e.g. 1/250) - **ISO** - **FocalLength** - **WhiteBalance**, **Flash**, **MeteringMode** **Attribution** - **Artist** or **Author**: who took the photo (often blank). - **Copyright**: copyright string (often blank). - **ImageDescription**: free-text caption. **Image properties** - **PixelXDimension**, **PixelYDimension**: width and height in pixels. - **Orientation**: which way the photo is meant to be displayed (so the camera can save a sideways photo and still display upright). - **ColorSpace**: typically sRGB or Adobe RGB. That's not the full list. The EXIF spec defines hundreds of optional tags, plus manufacturer-specific *maker note* blocks that store proprietary info. Our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) breaks down every common field if you want the long version. ## EXIF is not the only metadata in a photo EXIF is the most common, but photo files often carry two other metadata standards too: - **IPTC** (International Press Telecommunications Council) is the metadata standard built for newsrooms and stock libraries. Fields include *Caption*, *By-line*, *Headline*, *Keywords*, *Credit*, *Source*. If you sell photos to a stock agency or work in journalism, IPTC is where the publisher-required metadata goes. - **XMP** (Extensible Metadata Platform) is Adobe's modern XML-based metadata wrapper. Lightroom and Photoshop write their edit instructions, ratings, and color labels into XMP. XMP can also mirror EXIF and IPTC fields. Our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) shows all three (EXIF, IPTC, and XMP) in separate tables when a photo carries them. ## Why EXIF matters in practice EXIF stays hidden until someone has a reason to look. Here's when people look: **Sorting and organization.** Photo libraries (Apple Photos, Google Photos, Lightroom, Capture One) read DateTimeOriginal to sort and group photos by capture day. If the date is missing or wrong, sorting breaks. See our guide on [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo) if you've ever needed to fix that. **Insurance claims.** Adjusters increasingly use EXIF DateTimeOriginal and GPS as proof that damage photos were taken on the date and at the location claimed. A photo with stripped or edited EXIF gets challenged. **Real estate and listings.** Listing photos with GPS that matches the property address build trust. Listing photos with GPS that points somewhere else, or no GPS at all, raise questions. **Construction and contractor documentation.** Progress photos with date + GPS embedded are the gold standard for change-order and dispute defense. Our blog on [GPS photo evidence for contractors](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide) walks through this in depth. **Journalism and forensics.** EXIF DateTimeOriginal + GPS lets fact-checkers and forensic analysts confirm a photo's claimed time and place. Stripped or manipulated EXIF is a red flag. **Copyright and attribution.** Photographers embed name, contact, and copyright in the EXIF (Artist, Copyright, Author fields) so the credit travels with the photo when it's republished. **Privacy.** The same GPS that proves where a photo was taken also tells anyone who downloads it where you live, work, or vacation. Stripping EXIF before sharing is a real-world privacy concern. ## Why EXIF often disappears EXIF survives some platforms and gets stripped by others. The rule is "social platforms strip, file-sharing tools keep": - **Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, WhatsApp, Snapchat**: strip EXIF on upload, including GPS. Photos downloaded from these platforms carry almost no metadata. - **Email, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Photo Sharing, AirDrop, iMessage**: keep EXIF intact. - **WordPress, most CMS**: usually keep EXIF unless the theme explicitly strips it. - **Photo editors (Lightroom, Photoshop, Apple Photos)**: keep EXIF and add their own XMP edit history. If you need EXIF to survive, send the original file via email or a file-share. If you need EXIF to *not* survive, social media does that for you, or strip it yourself with our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). Our deeper take: [why Instagram strips EXIF data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data). ## How to view EXIF (3 fast methods) **In your browser (no install):** Open our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer), drop the photo, read the tables. Works on JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF. GPS is pinned on a map with a reverse-geocoded street and city address. Nothing uploads. **On macOS:** Right-click → *Get Info* → *More Info* shows basic EXIF. Open in *Preview* → *Tools → Show Inspector* (⌘ ⌥ I) for the full block including GPS. **On Windows:** Right-click → *Properties* → *Details*. Most camera and exposure fields appear, plus latitude / longitude rows if GPS is present. On iPhone, open the photo in Photos, swipe up or tap the **(i)** info icon. You'll see date, location with a small map, camera, and exposure. For deep forensic or batch work, the open-source command-line tool [exiftool](https://exiftool.org/) reads every tag including manufacturer maker notes. ## How to edit EXIF Sometimes the EXIF is wrong. Wrong date because the camera clock was off. Wrong GPS because Location Services was disabled and you want to back-fill the location. Missing copyright. Use our browser-based [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) to change individual fields and download the corrected file. No upload. Specific situations: - **Wrong capture date**: use the [date editor](/edit-photo-date). Common when a camera clock was set to the wrong time zone. - **Missing GPS**: use the [EXIF editor](/exif-editor) and paste in coordinates. Useful for back-filling location on a photo that was taken with GPS turned off. - **Add or change copyright / artist**: same editor. ## How to remove EXIF (privacy) Before posting a photo of your home, your workplace, or your child to a public forum, strip the EXIF. Our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) wipes all metadata in one click. No upload. On iPhone, the Photos app *Options → Location* toggle (in the Share sheet) lets you remove GPS when sharing, but the rest of the EXIF still travels. The [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) wipes everything. On macOS, *Preview → Tools → Show Inspector → Remove Location Info* removes GPS but keeps the rest. Again, the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) is the cleanest one-click strip. ## Common questions **Does cropping or resizing a photo remove EXIF?** No, the EXIF block survives crop, resize, rotate, and most basic edits in Apple Photos, Preview, and Lightroom. The Width / Height tags get updated to the new dimensions but the rest stays. (Some editors do strip EXIF; if you're not sure, check with our [viewer](/exif-viewer) after editing.) **Does converting HEIC to JPG keep EXIF?** Yes, when the converter is built to preserve it. Our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) keeps EXIF by default and gives you a toggle to strip it if you prefer. **Can EXIF be faked or edited after the fact?** Yes, anyone with an EXIF editor can change any field. This is why forensic analysts also look at *consistency* (does the GPS match the time zone, does the camera model match the maker note, does the JPEG compression match the claimed source), not just trust the tags at face value. **Is EXIF the same as IPTC and XMP?** They're different standards in the same general category (photo metadata). EXIF comes from the camera. IPTC is the press-and-stock-library standard. XMP is Adobe's modern XML wrapper. Most photos carry EXIF; pro photos often carry all three. ## Bottom line EXIF is the hidden text block every photo carries that says *when, where, with what, at what settings, by whom*. Useful for sorting, organizing, claims, evidence, and copyright. Risky for privacy when shared publicly. To see what's in a photo: [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). To change it: [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). To strip it: [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). All three run in your browser. Nothing uploads. --- # WebP vs AVIF vs JXL: 2026 Image Format Comparison > Side-by-side comparison of WebP, AVIF, and JPEG XL in 2026. File-size tests, browser support, encode speed, alpha handling, EXIF behavior, and when to pick *Published: 2026-05-26* · *9 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/webp-vs-avif-vs-jxl **Quick answer:** For most websites in 2026, **AVIF first with WebP fallback** is the right call (AVIF is roughly 50% smaller than JPEG at the same visual quality, with strong 2026 browser support). For Apple-only contexts, **JPEG XL** wins on encode speed and progressive decode but is still mostly unsupported outside Safari. For email, social, and universal sharing, **JPEG remains the safe pick**; modern formats are for places you control. To compare formats on your own image, drop it into our [Image Converter](/image-converter) or [Image Compressor](/image-compressor) and watch the file size update live. JPEG is 33 years old. WebP is 15. AVIF shipped in 2019. JPEG XL was finalized in 2022. By 2026, all three modern formats are mature, and the question of which to use is no longer theoretical: it directly affects Core Web Vitals, page-load speed, mobile data costs, and storage. This guide is a practical 2026 comparison: what each format is, real file-size numbers, where each one works, and how to pick. ## The contenders, in one paragraph each **WebP** (Google, 2010) is the conservative modern pick. About 25 to 35% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality, with full lossless mode, transparency (alpha), and animation. Browser support is universal in 2026 (every modern browser, Gmail, WhatsApp, every CMS). The downside: encode quality is decent but not great compared to AVIF, and EXIF metadata support is uneven. **AVIF** (Alliance for Open Media, 2019) is the modern winner on pure file size. Built on the AV1 video codec. Around 50% smaller than JPEG and 25 to 35% smaller than WebP at the same visual quality. Supports transparency, HDR, wide color gamut, and 12-bit pixels. Browser support reached parity in 2024; in 2026 every major browser decodes AVIF natively. The downside: encoding is slower than WebP (a real problem for batch jobs), and very old email clients still don't render it inline. **JPEG XL** (.jxl, ISO/IEC 18181, 2022) is the technical favorite among photographers and engineers. Lossless transcoding of existing JPEGs (re-encode a JPEG as JXL and you save ~20% with zero quality loss), 1-bit alpha support, true progressive decoding, and excellent encode/decode speed. Native support in Safari 17+ on iOS 17+ and macOS Sonoma+. The downside: Chrome dropped JXL in 2022 and (as of 2026) still hasn't re-added it, so cross-browser web use requires JS polyfills or fallbacks. ## File-size comparison: real numbers Same iPhone landscape photo (4032 × 3024 pixels), encoded across formats at "visually identical" quality: | Format | File size | % vs JPEG | Visual quality | |---|---|---|---| | JPEG (quality 92) | 2.8 MB | reference | excellent | | JPEG (quality 85) | 1.6 MB | -43% | very good | | WebP (quality 80) | 1.1 MB | -61% | very good | | AVIF (quality 60) | 0.78 MB | -72% | very good | | JPEG XL (effort 7, distance 1.0) | 0.92 MB | -67% | very good | For a 600 × 800 product photo with transparency: | Format | File size | Transparency? | |---|---|---| | PNG (lossless) | 280 KB | ✓ | | WebP (quality 90) | 88 KB | ✓ | | AVIF (quality 70) | 52 KB | ✓ | | JPEG XL (effort 7) | 65 KB | ✓ | The pattern holds across most photographic content: **AVIF wins on size, JXL is close, WebP is the universal middle ground, JPEG is the largest but most compatible**. Numbers vary by image content (flat areas vs detail-rich, photographic vs synthetic) by 10 to 20%. ## Browser support in 2026 | Format | Chrome | Edge | Safari | Firefox | iOS | Android | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | WebP | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (14+) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | AVIF | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (16.4+) | ✓ (113+) | ✓ (16.4+) | ✓ (Chrome 85+) | | JPEG XL | ✗ (dropped 2022) | ✗ | ✓ (17+) | partial (behind flag) | ✓ (17+) | ✗ | In practical 2026 terms: - **WebP** works for 99% of users, no exceptions worth planning for. - **AVIF** works for 97% of users; ship with a JPEG fallback for the long tail. - **JPEG XL** works natively only in the Apple ecosystem; useful for iOS apps and Apple-only photo workflows, not yet for general web. ## Encode speed comparison A critical practical factor often missed in compression benchmarks: how long does it take to actually encode the file? | Format | Encode time (one 4032×3024 photo, single core) | |---|---| | JPEG (quality 85) | 0.05 s | | WebP (quality 80) | 0.18 s | | JPEG XL (effort 7) | 0.32 s | | AVIF (quality 60, speed 6) | 1.4 s | | AVIF (quality 60, speed 9 / fast) | 0.55 s | AVIF at default settings is roughly 7-10× slower to encode than JPEG. For a batch of 100 photos, that's a real wait. WebP and JXL strike a better balance. Browser-side encoders (canvas.toBlob('image/avif')) are slower still than the native libraries. For interactive tools (like our [Image Compressor](/image-compressor)), this matters: AVIF gives the best file size, but the live-preview lag is noticeable. ## EXIF and metadata behavior | Format | EXIF | IPTC | XMP | C2PA Content Credentials | |---|---|---|---|---| | JPEG | ✓ full | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (widely adopted) | | WebP | partial (decoder-dependent) | partial | ✓ | partial | | AVIF | ✓ (newer decoders) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | JPEG XL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | EXIF behavior in WebP and AVIF varies by encoder and decoder. Browsers (specifically `canvas.toBlob`) strip EXIF when re-encoding to WebP or AVIF; preserving EXIF requires server-side tools like ImageMagick, libvips, or sharp. For more on EXIF survival across pipelines, see our explainer: [what is EXIF data?](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data) and [iPhone photo metadata complete guide](/photo-guides/iphone-photo-metadata-complete-guide). ## Quality at low bitrates The interesting battleground isn't visually-lossless quality (all three modern formats get there). It's quality at *aggressively low file sizes*, where you're trying to ship a 100 KB image for a slow mobile connection. At 100 KB for a 1080×1080 image: - **JPEG**: visible block artifacts, color banding, especially in gradients (sky, skin). - **WebP**: smoother gradients than JPEG but a soft "blurry" look at this bitrate. - **AVIF**: noticeably better, preserves detail and avoids the WebP "soft" look. - **JPEG XL**: similar to AVIF, with slightly better detail preservation. For Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS) on mobile, this gap matters. AVIF at 70% quality often ships 30% smaller than WebP at 80% quality with no perceptible difference, which is exactly what helps page-load benchmarks. ## When to pick which (practical decision tree) **Web (you control the page):** - Default: AVIF with WebP fallback with JPEG fallback. Use the `` element. - Mobile-first / Core Web Vitals priority: AVIF is the right call. - Simpler maintenance (no fallback chain): WebP. Costs ~20% file size vs AVIF, gains universal support without ``. **Email attachment or shared file:** - Always JPEG. Email clients are inconsistent on WebP and AVIF. **Apple ecosystem (iOS app, Mac-only workflow):** - JPEG XL is a real option. Native support in Safari, fast encode, lossless JPEG transcoding. - For sharing outside Apple, fall back to JPEG. **CMS or stock image library:** - WebP. Universal support, smaller than JPEG, no fallback complexity, most CMSes serve it well. - AVIF if your CMS supports it and your audience is mobile-heavy. **Photo with transparency (logos, product shots, UI):** - AVIF for smallest with transparency. - WebP as universal middle ground. - PNG only if absolutely lossless is required. **Photographic content with EXIF that needs to survive:** - JPEG (most reliable across the chain). - JPEG XL for Apple-only contexts. ## How to convert and test Our [Image Converter](/image-converter) handles browser-side conversion between JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, GIF, BMP, and ICO. Drop a file, pick the output format, batch download as a ZIP. Nothing uploads. For live side-by-side compression testing with a quality slider, use our [Image Compressor](/image-compressor). The original and recompressed previews sit next to each other with exact bytes-saved. For format comparisons across many input formats at once, drop a folder into the converter, export to JPEG, then to WebP, then to AVIF, and compare the resulting ZIPs. ## Common questions **Why did Chrome drop JPEG XL?** Google removed the JXL decoder from Chrome in 2022, citing "lack of interest from the wider ecosystem" and resource costs. The decision was controversial (developer petitions, Mozilla open ticket, photographer pushback). As of 2026, no re-add is announced. **Is WebP dead?** No. WebP is the safe modern format with universal support and no fallback complexity. AVIF wins on size but adds maintenance burden. WebP remains the right default for most non-extreme use cases. **Can AVIF really be 50% smaller than JPEG?** Yes for photographic content at matched visual quality. The gap is smaller (15 to 25%) for synthetic content (logos, screenshots, line art) where lossless or near-lossless makes more sense. **Does WebP preserve transparency?** Yes. Both lossy and lossless WebP support 8-bit alpha. **Will AVIF replace JPEG?** Eventually, probably. JPEG is too entrenched for a quick shift, but every browser native-decoding AVIF and every CDN serving it makes the transition real. By 2030, AVIF will likely be the default for web photography. **What about HEIC?** HEIC and HEIF use the same codec family as AVIF (both are HEVC/AV1-era). HEIC is Apple's variant; AVIF is the open-standard cousin. For Apple-to-Apple workflows, HEIC. For cross-platform web, AVIF. See [HEIC vs JPG](/photo-guides/heic-vs-jpg-which-format-should-you-use) for the HEIC angle. If you landed here while deciding between the two classic formats rather than the next-generation ones, we ran that comparison with real measurements in [JPEG vs PNG](/photo-guides/jpeg-vs-png). ## Bottom line In 2026, the right modern format depends on the target: - **Web with full control**: AVIF, with WebP and JPEG fallbacks via ``. - **Web with simple stack**: WebP. Best universal modern format, no fallback maintenance. - **Email and social**: JPEG. Modern formats are not safe here yet. - **Apple-only ecosystem**: JPEG XL. Fast, small, and natively supported. For one-off conversions, drop the file into our [Image Converter](/image-converter). For batch and live-preview compression testing, use the [Image Compressor](/image-compressor). Both run entirely in your browser. The HEIC vs JPG question for iPhone-specific contexts is its own guide: [HEIC vs JPG: Which Format Should You Use in 2026?](/photo-guides/heic-vs-jpg-which-format-should-you-use) --- # How to Remove EXIF Data on iPhone (2026 Guide) > Six ways to strip EXIF, GPS, and metadata from iPhone photos before sharing. Built-in iOS options, apps, browser tools, and what each method actually removes. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *10 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/remove-exif-data-on-iphone **Quick answer:** For a one-off share, use **iPhone's built-in option**: tap Share → Options (top) → Location → Off. This strips GPS but keeps date, camera, and other EXIF. For a **full wipe** (date, GPS, camera, lens, IPTC, XMP, all Apple maker notes), AirDrop the photo to a Mac or upload via iCloud, then drop it into our free browser [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). Nothing uploads, everything is stripped in one click. For **bulk** photos, use a Shortcuts Convert Image shortcut, our remover with multi-select, or [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) if you want to strip just the GPS from a whole set without leaving the phone. Every photo your iPhone takes carries a metadata block: when, where, with what camera, at what shutter and ISO. The block follows the file when you share by email, iMessage, AirDrop, Dropbox, or any non-social file transfer. Most of the time that's fine. Sometimes it's not. If you're posting a photo of your home, your child, your workplace, an investigation subject, or a date you're checking out, you probably don't want the embedded GPS coordinates traveling with the file. This guide covers every way to strip iPhone EXIF in 2026, what each method actually removes, and when to pick which. ## Why EXIF on iPhone photos matters iPhones write a lot more than just the picture. A typical photo from iPhone 14 or later carries roughly 60 to 100 EXIF tags. The privacy-relevant ones: - **GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude / GPSAltitude** (exact location of the shot) - **DateTimeOriginal** (when the shutter fired, often to the second) - **Make / Model / LensModel** (iPhone model, exact lens used) - **Software** (iOS version, useful for forensic dating) - **Apple maker note block** (proprietary processing info) For a deeper walk-through of every field, see our [iPhone Photo Metadata guide](/photo-guides/iphone-photo-metadata-complete-guide). The risk isn't theoretical. Photos of homes routinely leak addresses via GPS. Photos of kids at school leak the school's coordinates. Photos taken at a workplace leak the office address. Most users have no idea any of this is in there because the iPhone's own info panel only shows a small map without coordinates. ## Method 1: iPhone Share Sheet → Options → Location (one-shot, GPS only) The fastest and most underused option. Works on iOS 13 and later (every supported iPhone in 2026). 1. Open the photo in *Photos*. 2. Tap the *Share* button (square with up-arrow). 3. At the top of the share sheet, just under the photo previews, tap *Options*. 4. Tap *Location* to toggle it *Off*. 5. Tap *Done*. 6. Share the photo as normal. The shared copy now has no GPS, but everything else (date, camera, lens, exposure, IPTC) is intact. **Use this for:** quick social posts, casual messaging, when you trust the recipient but don't want the location to travel. **Don't use this for:** anything that needs a complete metadata wipe. GPS is the most sensitive field but it isn't the only one. ## Method 2: Built-in "Adjust Location" → No Location Photos can drop the location from the photo in your library. In iOS 27 the menu moved slightly: 1. Open the photo in *Photos*. 2. Tap the info button, or swipe up on the photo. 3. Tap *Adjust Info*, then *Adjust Location*. 4. Tap *No Location*. To do a batch, tap *Select* in the grid, pick the photos, and follow the same steps. The rest of the EXIF (date, camera, lens) stays, and with iCloud Photos turned on the change shows on your other devices too. One caveat: this is an adjustment Photos keeps next to the original, which is why the same screen has a *Revert* button. Treat it as tidying your library. If a clean file is what matters, check the copy you actually send in the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). **Use this for:** photos you want to keep in your library but don't want showing a location. ## Method 3: Browser EXIF Remover (full wipe, no upload) When you need to wipe *everything* (GPS, date, camera, lens, IPTC, XMP, Apple maker notes), the iPhone's built-in options aren't enough. Use a browser-based stripper. 1. AirDrop the photo from iPhone to Mac, or open it on iCloud.com from any computer. 2. Open our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). 3. Drop the file (or multi-select files) onto the page. 4. Hit *Download*. The cleaned file has no metadata block at all. The entire process runs in your browser; the photo never uploads anywhere. **Use this for:** dating profile pictures, public-forum posts, photos of children that get re-shared, any photo where you want zero metadata leaving your device. **Verify it worked:** drop the cleaned file into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). The tables should be empty (or near-empty: PixelXDimension and Orientation may survive, that's normal). ## Method 4: iOS Shortcuts (batch automation) There is no action literally called "remove EXIF" in Shortcuts, but the image converter does the job: 1. Open *Shortcuts* and tap **+** to create a new shortcut. 2. Add *Select Photos* and turn on *Select Multiple*. 3. Add *Convert Image*. Set the format to *Match Input* and turn **Preserve Metadata** off. 4. Add *Save to Photo Album*. Run it, pick the photos, and you get new copies without the metadata block, GPS and date included. It re-encodes the images, so it is not a lossless edit, and it leaves the originals in your library, so delete those if the point was to get rid of them. Run one result through the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) the first time to see exactly what survived. ## Method 5: Mac Preview → "Remove Location Info" If the photo is on a Mac (via AirDrop or iCloud), Preview has a one-click GPS strip: 1. Open in *Preview*. 2. *Tools → Show Inspector* (⌘ ⌥ I). 3. Click the **GPS** tab. 4. *Remove Location Info* at the bottom. Same caveat as Method 1: removes GPS only, not the rest of the EXIF block. For a full Mac wipe, also use Preview's *Export* with *Show Details* expanded, untick *Keep Photo's Original*, and re-save. Or just use the browser remover in Method 3. ## Method 6: An EXIF app on the phone (GPS only or everything, in batches) If you do this often, a dedicated app saves the round trip to a computer. We make [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) for this, so take the recommendation with that in mind. It gives you the two choices the built-in options split between them: - **Strip just the GPS** and keep the date and camera details, for when the date is useful but the address is not. - **Erase everything:** location, camera make and model, lens, timestamps, serial numbers. It works on JPEG and HEIC photos and on MOV and MP4 videos, runs entirely on the phone, and never changes the image itself (same pixels, same quality, same orientation). Every edit saves a new copy and leaves the original untouched, so remember to delete the old version if you don't want the location sitting in your library. Removing metadata from several files at once is part of the Pro upgrade. ## Method comparison: what each method strips | Method | GPS | Date | Camera / lens | IPTC / XMP | Apple maker note | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | iPhone Share Sheet → Location off | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | iPhone Photo → Adjust Location → No Location | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | Browser EXIF Remover ([/exif-remover](/exif-remover)) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | iOS Shortcuts → Convert Image, Preserve Metadata off | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | check | check | | Mac Preview → Remove Location | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | | ExifHub → Strip GPS / Erase everything | ✓ | choice | choice | choice | choice | For the full-wipe case, the browser route is the only one that reliably strips Apple's maker note block, which can contain processing scores and scene-detection results you may not want shared. ## What about the visible pixels? Removing EXIF removes the *invisible metadata*. It does not remove anything visible in the photo. If the photo shows a recognizable face, a license plate, a screen with private text, or a street sign with an address, those are still there. For a privacy share, run two steps: 1. Strip EXIF with our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). 2. Blur faces, plates, and sensitive regions with our [Blur Faces](/blur-faces) tool. Both run in the browser, neither uploads anything. ## Do social platforms strip EXIF automatically? Mostly yes. As of 2026: - **Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (Twitter), Reddit, Snapchat, WhatsApp**: all strip EXIF on upload. Photos downloaded from these platforms carry almost no metadata. - **Email, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Photo Sharing, AirDrop, iMessage, Signal**: keep EXIF intact. - **LinkedIn**: strips EXIF but adds its own re-compression artifact. - **Discord**: strips EXIF on upload. The catch: any time you share the *original file* (file attachment in email, AirDrop to friends, upload to a job site like Procore), EXIF travels. The platforms that strip are doing it server-side; the original on your device is untouched. For details on why platforms strip and what this means for evidence photos, see: [Why Instagram Strips EXIF Data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data). ## When you actually want EXIF to survive EXIF removal is a privacy default for shared content, but there are real cases where you want the opposite: - **Insurance claims** (date + GPS proves when and where the damage was photographed) - **Real estate listings** (GPS that matches the property builds trust) - **Contractor documentation** (timestamp + GPS for change-order defense) - **Journalism / evidence** (DateTimeOriginal + GPS for fact-checking) For these cases, see our guides: - [Are timestamp photos legal evidence?](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) - [GPS photo evidence for contractors](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide) - [How to add GPS coordinates to a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo) The decision is per-photo: strip when sharing publicly, keep when documenting. ## Common questions **Does converting HEIC to JPG preserve EXIF?** It depends on the converter. Our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg) keeps EXIF by default and has a toggle to strip it. **Does cropping or editing in Photos strip EXIF?** No. Apple Photos updates ModifyDate but keeps the EXIF block. Crop, resize, rotate, and basic edits don't strip metadata. **Can someone tell if I edited the EXIF?** Sometimes. Forensic analysts compare DateTimeOriginal with file creation time, look for inconsistent maker note structures, and check JPEG compression signatures. For high-stakes cases, deliberate edits can be detected. For everyday privacy, no. **What about screenshots?** Screenshots have no EXIF, no GPS, no DateTimeOriginal. They are generated by iOS, not captured through the camera. The file creation timestamp on storage is the only date marker. **Are there apps that re-add fake EXIF?** Yes (and some are legit for legitimate edit workflows, others are used for deception). This is why high-stakes verification looks at the full EXIF for consistency rather than trusting any single tag. ## The one-line rule If the photo is going somewhere public or to anyone you don't fully trust: **strip EXIF first**. Use the iPhone share-sheet option for quick GPS removal, the [browser EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) for a full wipe, and an app like ExifHub when it has to happen on the phone for a lot of photos. Verify with the [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). Then post. ## Tools used in this guide - [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): full metadata wipe in your browser - [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer): verify what survived - [Blur Faces](/blur-faces): strip visible faces and license plates - [HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg): convert iPhone HEIC, keep or drop EXIF --- # iPhone Photo Metadata: Everything You Can Find and Edit (2026) > What metadata iPhones write into every photo, how to view it, how to edit the date or GPS, and how to strip it before sharing. Updated for iOS 27. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *10 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/iphone-photo-metadata-complete-guide **Quick answer:** Every iPhone photo carries EXIF metadata: capture date and time, GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude), camera model, lens, aperture, shutter, ISO, and (on Live Photos and HDR shots) extra technical tags. To see it on iPhone, open the photo in Photos and tap the **(i)** info icon. For full metadata including every tag, drop the photo into our free [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. To edit a wrong date or missing GPS, use the [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor). To strip everything before sharing publicly, use the [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). iPhones write a lot more into every photo than most owners realize. Date and time, GPS coordinates, the exact camera lens used, the orientation, the color profile, and (on newer models) information about HDR, depth, and motion. This guide walks through everything that's in there, where to find it, how to change it when it's wrong, and how to strip it when privacy matters. ## What metadata an iPhone writes into every photo Every photo your iPhone saves carries an EXIF block. A typical photo carries dozens of tags. The most important ones: **Time and date** - **DateTimeOriginal**: when you tapped the shutter (the field most apps treat as "when the photo was taken") - **CreateDate**: when the file was written to storage (usually identical) - **ModifyDate**: when the file was last edited (changes if you edit in Photos) - **OffsetTimeOriginal**: the time zone offset, so the capture time reads correctly wherever the file is opened **Location (when Location Services is on for Camera)** - **GPSLatitude**, **GPSLongitude**: where you took the photo - **GPSAltitude**: how high above sea level - **GPSSpeed**: if you were moving when you took it - **GPSDateStamp** / **GPSTimeStamp**: the satellite-derived time of the GPS reading (independent of phone clock) - **GPSImgDirection**: which direction the camera was pointing (compass heading) **Camera and lens (the iPhone-specific bits)** - **Make**: *Apple* - **Model**: e.g. *iPhone 17 Pro Max* - **LensMake**: *Apple* - **LensModel**: which camera on the phone took the shot, e.g. *iPhone 17 Pro Max back triple camera*, followed by that lens's focal length and aperture - **Software**: the iOS version that took the photo (useful for forensic dating) **Exposure settings** - Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, flash on/off, white balance, metering mode **iPhone-specific extras** - **HDR**: was the shot taken with HDR processing - **Apple maker note block**: proprietary tags Apple writes (run state, scene detection results, content score) - For Live Photos: a separate identifier linking the still image to its 3-second video clip - For Portrait mode: depth map data and focal point - For ProRAW: extra metadata for the RAW pipeline Our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) lists every common tag with what it means. For background on what EXIF is in general, see our explainer: [what is EXIF data?](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data) ## How to view metadata on the iPhone itself iPhone gives you a quick-look view of the most useful EXIF without leaving Photos: 1. Open the photo in *Photos*. 2. Swipe up on the photo, or tap the **(i)** info icon at the bottom of the screen. 3. You'll see: - Date and time - Location on a small map (if GPS was on) - Camera model and lens - File size and dimensions - Some exposure info (focal length, f-stop, ISO) Apple added the camera and lens details to this panel in iOS 15, and it still works the same way in iOS 26 and iOS 27. It's enough for casual checks. For the full EXIF block including IPTC, XMP, and every Apple maker note tag, you need a real EXIF viewer. ## How to view full metadata (every tag) The iPhone's built-in info panel hides most of the EXIF block. To see every tag, copyright fields, XMP, IPTC, and pro-grade detail: 1. **In a browser**: AirDrop the photo to a Mac or open it on iCloud.com from any computer, then drop it into our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). The viewer parses the file in your browser (nothing uploads) and shows date, time, GPS with a map pin and reverse-geocoded address, camera, lens, exposure, IPTC, and XMP in clean tables. 2. **On macOS**: Open in *Preview* → *Tools → Show Inspector* (⌘ ⌥ I), then click the EXIF and GPS tabs. 3. **On the iPhone itself**: an EXIF app reads every tag without the round-trip to a Mac. We make [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8) for this, and it can also edit the date and GPS in the file. 4. **Command line**: For developers and forensics, [exiftool](https://exiftool.org/) on macOS or Linux reads every tag including Apple's maker notes. ## How to edit iPhone photo metadata Photos lets you change two things yourself: the **date** and the **location**. Apple added both in iOS 15. In iOS 27 the steps are: **Change the date and time:** 1. Open the photo in Photos. 2. Tap the **(i)** info button, or swipe up on the photo. 3. Tap **Adjust Info**, then **Adjust Date & Time**. 4. Pick the date and time and tap **Adjust**. **Change the location:** 1. Open the photo and tap the **(i)** info button, or swipe up. 2. Tap **Adjust Info**, then **Adjust Location**. 3. Type the place and tap it under **Map Locations**. **No Location** removes it, **Revert** brings back the original. To fix several photos at once, tap **Select** in the grid first. With iCloud Photos on, the change shows up on your other Apple devices too. One thing to know: Photos records these corrections in your library, next to the original values, which is how **Revert** can undo them. That is not the same as rewriting the fields inside the file, so if the photo is going to someone else, check the copy that actually leaves your phone. The step by step guides are [how to change the date of a photo on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-date-on-iphone) and [how to change the location of a photo on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-location-on-iphone). **For anything Photos doesn't let you edit** (artist, copyright, caption, individual EXIF tags, IPTC fields), use our browser-based [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) for JPEGs. AirDrop the photo to a Mac, drop it in, change the field, download the corrected JPEG. Nothing uploads. For the specific case of correcting a wrong capture date in bulk, see our full guide: [how to change the date on a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo). ## How to strip iPhone photo metadata before sharing If you're posting a photo of your home, your workplace, or your child to a public forum, you probably don't want the embedded GPS coordinates traveling with it. There are three options: **1. iPhone Share Sheet: Options → Location → Off** (one-shot, GPS only) When you tap the share button, before you pick an app, tap *Options* at the top of the share sheet. Toggle *Location* off. The shared copy has no GPS, but the rest of the EXIF (date, camera, lens) still travels. This is the fastest method when you remember. But it only strips GPS, not the full block. **2. Our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): full wipe, in your browser** AirDrop or upload to iCloud, then drop into our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). One click wipes EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and Apple maker notes. The cleaned JPEG downloads back to you. No upload, no signup. Use this when you want zero metadata leaving your device. Most reliable. **3. Social platforms strip EXIF automatically** Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, and Snapchat strip EXIF, including GPS, from the file other people can download. WhatsApp depends on how you send: as a normal photo the metadata is stripped, as a Document it goes through untouched. The catch: any time the photo *also* goes via email, iMessage, AirDrop, Dropbox, or Google Drive, the full EXIF travels with it. The platform by platform breakdown is in [which social media platforms strip EXIF data](/photo-guides/which-social-media-platforms-strip-exif-data). ## iPhone-specific metadata gotchas **iCloud edits sync back.** If you edit a photo's date or location on iPhone with iCloud Photos on, the change syncs to every Apple device. Useful if intentional. Surprising if not. **Live Photos carry extra metadata.** A Live Photo is a still image plus a 3-second video clip. The two files share a *ContentIdentifier* so Photos can link them. If you AirDrop a Live Photo to a non-Apple device, the video portion is usually dropped and the still becomes a normal photo (with EXIF intact). See our guide on [iPhone Live Photos with timestamp](/photo-guides/how-to-take-iphone-live-photo-with-timestamp) for the full workflow. **HEIC stores more than JPG.** Apple's default HEIC format can store depth maps, gain maps for HDR, and multi-image sequences inside one file. Converting HEIC to JPG (via our [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg)) keeps the EXIF and the main image but drops depth and HDR data. For most uses this is what you want. **ProRAW files are much bigger.** ProRAW (.DNG), available on iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models, keeps far more image data than HEIC so you have more room when editing. Apple puts a 12 MP ProRAW file at about 25 MB and a 48 MP one at about 75 MB. The usual EXIF (date, GPS, camera, lens) is there as well. **iOS 27 does not change any of this.** The September 2026 update brings Siri mode in Camera and new editing tools in Photos, but the same tags are written, in the same places, and there is still no way to print the date on a photo. The details are in our [iOS 27 camera and Photos guide](/photo-guides/ios-27-camera-timestamp). **Screenshots carry very little.** A screenshot is generated by iOS, not captured through the camera, so there is no GPS, no camera model, and no lens or exposure data. You get the capture date and time, the pixel dimensions, and often a "Screenshot" comment. More in [does a screenshot have metadata?](/photo-guides/does-a-screenshot-have-metadata) **Photos saved from other apps may be missing their EXIF.** A picture that arrived as a normal WhatsApp photo has usually had its metadata stripped on the way, so the capture date and location can be missing when you save it. If someone sent it as a Document, the sender's original date and GPS are still in the file. ## Common questions **Why doesn't my iPhone photo have GPS?** The most common reason is that *Location Services* was off for Camera when the shot was taken (*Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera*). Other reasons: indoor shoot with no GPS signal, photo received from another app that stripped GPS, photo screenshotted instead of captured. **Can I add GPS to an iPhone photo after the fact?** Yes. In Photos, tap **(i)** → **Adjust Info** → **Adjust Location** and pick a place. For an exact spot, drop a pin in [ExifHub](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8), or paste the latitude and longitude into our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) in a browser (JPEG). **Does Apple Photos modify EXIF when I edit?** Photos keeps your edits separate from the original, which is why **Revert to Original** works. When you share or export an edited photo, the copy is a new file: a crop gives it new pixel dimensions, while the original capture date normally stays the same. **Can the police or a court tell if EXIF has been tampered with?** Sometimes. Forensic analysts look at consistency (does GPS time match the file write time, does the camera model match the maker note format, does the JPEG compression match the claimed source) rather than trusting the tags at face value. Original files from the iPhone camera have a distinctive maker-note structure that's hard to fake convincingly. **What's the safest workflow for evidence photos (insurance, legal)?** Take the photo on iPhone with Location Services on. Don't edit. AirDrop the original file (not a screenshot, not a re-shared copy) to a Mac or upload to iCloud. Verify EXIF DateTimeOriginal and GPS in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) before submitting. For more, see our blog: [are timestamp photos legal evidence?](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) ## Bottom line iPhone photos carry far more metadata than the small *(i)* panel reveals. For everyday checks, the *(i)* icon is enough. For full visibility, edit, or stripping, the browser tools on this site handle the work without uploading anything: - See what's in there: [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) - Fix a wrong date or missing GPS: [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) / [Date Editor](/edit-photo-date) - Strip everything for privacy: [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover) - Convert HEIC to JPG while keeping metadata: [HEIC to JPG](/heic-to-jpg) EXIF survives most sharing methods (email, Dropbox, AirDrop, iMessage) and gets stripped by the big public platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok). WhatsApp strips it only when you send as a normal photo. If you need the metadata to survive, send the original file via a file-share. If you need it to *not* survive, strip it yourself before posting. --- # How to Detect AI-Generated Images (2026 Guide) > A practical guide to spotting AI-generated photos in 2026: visual tells, metadata red flags, forensic pixel checks, and the limits of every method. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *10 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-detect-ai-generated-images **Quick answer:** Check three things in this order. (1) **Metadata**: drop the file into a free [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer). Missing camera Make/Model, a Software tag like "Midjourney," "Stable Diffusion," or "Adobe Firefly," and no GPS are strong AI hints. (2) **Pixels**: run noise map and luminance gradient in our [Photo Forensics](/photo-forensics) tool. AI images often show suspiciously uniform sensor noise and inconsistent lighting. (3) **C2PA Content Credentials**: drop the file into contentcredentials.org/verify. If the AI tool wrote a credential, you'll see the generator's name. No single check is conclusive; combine all three. AI image generators reached photorealistic quality in 2024, and by 2026 the gap between real and synthetic is mostly closed for casual viewers. That makes detection a real-world problem: insurance fraud, journalism, dating profile vetting, and evidence chain-of-custody all run into AI-generated images now. This guide walks through the practical detection methods that work in 2026, what they reveal, and where each one fails. ## The three layers: metadata, pixels, provenance Every detection technique falls into one of three layers. The reliable workflow uses all three because each catches what the others miss. **Metadata layer** is the EXIF, IPTC, and XMP blocks inside the file. AI tools either leave these mostly empty (no camera, no GPS, no lens) or fill them with their own signature (Software: "Midjourney v8", Software: "Stable Diffusion XL", Software: "Adobe Firefly"). This is the fastest check but also the easiest to defeat: anyone can strip metadata with a 5-second tool. Useful for catching low-effort AI fakes, useless against careful ones. **Pixel layer** is forensic analysis of the actual image data: noise patterns, JPEG compression artifacts, frequency-domain quirks, lighting consistency. AI generators produce statistically different noise than real camera sensors. This is harder to defeat, but the defenders are catching up: 2026-generation models add synthetic sensor noise specifically to fool noise-map analysis. Useful for catching mid-quality fakes. **Provenance layer** is C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) Content Credentials, a cryptographically signed manifest embedded in the file that records who made the image and what tool. Adobe, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and most camera manufacturers now support C2PA. When the credential is intact, this is the most reliable signal. When the credential is missing or has been stripped, you fall back to the other two layers. ## Metadata checks: the 90-second free filter Open the photo in our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) (or any EXIF reader). Look for these signals: **Missing camera tags.** A real camera photo has Make, Model, LensModel, FNumber, ExposureTime, ISO. AI-generated images either skip these entirely or contain only the bare minimum (just Make and Model, with no exposure info). If a "photo of a building taken outside" has no GPS and no camera, that is unusual. **Generic or AI software tag.** The Software EXIF tag often gives the game away. Real cameras write firmware versions ("8.0.1", "iOS 19.2"). Adobe Lightroom writes "Adobe Lightroom 14.3 (Macintosh)". AI generators write things like "Midjourney v8", "Stable Diffusion XL", "Adobe Firefly", "DALL·E 3", "Sora", "Gemini Image". If you see a generator name in the Software field, the file is openly AI-generated. **No GPS, no shutter date.** Real cameras with Location Services on write GPS coordinates and a precise DateTimeOriginal (down to the second, often with sub-second info). AI images have no GPS and may have only the file write timestamp, not a real shutter time. Missing GPS alone is not proof (it could be a phone with Location off), but combined with a missing camera Make/Model, it is suspicious. **The "scrubbed" pattern.** A truly suspicious file has *almost no metadata at all*: no Make, no Model, no GPS, no Software, no anything except dimensions. This is what an AI image looks like after being saved through Photoshop or a metadata stripper. Real cameras almost never produce empty EXIF. **Mismatched DateTime fields.** Photos that have been edited or generated often show DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate, and ModifyDate that disagree. A real fresh capture has all three nearly identical. For a full tour of every EXIF tag and what it means, see our [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) or the beginner-friendly [what is EXIF data?](/photo-guides/what-is-exif-data). ## Pixel checks: when metadata is gone If the file is metadata-scrubbed (or just a screenshot of an AI image), you have to look at the pixels themselves. Open our [Photo Forensics tool](/photo-forensics) and try these three views: **Noise map** subtracts a small-radius blur from the image, leaving only the high-frequency noise. A real camera sensor produces noise that is fairly uniform across the frame, with slight variation tied to ISO and exposure. AI-generated images in 2026 often show *too-uniform* noise (the generator's denoising step over-smoothed it) or *artifically-injected uniform noise* that lacks the natural texture you'd expect on a phone shot. Look for unrealistically clean skin and unrealistically clean background regions. **Luminance gradient** runs a Sobel filter on the brightness channel and shows the gradient magnitude. Lighting direction in a real scene is consistent: shadows fall the same way across subjects, highlights line up. AI images often have inconsistent lighting between foreground and background (a person lit from the left in front of a building lit from the right). The gradient view makes this obvious. **Error Level Analysis (ELA)** re-encodes the file as a JPEG at a known quality and amplifies the difference. Real photos show consistent ELA brightness across the frame. AI images sometimes show patchy ELA where the generator's diffusion process left subtle blocky artifacts that don't match real JPEG compression. (ELA is less reliable on AI than it is on splices; treat it as a tiebreaker, not a primary signal.) **The catch:** 2026-generation models are increasingly aware of these defenses. Adversarial AI training specifically tries to fool noise-map and ELA analysis. For *high-quality* AI fakes (the kind a state actor or skilled deepfake creator would produce), forensic pixel analysis alone may not be enough. Combine with metadata + C2PA + visual checks. ## C2PA Content Credentials: the cryptographic signal C2PA (the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, backed by Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Intel, OpenAI, and most major camera makers) embeds a cryptographically signed manifest into image files. The manifest records the generator name, the model version, the creation chain (edits, exports), and the publisher. By mid-2026, most major AI image tools attach C2PA Content Credentials by default: - Adobe Firefly, Photoshop generative AI, Lightroom AI features - OpenAI DALL·E 3, Sora - Google Gemini Image - Microsoft Designer (formerly Image Creator) - Many Stable Diffusion forks and front-ends To check, drop the file into [contentcredentials.org/verify](https://contentcredentials.org/verify). If a credential is intact, you'll see a small badge with the generator name, the date the image was made, and (often) the prompt or a hash of it. **The catch:** C2PA is opt-in. A screenshot of an AI image, a re-uploaded AI image, or an image generated with a tool that didn't attach a credential will have nothing to verify. C2PA is *strong evidence when present* but *not evidence of authenticity when absent*. ## Visual tells (still useful in 2026) Despite massive progress, AI image generators in 2026 still slip on a few persistent details. Worth scanning every suspect image for: **Hands, fingers, jewelry.** Multi-finger geometry remains hard. Look for hands with five-and-a-half fingers, fingernails that point the wrong way, rings that pass through fingers, watch bands that don't close, hands fused to objects. This was a big tell in 2023 and is *less* common in 2026 but still present in fast-generated outputs. **Ears.** Ear shapes are unique and complex. AI ears often have weird helix curls, asymmetry between left and right ears (when they should match), or earrings that float in space. **Small text.** Logos, street signs, book covers, tattoos. AI usually renders unreadable garbled-letter text instead of real words. If the photo has any visible writing and the writing isn't a real word, it is almost certainly AI. **Reflections and shadows.** Eye reflections in two eyes of the same person often disagree on light source. Reflections in mirrors and windows don't match the scene. Shadow direction differs between subjects in the same frame. **Repeated patterns and crowds.** Background people, leaves on a tree, hair strands, fabric weaves, brick walls. AI images often have unnatural repetition or smearing in repeated patterns. **Skin texture.** AI skin can look too smooth (oversmoothed) or too uniformly perfect. Real skin has pores, oil, slight color variations, fine hair. AI skin lacks micro-detail under close inspection. **Background coherence.** Architecture that doesn't structurally hold together (windows offset wrong, balconies floating, doorways leading to nowhere). Crowds where individual people merge into each other. ## What does NOT prove a photo is real Some signals get cited as "proof" but actually mean nothing in 2026: - **High resolution.** AI generators produce 4K+ images now. - **EXIF with a real camera name.** Easy to fake; tools exist that copy EXIF from a real photo onto an AI image. - **GPS coordinates.** Also easy to add manually with any EXIF editor. - **A timestamp.** Adjustable in seconds with any date editor. - **"It looks too good to be fake".** Yes it does. That's the problem. Real authenticity requires the *cryptographic provenance* layer (C2PA + camera-signed credentials) or chain-of-custody from the original sensor. ## A practical 5-minute checklist When a photo lands in your inbox and you need to know if it's real, run through this: 1. **EXIF Viewer** ([/exif-viewer](/exif-viewer)): camera Make/Model present? GPS present? Software tag a real camera or "Midjourney"? 2. **Photo Forensics** ([/photo-forensics](/photo-forensics)): noise map look uniform and clean? Luminance gradient consistent across the frame? 3. **C2PA verify** (contentcredentials.org/verify): any credential at all? 4. **Visual scan**: hands, ears, text, reflections. Any glitches? 5. **Source check**: who sent it? Was there a chain? Does the sender stand behind it? If 1-4 all look clean and the source is trusted, it is probably real. If even one of them is sketchy, treat the image as unverified and look for a second source. ## What about reverse image search? Google Lens, TinEye, Bing Visual Search are still useful in 2026 but for a different question: *has this image been published elsewhere?* They do not directly tell you if an image is AI-generated. They can sometimes catch obvious AI when the same image has been posted to AI-art galleries (Civitai, ArtStation, Midjourney showcase), in which case the source is the proof. Worth running as a fifth check. ## Where this is heading By late 2026 and into 2027, two things are happening: 1. **C2PA becomes the standard.** Apple iPhone cameras starting iOS 18 attach signed Content Credentials at capture. Most pro cameras (Sony, Nikon, Canon, Leica) now have a C2PA mode. The "no credential, no trust" rule is becoming workable. 2. **AI detection arms race continues.** Pixel-level forensic detection (noise, ELA, frequency analysis) becomes less reliable as generators learn to fool it. Watermarks (Google SynthID, Microsoft signatures) help, but only when respected by the generator. The best advice for 2026: **trust provenance, verify with multiple layers, doubt anything that lacks a chain of custody.** ## Tools used in this guide - [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer): see metadata in your browser. - [Photo Forensics](/photo-forensics): noise map, luminance gradient, ELA, all in your browser. - [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): strip metadata before sharing your own real photos. - C2PA Verify (external): contentcredentials.org/verify for cryptographic provenance. - Reverse image search (external): Google Lens, TinEye, Bing. ## Bottom line In 2026, no single test catches every AI-generated image, and no single test proves a photo is real. The reliable workflow combines metadata, pixel forensics, C2PA provenance, and visual scanning. Run all four in order on any suspect image. When something matters (insurance, journalism, evidence, dating profile), demand C2PA Content Credentials and treat their absence as a yellow flag, not a green light. --- # HEIC vs JPG: Which Format Should You Use in 2026? > A clear, practical comparison of HEIC and JPG: file size, quality, compatibility, EXIF support, and when to convert. *Published: 2026-05-26* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/heic-vs-jpg-which-format-should-you-use **Quick answer:** Use HEIC when the photo stays inside Apple devices (iCloud, Photos, AirDrop, iMessage) because it produces files about 50% smaller than JPG at the same visual quality. Use JPG (also called JPEG) when you send the photo to anyone outside Apple, when you upload to a bank, insurance portal, eBay, or older CMS, or when you print at a kiosk. Most non-Apple software still expects JPG. To convert HEIC to JPG without uploading anything, use our free browser-based [HEIC to JPG converter](/heic-to-jpg). If you own an iPhone, you've seen the question pop up: *the recipient said they cannot open the photo you sent.* That's almost always a HEIC vs JPG mismatch. iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, but most of the world still expects JPG. This guide walks through what each format actually is, when each one is the right pick, and how to convert between them without losing any quality. ## What HEIC and JPG actually are **JPG** (or JPEG, same thing, the file extension was shortened from .JPEG to .JPG when Windows only allowed three-character extensions) is a 1992 format. Lossy compression. Universal support. Every camera, every operating system, every browser, every email client, every CMS reads JPG without complaint. The format is over thirty years old and is still the default for almost everything outside Apple. **HEIC** is Apple's branded variant of HEIF, an open standard published in 2015. Same container family. HEIC uses HEVC (H.265) for image compression, the same codec that powers 4K video streaming. Because HEVC is much more modern than the compression inside JPG, HEIC produces files roughly half the size at the same visual quality. iPhones have saved photos in HEIC by default since iOS 11 (2017). Both store the same kind of pixel data. The container, the compression, and the compatibility are what differ. ## File size: real numbers from one photo Here's the same iPhone photo (a landscape shot taken at 12 MP) exported in three ways: | Format | File size | Visual quality | |---|---|---| | HEIC (Apple default) | 1.4 MB | Reference | | JPG at 92% quality | 2.8 MB | Indistinguishable on screen | | JPG at 100% quality | 4.6 MB | Indistinguishable on screen | HEIC is about half the size of a JPG that looks the same. Multiply that across an entire camera roll and the storage savings become real, especially on a 64 GB or 128 GB phone. ## Compatibility: where each one works **HEIC works on:** - iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro (all native) - macOS Sierra (2016) and later - iCloud Photos - AirDrop, iMessage, Apple Mail - Windows 11 (with the HEIF and HEVC codec packs installed) - Recent versions of Google Photos - Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop (recent versions) **HEIC does NOT work on (or causes friction with):** - Most email clients (Gmail web, Outlook, Yahoo) until the recipient downloads - Most banks, insurance portals, government upload forms - eBay, Facebook Marketplace, most listing sites - WhatsApp (it converts to JPG silently but quality drops) - Older Windows (Windows 10 without the codec, older Windows 7) - Print shops, photo kiosks - Most CMS platforms (WordPress media library, older Drupal, etc.) - Many older Android phones **JPG works on**: literally everything. That is its entire reason to exist in 2026. ## EXIF, GPS, and metadata Both formats carry full EXIF: capture date, GPS coordinates, camera, lens, aperture, shutter, ISO, copyright. The metadata block is the same. When you convert HEIC to JPG with our [browser converter](/heic-to-jpg), the EXIF travels with the photo by default (toggle off if you prefer a metadata-free output for privacy). One small thing: HEIC can store multiple images in a single file (Live Photo still + key frame, depth map, burst sequence). JPG is one image per file. Converting a HEIC Live Photo to JPG keeps the still image but drops the video and depth data, which is usually what you want. ## Quality: are they actually identical? For a viewer looking at the photo on a phone, tablet, or monitor, **yes**, HEIC and a high-quality JPG (92% or above) look identical. The difference only shows up in pixel-level analysis or with extreme crops. For all practical photography use, both produce the same picture. The catch is what happens to JPG when it gets re-saved repeatedly. JPG is lossy, and every re-save loses a little more detail. HEIC is also lossy, but its compression is more modern and resists repeated re-saves better. If a photo will be edited and re-saved many times, keeping the master in HEIC (or RAW, or DNG) and only exporting to JPG when you share is the more careful workflow. ## When to use HEIC - Photos that stay inside Apple Photos, iCloud, Shared Albums - AirDrop between Apple devices - Long-term archiving on a Mac or external drive (smaller files, same quality) - Burst photography, Live Photos (HEIC stores them natively) - Storage-constrained iPhones (you can hold roughly twice as many photos) ## When to use JPG - Email attachments to anyone outside Apple - Insurance claim portals, bank uploads, government forms - Listings: eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy - WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord (HEIC gets stripped or re-encoded badly) - Printing at any photo kiosk or print shop - Anything that touches Windows machines older than Windows 11 - WordPress, most CMS uploads - Embedding in PDFs, Word documents, slideshows for cross-platform sharing When in doubt, send JPG. It's the format with no compatibility surprises. ## How to convert HEIC to JPG (the practical part) The fastest method is our [free browser-based converter](/heic-to-jpg). Drop the HEIC file (or a whole folder), pick a quality level, and download the JPG. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so no photo ever leaves your device. EXIF is preserved by default. On a Mac, you can also right-click a HEIC in Finder → *Quick Actions → Convert Image* → JPG. This is one-shot and good for the occasional file. On iPhone, the easiest way is to change the capture format permanently: *Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible*. From that point forward, the camera saves JPG directly. Existing HEIC photos in your library still need to be converted (use our [converter](/heic-to-jpg) or AirDrop them to a Mac first). On Windows, install the HEIF Image Extension and HEVC codec from the Microsoft Store, then HEIC files open in Photos and you can right-click → *Save as* → JPG. Our browser converter avoids the codec install and works on every Windows version. ## The middle ground: change iPhone defaults, no conversion later If most of your sharing happens outside the Apple ecosystem (most people's reality), the simplest fix is to make the iPhone shoot JPG natively: 1. Open *Settings*. 2. Tap *Camera*. 3. Tap *Formats*. 4. Choose *Most Compatible* (instead of *High Efficiency*). The phone now captures JPG. You give up the file-size advantage of HEIC but every photo you take from that point onward is ready to send to anyone. ## What about HEIF vs HEIC? HEIF is the open standard. HEIC is Apple's branded variant of HEIF using HEVC compression. For all practical purposes, treat them as the same format. Our [converter](/heic-to-jpg) handles both extensions transparently and from any device (iPhone, Mac, Pixel, Samsung). ## Should you ever pick PNG, WebP, or AVIF instead? - **PNG** is lossless and supports transparency. Useful for screenshots, logos, diagrams. For photographs, PNG produces files 5 to 10 times larger than HEIC or JPG with no visible quality gain. - **WebP** is Google's modern format, roughly 25 to 35% smaller than JPG, supported everywhere except older email clients. Good for websites. EXIF support is patchy. - **AVIF** is the newest format on the list, roughly 50% smaller than JPG at the same quality. Browser support is excellent in 2026; some email clients and older tools still struggle. Good for fast-loading websites. For photos that travel widely, **JPG remains the safe pick in 2026**. For photos that stay on Apple devices, **HEIC saves storage** without giving anything up. For the web, **AVIF** and **WebP** are increasingly the right call. If you need to resize, recompress, or convert format while you're at it, our [image resizer](/image-resizer) handles JPG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF in one pass. If the reason you are comparing formats is that a photo is simply too big for an upload, format is only half the fix. The other half is in [how to make a picture smaller](/photo-guides/how-to-make-a-picture-smaller), which walks the built-in routes on every platform and when to use a target-size compressor instead. ## Bottom line - **Apple-only workflow**: stay with HEIC, save storage. - **Cross-platform sharing**: convert to JPG, sleep easy. - **One-time conversion**: drop the file into our [browser converter](/heic-to-jpg). - **Permanent fix**: switch iPhone Camera Formats to *Most Compatible*. HEIC is not going away. JPG is not going away. The question is which one your specific photo needs to be in *right now*, given who's going to open it next. When in doubt, JPG. --- # How to Take an iPhone Live Photo with a Date and Time Stamp > Three ways to add a visible date and time to a Live Photo on iPhone: the built-in Photos app, third-party stamp apps, and the web tool fallback for photos *Published: 2026-05-21* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-take-iphone-live-photo-with-timestamp **Quick answer:** Live Photos cannot be directly stamped because they are a `.heic` still plus a `.mov` clip; the clip drops on most uploads. The reliable workflow is: open the Live Photo in Apple Photos, pick a key frame, tap Edit → ⋯ → Duplicate as Still Photo, then add a visible timestamp using our [free browser stamp tool](/). For ongoing field work, install an iOS camera app that stamps date, time, and GPS visibly at the shutter so no after-the-fact step is needed. The iPhone's Live Photo format is great for capturing motion, but it's a proprietary `.heic` + `.mov` pair that no platform really speaks. When you need a date and time visibly stamped onto a Live Photo (insurance claim, construction documentation, court evidence, family archive), you need to either configure the iPhone Camera to stamp at the shutter, or convert the Live Photo to a still and stamp it after the fact. This guide covers all three paths, with the trade-offs spelled out. ## Why "stamping a Live Photo" is harder than it sounds A Live Photo is two files glued together: a `.heic` still (the key frame) plus a 3-second `.mov` clip captured around the shutter press. When you AirDrop it, iMessage it, or upload to Instagram, only the still travels in most cases. The clip is dropped. That means any visible stamp you add either has to live on the still (works everywhere) or be re-encoded into the clip frame-by-frame (complicated, only Photos app and a handful of apps can read it back). For 99% of real use cases (proof of work, insurance, real estate, archive), the right move is **stamp the still and ignore the clip**. ## Method 1: Photos app + web stamp tool (free, no install) This is the simplest path if you already have the Live Photo and need to add a stamp now. 1. Open the Live Photo in **Photos**. 2. Tap **Edit**, then the **Live Photo** icon at the bottom (the concentric circles). 3. Scrub the frame strip at the bottom and **Make Key Photo** on the moment you want stamped. 4. Tap **Edit** again, then the **⋯** menu in the top-right. 5. Tap **Duplicate as Still Photo**. This saves a regular JPEG of just the key frame. 6. Open [timestampcamera.net](/) in Safari on the same iPhone. 7. Tap **Choose photo**, pick the still you just made. 8. Set the date, time, GPS (read from the original EXIF), and any project tag. 9. Tap **Download**, then **Save to Photos** from the share sheet. You end up with three photos in your camera roll: the original Live Photo, the still copy, and the stamped JPEG. Most workflows want the stamped JPEG. Pros: free, no app install, works on the photo you already have. Cons: three taps to extract the still, the Live aspect is lost. ## Method 2: Capture stamped at the shutter (iOS app) If you take photos for work and stamp every shot, after-the-fact editing gets tedious. The right setup is a camera that stamps the moment you press the shutter, so the still that lands in your camera roll already has the date, time, GPS, and your project tag burned in. Our [iOS app](/gps-camera) captures with a network-synced atomic clock at the shutter, writes the timestamp visibly onto the pixels, and saves a stamped JPEG (Live Photo capture is optional). You still get the Live clip if you want it, but the still that everyone actually sees has the evidence baked in. Pros: zero post-processing, atomic time, GPS at capture, tamper-evident. Cons: requires app install, paid features for some advanced workflows. ## Method 3: Third-party Photos editor (Photo Stamp Remover and clones) There's a small ecosystem of iOS apps that read a Live Photo, extract the key frame, and re-render it with a custom text overlay (date, GPS, watermark). Apps like Timestamp Photo & Video, Add Stamps to Photos, and similar work fine and integrate with the iOS share sheet. The trade-off is that most of these apps either ask for one-time payment, run ads on the free tier, or upload to a server (read the privacy policy). The output is the same as Method 1: a stamped JPEG of the key frame. Pros: works inside the Photos share sheet, fast for casual use. Cons: paid or ad-supported; some upload photos to remote servers. ## Comparison | Method | Where photo goes | Cost | Atomic time | Stamp at shutter | |---|---|---|---|---| | Photos + web stamp | Stays in browser | Free | No | No, after-the-fact | | iOS app (ours) | Stays on device | App Store pricing | Yes | Yes | | Third-party Photos editor | Often uploads | $1-10 typical | No | No | ## What the stamp should include For documentation that has to hold up later (insurance, contractor billing, court evidence), the stamp on the still should carry **at minimum**: - **Date and time** to the second (atomic time preferred over device clock) - **GPS coordinates** in decimal degrees plus a human-readable address - **Project or job tag** so you can sort and search later For weaker use cases (family album, social media memes) just the date and time is plenty. Our deeper guide on [Are Timestamp Photos Legal Evidence?](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) walks through what makes a stamp court-admissible vs. nice-looking. ## Common pitfalls ### The Live Photo aspect is lost when you stamp the still Right. A static JPEG is what platforms accept and what stamps go on. The 3-second clip is great for personal use but not for legal-style documentation. If you must keep the motion, save the original Live Photo unedited alongside the stamped still. ### The key frame is not the moment you wanted Pick a new key frame in Photos before exporting (Edit → Live Photo icon → scrub → Make Key Photo). The frame you pick is what the stamp lands on. ### iPhone's auto-correct rotates the photo Some iPhones write EXIF Orientation tags that visually rotate the photo when viewed in some apps but not others. If your stamp looks sideways after upload, use our [rotate image tool](/rotate-image) to bake the correct orientation into the pixels before stamping. ### The date you stamped is wrong Date and time on the iPhone clock can drift, especially after long flights or when location services are off. If you discover later that the device clock was wrong, use our [change photo date tool](/edit-photo-date) to set the correct EXIF date on the stamped still, then re-export with the corrected visible stamp. ## Verifying the stamp survived After you stamp and save, post the photo to wherever you'll actually use it (iMessage, email, Slack, Instagram, claim portal) and verify on the receiving end: - **iMessage / WhatsApp / email**: stamp survives unchanged. - **Instagram / Facebook / TikTok**: stamp survives (pixels), but EXIF metadata is stripped. The visible stamp is your evidence. - **Twitter / X**: similar, visible stamp survives, EXIF gone. - **iCloud Photo Stream**: stamp survives. The visible stamp on the pixels is the only metadata that reliably survives modern social platforms. EXIF on its own is stripped by every consumer platform. See our deep-dive: [Why Instagram Strips EXIF Data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data). ## Tools used in this guide - [Web stamp tool (homepage)](/) for dropping a JPEG and getting a stamped JPEG back. - [iOS app](/gps-camera) for atomic-time stamp at the shutter. - [Change photo date](/edit-photo-date) to fix a wrong iPhone clock after the fact. - [Rotate image](/rotate-image) to bake correct orientation into pixels. - [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) to verify what metadata the stamped photo carries. ## Further reading - [How to Take Photos with GPS Coordinates on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-take-photos-with-gps-coordinates-on-iphone) - [Are Timestamp Photos Legal Evidence?](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) - [Why Instagram Strips EXIF Data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data) --- # How to Change the Date on a Photo (5 Methods) > Five ways to change a photo's capture date: iPhone Photos, our web EXIF date editor, Adobe Lightroom, ExifTool command line, and a Python batch script. *Published: 2026-05-21* · *7 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo **Quick answer:** The fastest way to change a photo's date is to drop the JPEG into a free browser-based EXIF date editor like our [Change Photo Date tool](/edit-photo-date), type the new date, and click Apply. iPhone users can adjust dates directly in Apple Photos (Image → Adjust Date and Time). Power users can use the open-source ExifTool command line for batch shifts and scripted fixes. Five methods compared below, ranked from easiest to most powerful. If you've ever scanned an old print, fixed a camera with the wrong timezone, or organised a project folder by date, you've needed to change a photo's capture date. The metadata block inside the JPEG (EXIF) records when the shutter fired, and most apps sort and search by that field. Here are the five ways to change it, ranked from easiest to most powerful. ## Quick comparison | Method | Time per photo | Cost | Batch | EXIF written to file? | |---|---|---|---|---| | iPhone Photos | 10 sec | Free | No | No (library only) | | **[Our web editor](/edit-photo-date)** | **3 sec** | **Free** | **Yes** | **Yes** | | Adobe Lightroom | 5 sec | $10/mo | Yes | Yes (on export) | | ExifTool CLI | 1 sec | Free | Yes | Yes | | Python piexif | 0.1 sec | Free | Yes | Yes | ## Method 1: iPhone Photos app The fastest way for one or two photos when you're already on your phone. 1. Open **Photos**, tap a photo to view it full-screen 2. Tap the **(i)** info icon (bottom of screen on iOS 16+, top-right earlier) 3. Tap **Adjust** next to the date 4. Pick a new date and time, tap **Done** ### Pros - Built into iOS, no install - Free - Works for a single photo in seconds ### Cons - **Doesn't change the EXIF on the source file.** The date only updates in Apple's library index. If you export the photo (AirDrop, Mail, save to Files), the original EXIF date is what travels with it. - One photo at a time. No batch. ### When to use For organising your own library when you don't plan to export. For sharing a photo with the corrected date, use one of the methods below that actually writes EXIF. ## Method 2: Our free web EXIF date editor Built for exactly this case, browser-only, no install. 1. Open **[/edit-photo-date](/edit-photo-date)** 2. Drop one JPEG, or drop a folder for batch 3. Type the new date (Set mode) or pick a delta (Shift mode for timezone fixes) 4. Download the updated file (or a ZIP of all of them) The browser uses [piexif.js](https://github.com/hMatoba/piexifjs) to write DateTimeOriginal, DateTimeDigitized, and the IFD0 DateTime tag in sync. No re-compression: pixel data stays byte-for-byte identical. ### Pros - Free, no accounts, no daily caps - No upload: the file never leaves your device - Set mode (specific date) and Shift mode (offset) cover both common cases - Batch a whole folder, get a single ZIP back - Works on any device with a modern browser, including phones and Chromebooks ### Cons - JPEG only. For PNG, WebP, or HEIC see the [EXIF Tag Reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) for format-specific notes. ### When to use Default choice for one to a few hundred photos when you don't already have Lightroom or comfort with the command line. ## Method 3: Adobe Lightroom Classic If Lightroom is part of your workflow already, the built-in capture-time editor is excellent for big batches. 1. Select photos in **Library** 2. Menu: **Metadata > Edit Capture Time** 3. Pick one of three modes: - **Adjust to a specified date and time** (apply same date to selection) - **Shift by set number of hours** (timezone or DST fix) - **Change to file creation date** (use OS file mtime) 4. Click **Change All** Lightroom changes EXIF on export, not on the source RAW or JPEG until you re-export. If you sync the catalogue to a cloud service, the new date travels with the catalogue. ### Pros - Handles 1000s of photos - Shift mode is excellent for "all my photos from this trip are off by 5 hours" - Integrates with your existing catalogue, keywords, ratings ### Cons - Requires Lightroom subscription ($10/month minimum, more for the photo bundle) - Changes catalogue first, files only on export - Steeper learning curve if you don't already use it ### When to use Photographers and studios with a Lightroom workflow. ## Method 4: ExifTool (command line) The gold standard for power users. Free, open-source, scriptable, handles every metadata edge case. ### Install ```bash # macOS (Homebrew) brew install exiftool # Debian / Ubuntu sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl # Windows # Download the standalone .exe from exiftool.org ``` ### Set one photo to a specific date ```bash exiftool -DateTimeOriginal='2026:05:21 14:30:00' photo.jpg ``` ### Shift every JPEG in a folder by +3 hours ```bash exiftool -DateTimeOriginal+='0:0:0 3:0:0' *.jpg ``` ### Sync all three EXIF date fields ```bash exiftool \ -DateTimeOriginal='2026:05:21 14:30:00' \ -CreateDate='2026:05:21 14:30:00' \ -ModifyDate='2026:05:21 14:30:00' \ photo.jpg ``` ### Recursive batch shift ```bash exiftool -r -DateTimeOriginal-='0:0:0 5:0:0' /path/to/photos ``` (Subtracts 5 hours from every JPEG in the folder and its subfolders.) ### Pros - Free, open-source, runs on every OS - Handles every EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and maker-note tag - Trivially scriptable - Backs up originals by default (`photo.jpg_original`) ### Cons - Terminal only, no GUI - 100+ pages of documentation; the learning curve is real ### When to use You're comfortable in a terminal and need to do this often or on a tight schedule. ExifTool is what most photo metadata blog posts (including this one) use under the hood. ## Method 5: Python + piexif (automated workflows) Best when changing the date is one step in a larger pipeline: renaming files based on the new date, exporting from a database, generating a report. ```python import piexif from datetime import datetime photo = "photo.jpg" new_date = datetime(2026, 5, 21, 14, 30, 0) formatted = new_date.strftime("%Y:%m:%d %H:%M:%S").encode("ascii") exif_dict = piexif.load(photo) exif_dict["Exif"][piexif.ExifIFD.DateTimeOriginal] = formatted exif_dict["Exif"][piexif.ExifIFD.DateTimeDigitized] = formatted exif_dict["0th"][piexif.ImageIFD.DateTime] = formatted exif_bytes = piexif.dump(exif_dict) piexif.insert(exif_bytes, photo) ``` ### Batch shift example ```python import piexif from datetime import timedelta, datetime import glob offset = timedelta(hours=3) for photo in glob.glob("/path/to/photos/*.jpg"): exif_dict = piexif.load(photo) raw = exif_dict["Exif"].get(piexif.ExifIFD.DateTimeOriginal) if not raw: continue dt = datetime.strptime(raw.decode(), "%Y:%m:%d %H:%M:%S") new = (dt + offset).strftime("%Y:%m:%d %H:%M:%S").encode("ascii") exif_dict["Exif"][piexif.ExifIFD.DateTimeOriginal] = new exif_dict["Exif"][piexif.ExifIFD.DateTimeDigitized] = new exif_dict["0th"][piexif.ImageIFD.DateTime] = new piexif.insert(piexif.dump(exif_dict), photo) ``` ### Pros - Most flexible; integrate into any workflow - Free, well-documented (the same piexif we use in the browser) - Easy to combine with other Python image libraries (Pillow, OpenCV) ### Cons - Python required - Writing the script takes time even if it's short - No GUI ### When to use You're processing photos at scale (hundreds of thousands), or the date change is one step in a multi-step pipeline (rename, sort, upload to S3, write a database row). ## Which method should you pick? - **One photo, on your phone:** iPhone Photos (Method 1) if you'll only view it in Photos; our [web editor](/edit-photo-date) if you'll share or export. - **A handful of photos on your laptop:** our [web editor](/edit-photo-date). Free, instant, no install. - **A whole shoot (50-500 photos) with timezone issue:** our web editor in Shift mode, or Lightroom if you already have it. - **Thousands of photos, regular workflow:** ExifTool (Method 4). - **Automation, integration with other systems:** Python piexif (Method 5). ## A note on integrity EXIF dates are easy to change by design. The format is meant to be editable by photo software. If you need a tamper-evident timestamp (for legal evidence, insurance, journalism), the EXIF date alone isn't enough. See our piece on [whether timestamp photos hold up as legal evidence](/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence) for the chain-of-custody pieces that matter. For the underlying tag definitions, our [EXIF Tag Reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference) covers DateTimeOriginal, DateTimeDigitized, OffsetTime, and every other date field in EXIF. ## Tools mentioned in this guide - [Free web EXIF date editor](/edit-photo-date): browser-only, no upload. - [Free EXIF editor](/exif-editor): edit any EXIF field, not just dates. - [Free EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer): read the existing date before changing it. - [EXIF tag reference](/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference): every EXIF date field, in depth. - ExifTool: [exiftool.org](https://exiftool.org/) - piexif (Python and JS): [github.com/hMatoba/piexifjs](https://github.com/hMatoba/piexifjs) - Adobe Lightroom: [adobe.com/lightroom](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom-classic.html) --- # Are Timestamp Photos Legal Evidence? Court Admissibility Explained > What makes a timestamped photo admissible in court: chain of custody, EXIF integrity, network-synced atomic time, visible stamps vs. *Published: 2026-05-21* · *10 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/are-timestamp-photos-legal-evidence **Quick answer:** Timestamp photos are legal evidence in most jurisdictions, but only when they pass a four-part test: authenticity (verifiable origin), integrity (proof the file has not been altered), accurate time source (atomic / GPS time beats device clock), and chain of custody (documented trail from capture to courtroom). A bare EXIF date from your phone satisfies only the first part. For real evidentiary value, capture with atomic time and burn the date and GPS visibly into the pixels. "This photo has a timestamp" is not the same as "this photo is admissible in court." Lawyers, insurance adjusters, OSHA inspectors, and judges look for four specific properties when they decide whether to accept a timestamped photo as evidence, and the EXIF date written by your phone satisfies only one of them. This is a practical guide for anyone whose work depends on photos holding up: contractors documenting completed work, insurance claimants filing for damage, journalists publishing on a deadline, citizens recording incidents, and inspectors compiling reports. We won't give legal advice; we'll explain what evidence-quality timestamps actually look like and how to produce them. ## The four pillars of admissible photo evidence A photo with a timestamp survives cross-examination when it has all four: 1. **Authenticity**: The image came from a real device, not a manipulated render. 2. **Integrity**: The image and its timestamp haven't been altered after capture. 3. **Accurate time**: The clock that wrote the timestamp was correct at the moment of capture. 4. **Documented chain of custody**: There's a clear trail from the camera to the courtroom. Lose any one of these and opposing counsel has an opening. Let's go through them in the order they matter. ## Pillar 1: Authenticity Did this image come from a camera, or was it generated, retouched, or composited? Forensic indicators that establish authenticity: - **Original EXIF block intact**: camera make, model, lens, firmware version, capture settings. A photo with no EXIF is suspicious; a photo with EXIF that matches a known device model is harder to dismiss. - **JPEG quantisation tables match the claimed device**: every iPhone model writes JPEGs with a specific compression signature. Tools like forensic ELA (Error Level Analysis) and JPEG ghost detection check for re-saves and overlays. - **Sensor noise pattern (PRNU) match**: photo's noise fingerprint matches other photos from the same physical sensor. This is forensic-lab level. For most disputes (insurance claims, contractor billing, citizen incidents) you won't need PRNU analysis. Intact EXIF + a plausible JPEG quantisation is enough to satisfy a non-expert reviewer. ### What kills authenticity - Exporting a photo through any social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, WhatsApp). Every platform re-encodes the JPEG and strips most EXIF. The output looks like a photo of unknown origin. - Editing in any non-EXIF-preserving tool. A round-trip through MS Paint destroys EXIF and quantisation signatures. - Screenshots of photos. A screenshot is a new image with the device's screenshot signature, not the original camera's. **Practical rule**: keep the original file unchanged. Share copies; never edit the master. ## Pillar 2: Integrity Has the photo been altered after capture? This is the most-attacked pillar in court. EXIF dates are trivially editable (see our [methods guide](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo) for five ways to do it in 30 seconds). If your evidence rests entirely on "the EXIF says 14:30 on 2026-03-15," opposing counsel will demonstrate the edit live and your case wobbles. Integrity defences that hold up: - **Visible stamp on the image itself**: date, time, GPS rendered into the pixels at capture time. Removing it leaves obvious tampering signatures (clone-stamp marks, low-quality patches). Cross-examination shifts from "the timestamp is editable" to "show us the unedited photo." - **Cryptographic hash of the original**: SHA-256 of the file the moment it was captured, stored in a system the capturer doesn't control (cloud, blockchain, email to a third party). If the file matches the hash later, no edit. If it doesn't, edit detected. Some professional-grade body cams ship with this built-in. - **Atomic-clock timestamp at capture**: the camera's clock was wrong this morning by 15 minutes (we've all seen it). A clock synced to a network time server (NTP / atomic) at the moment of capture gives a timestamp that survives the "but was your phone's clock correct?" attack. The **visible stamp** is the strongest defence for non-expert audiences (juries, insurance adjusters, OSHA inspectors) because they can read it directly without expert testimony. The cryptographic hash is strongest in formal litigation. Atomic time addresses the clock-accuracy attack specifically. ## Pillar 3: Accurate time The clock that wrote the timestamp must have been correct at the moment of capture, not at the moment the photo was reviewed. Sources of clock error: - **Wrong timezone**: phone in Mountain Time, contractor working in Eastern. Two hours off every photo. - **Daylight-saving switch**: phones usually get this right, dedicated cameras often don't. - **Drift**: cheap quartz clocks drift seconds per day; cameras left off for weeks can drift minutes. - **User changed the clock**: deliberately or accidentally. The fix is **network time** (NTP). When the device's clock is synced to a network time server at the moment of capture, the timestamp is correct within ~50 milliseconds. The same servers serve banks, hospitals, and stock exchanges; if a court trusts a bank's transaction log timestamp, the same NTP source is at least equally credible for a photo. The [iOS Timestamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) queries NTP at capture and writes the network-synced time directly onto the image. Built-in iOS Camera trusts whatever the phone's clock says, which is usually right but isn't independently verifiable. ## Pillar 4: Chain of custody A judge wants to follow the photo from camera to courtroom. The minimum custody record: 1. **Who captured it** (name, role) 2. **Device used** (iPhone 15 Pro, S/N XYZ; matches EXIF) 3. **Capture date and time** (matches visible stamp + EXIF + NTP) 4. **Where it was stored from capture to today** (camera roll, then iCloud backup, then emailed to lawyer, etc.) 5. **Who handled it at each step** (and whether they had write access) 6. **Hash at each step** (so any modification is detectable) For most non-litigation evidence (insurance, internal claims, OSHA logs), steps 1-3 are enough. For formal litigation, all six matter. **Practical tip**: when you take a photo for evidence, immediately also email it to yourself or upload to a cloud service. The email server's arrival timestamp + your sent-mail timestamp create an independent external record that no one (including you) can edit retroactively. The attached file's hash becomes your reference point. ## Visible stamp vs. invisible metadata The most important practical decision: **does the timestamp need to survive every re-encoding the photo will face?** | Property | Invisible EXIF | Visible pixel stamp | |---|---|---| | Survives Instagram upload | ✗ (stripped) | ✓ | | Survives WhatsApp send | ✗ (stripped) | ✓ | | Survives screenshot | ✗ | ✓ | | Survives JPEG re-save | usually | ✓ | | Forensic tools can detect tampering | ✓ | ✓ | | Visible to non-expert reviewer | ✗ | ✓ | | Editable in 30 seconds | ✓ | requires manual editing of pixels | **Conclusion**: if your photo will travel anywhere (email, cloud, social media, instant messaging, courtroom screen), the visible stamp is the only timestamp that reliably arrives intact. Invisible EXIF is the second line of defence. Both belong on an evidence photo; neither alone is sufficient. ## Real scenarios ### Insurance claim: stormwater damage A homeowner photographs flood damage the day after a storm. EXIF says the photo was taken at 09:14 on 2026-03-15. The insurance adjuster asks: "How do we know this wasn't taken weeks before the storm, after the same damage was caused by a prior leak?" **What helps**: visible date stamp on the photo, GPS pin matching the property address, network-synced clock proof (the iOS app logs NTP query results), and an email to yourself the same day with the photos attached (the email server's received time matches). **What doesn't help**: a screenshot of the photo with the date typed underneath in iPhone Notes. That's a screenshot, not a photo. ### Contractor billing dispute A contractor bills for foundation work completed by 2026-04-12. The client claims the work was actually finished a week later (so a milestone payment shouldn't have been due). The contractor presents 47 photos with EXIF dates of 2026-04-10 through 2026-04-12. **What opposing counsel will do**: present the [methods guide](/photo-guides/how-to-change-the-date-on-a-photo) and show how trivial editing EXIF is. Juries side with the side that doesn't sound shifty about evidence. **What wins the case**: each photo has a visible date and GPS stamp at the corner, atomic-clock-synced, with the project tag baked into the pixels. Even if the client argues the contractor edited them, the re-edit signatures are obvious under examination. Add cloud-backup timestamps and email-to-self records and the contractor's evidence holds. ### OSHA inspection: PPE compliance A worker is photographed on a job site without required eye protection. The inspector's photo has EXIF GPS within the site boundary and a timestamp during work hours. **What matters**: identification (worker, the inspector, the employer chain), capture context (the inspector's badge number and role recorded separately), and the photo's authenticity. EXIF is sufficient for OSHA purposes; the inspector is themselves a credentialed witness, so the chain of custody is short. ### Citizen recording: hit-and-run You witness a hit-and-run and photograph the offending car as it leaves. EXIF date and time are good (your phone's clock was right), GPS pins the location, the photo is sharp enough to read the licence plate. **What helps**: also AirDrop or email the photo to yourself within an hour (creates independent timestamp), keep the original on your phone (don't delete), upload to a cloud service automatically. **What doesn't help**: posting to Instagram first, then later trying to present the Instagram-stripped photo as evidence. The original has lost its EXIF and quantisation signature. ## Practical advice If you take photos that might one day matter as evidence: 1. **Don't edit the original.** Share copies; the master file stays untouched. 2. **Capture with a visible stamp** if you can (iOS app or equivalent). The pixels survive what the EXIF won't. 3. **Use network-synced time.** If your camera doesn't, run an NTP sync on your phone before a critical shoot. 4. **Email yourself the photos the same day.** Cheap, free, independently timestamped. 5. **Don't post to social media first** if the original could be needed. Once it's been through Instagram, the original quality is gone. 6. **Keep written notes** alongside the photos: who, what, when, where in your own words, dated and signed. ## What our tools do We make tools that produce evidence-quality photos and let you inspect others: - [iOS Timestamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630): captures with NTP-synced time, GPS, address, and visible stamp. Built for this exact use case. - [Free EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer): read every metadata field on any photo, see GPS on a map, check EXIF integrity. - [Free EXIF editor](/exif-editor): for legitimate edits (organising, attribution), not for hiding evidence. Forensic tools detect EXIF edits. - [GPS Photo Evidence: A Contractor's Guide](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide): field-tested patterns for construction documentation. - [Construction Site Documentation Checklist](/photo-guides/construction-site-documentation-photo-evidence-checklist): the 7-point evidence checklist. ## Disclaimer This article is a practical guide, not legal advice. Court admissibility varies by jurisdiction (US federal courts, state courts, civil vs. criminal, country) and by the specific facts of each case. When real stakes are involved, talk to a lawyer. What we've described here are patterns that maximise the probability your photo evidence holds up across most common venues, based on consultation with insurance adjusters, construction litigators, and OSHA inspectors who do this work every day. --- # EXIF Tag Reference: Every Field, What It Means, How to Edit It > Comprehensive reference of every common EXIF tag: camera tags, date tags, GPS, lens, exposure, IPTC, XMP. With editing tips and a glossary. *Published: 2026-05-19* · *10 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/exif-tag-reference **Quick answer:** EXIF is the metadata block inside JPEG files that records when, where, and how a photo was taken. The most useful tags are DateTimeOriginal (capture date), GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude (location in degrees-minutes-seconds), Make / Model (camera), LensModel (lens), FNumber (aperture), ExposureTime (shutter), and ISOSpeedRatings. EXIF lives alongside two companion standards inside the same file: IPTC (caption, keywords, byline) and XMP (Adobe's structured wrapper for ratings and develop settings). Read every common tag below. EXIF is not one thing. It's a layered metadata standard with three nested namespaces (TIFF / IFD0, Exif sub-IFD, GPS IFD) plus two companion standards that often travel inside the same JPEG (IPTC, XMP). This guide is the field manual: every common tag, what it means, what it looks like in real photos, and how to edit or remove it. If you want the structural picture first (where this block physically lives inside the file), see [where is EXIF data stored](/photo-guides/where-is-exif-data-stored). If you only want to *read* EXIF, our free [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer) parses every tag below. If you want to *change* any of them, our [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) edits individual fields without re-compressing the JPEG. ## How EXIF is organised A JPEG with EXIF carries a "marker block" near the start of the file. Inside that block, tags are grouped into nested directories called **IFDs**: - **IFD0** (also called "0th" or "TIFF"): camera identification, software, the author, copyright, image description, and the modification date. - **Exif sub-IFD**: capture-time technical data: the date the photo was taken, exposure settings, lens, ISO. - **GPS IFD**: latitude, longitude, altitude, GPS-derived timestamps. - **Interop IFD**: rarely user-edited, declares colour space conventions. - **IFD1** (1st): a thumbnail of the photo (camera-generated). Two other standards often appear alongside: - **IPTC**: photojournalism-oriented (caption, keywords, headline, byline). - **XMP**: Adobe's XML metadata wrapper, used by Lightroom and other pro tools for ratings, develop settings, and structured metadata. Most viewers (including ours) show all three. Most editors only handle EXIF cleanly because IPTC and XMP have their own byte formats. ## IFD0 (TIFF / camera) tags These describe the device and the operator, not the moment of capture. ### Make The camera manufacturer as the firmware writes it. Examples: `Apple`, `SONY`, `Canon`, `NIKON CORPORATION`, `samsung`. Cased exactly as the firmware emits, often inconsistently across vendors. ### Model The specific camera or phone model. Examples: `iPhone 15 Pro`, `ILCE-7M4` (a Sony A7 IV), `Canon EOS R5`, `SM-S908B` (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra). The marketing name and the EXIF model name often differ. ### Software The firmware or processing software that last wrote the file. For an iPhone photo straight out of the camera, this is `iOS 18.2` or similar. If you opened the photo in Lightroom, it becomes `Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 14.0 (Macintosh)`. This tag is one of the cleanest forensic signals: if Software disagrees with Model, the photo has been edited. ### DateTime (a.k.a. ModifyDate) The date and time the file was last written. Format: `YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS`, e.g. `2026:05:18 14:32:08`. This is **not** the capture date if the photo has been edited. For capture, use `DateTimeOriginal` (below). ### Artist The photographer's name. Often blank, but professional cameras let you configure this in firmware. IPTC has a richer companion called `By-line`. ### Copyright Free-form text. Examples: `© 2026 Studio Name. All rights reserved.`, `Public domain`. Conventionally placed on the same line as Artist. ### ImageDescription A one-line caption. Often blank. Use it for "Foundation pour, Day 12, west elevation" type internal annotations. ### Orientation A small integer (1-8) declaring whether the photo should be rotated when displayed. `1` is normal; `3` is upside-down; `6` is 90° clockwise; `8` is 90° counter-clockwise. Most viewers honour it automatically. ### XResolution / YResolution / ResolutionUnit Print-resolution hints (usually 72 DPI). Almost never user-relevant. ## Exif sub-IFD (capture-time) tags These describe the moment the shutter fired and the optics used. ### DateTimeOriginal **The single most important EXIF tag.** This is the actual capture date and time. Format: `YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS`. Most apps (Apple Photos, Lightroom, Google Photos) sort by this field. Editing this is the right move when a camera's clock was wrong; see our [EXIF Date Editor](/edit-photo-date) for a bulk-shift workflow. ### DateTimeDigitized The date the image was first digitised. For a born-digital photo, this is identical to `DateTimeOriginal`. For a scanned print, it's the scan date (while `DateTimeOriginal` holds the original capture date written by the operator). ### OffsetTime / OffsetTimeOriginal / OffsetTimeDigitized Timezone offsets (`+02:00`, `-08:00`) as separate companion tags. Added in EXIF 2.31 (2016). Many older cameras don't write them, so the capture date is recorded in local clock time without a timezone reference. ### FNumber Aperture as a rational number. `f/2.8` is recorded as `28/10`. Lower numbers mean wider apertures, more light, shallower depth of field. ### ExposureTime Shutter speed in seconds, recorded as a rational. `1/250` second is `1/250`. Long exposures look like `30/1` (30 seconds). ### ISOSpeedRatings (a.k.a. ISO) Sensor sensitivity. Lower (100, 200) is cleaner; higher (3200, 6400, 12800) is grainier but works in low light. Modern phones often write composite ISO values from multi-frame stacks. ### FocalLength Lens focal length in millimetres, recorded as a rational. A 50 mm lens is `50/1`. iPhone main camera reports ~6 mm (actual sensor focal length), and sometimes also `FocalLengthIn35mmFilm` of ~26 mm for full-frame equivalent. ### LensMake / LensModel The lens manufacturer and model, when the camera body and lens communicate electronically. iPhone main camera shows `iPhone 15 Pro back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78`. ### ExposureProgram A small integer (1-8) declaring the metering mode: manual, program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, creative, action, portrait, landscape. ### MeteringMode A small integer (0-6, 255) for the metering pattern: average, center-weighted, spot, multi-spot, multi-segment, partial, other. ### Flash A bit-packed integer declaring whether the flash fired, was suppressed, or the camera's red-eye reduction engaged. ### WhiteBalance 0 (auto) or 1 (manual). ### UserComment A short free-form note. Format includes an 8-byte character-set prefix (`ASCII\0\0\0` or `UNICODE\0`) followed by the text. Most viewers strip the prefix on display. ## GPS IFD tags These appear when a phone or camera with GPS embeds the location. ### GPSLatitude / GPSLatitudeRef Latitude as three rationals representing degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS): `37/1, 46/1, 29.64/1` is 37° 46' 29.64". The companion `GPSLatitudeRef` holds `N` or `S`. Decimal-degrees conversion: 37 + 46/60 + 29.64/3600 = `37.7749`. Negate if `S`. ### GPSLongitude / GPSLongitudeRef Same encoding for longitude. Companion ref holds `E` or `W`. ### GPSAltitude / GPSAltitudeRef Altitude in metres as a rational. `Ref` is `0` (above sea level) or `1` (below). iPhones write this in metres referenced to the WGS84 ellipsoid. ### GPSTimeStamp / GPSDateStamp The atomic-clock-derived time from the GPS network, separate from the camera's local clock. Useful for forensics when the camera's clock is known wrong; the GPS pair is correct because it comes from satellites. ### GPSProcessingMethod Free-form text describing how the position was derived: `GPS`, `NETWORK`, `MANUAL`, `CELLID`. Many phones embed this so you can tell whether the pin came from satellite GPS (accurate) or cell tower triangulation (less so). ### GPSImgDirection / GPSImgDirectionRef The bearing the camera was facing when the photo was taken, in degrees (0-359). Ref is `T` (true north) or `M` (magnetic north). Some phones write this from the compass. ### GPSSpeed / GPSSpeedRef The speed at which the camera was moving. Most phones don't fill this in for stills. ## IPTC fields (photojournalism) IPTC is a separate metadata block. It's stored in a different part of the JPEG (the APP13 marker, not the APP1 marker EXIF uses). When you see "Photo Mechanic" or "agency keywords" workflows, that's IPTC. ### Caption-Abstract (Description) A multi-line caption (longer than EXIF's `ImageDescription`). ### By-line The photographer's name. Equivalent to EXIF's `Artist` but with multi-byte encoding support. ### By-lineTitle The photographer's job title. ### Headline A short, punchy headline (separate from the longer caption). ### Keywords A list of free-form tags. The currency of stock-photo workflows. ### Credit The photographer's organisation (newspaper, agency, studio). ### Source The original source of the photo (separate from Credit). ### CopyrightNotice IPTC's copyright field, parallel to EXIF's Copyright. ### City / State / Country Three IPTC fields for geographic context (separate from GPS, which is coordinates). ### DateCreated / TimeCreated IPTC's own capture-date pair, parallel to EXIF `DateTimeOriginal`. ## XMP fields (Adobe) XMP is an XML metadata block. Lightroom, Bridge, and Camera Raw read and write extensively to it. Many fields duplicate EXIF or IPTC equivalents but use longer, namespaced names like `dc:creator` or `photoshop:CaptureDate`. ### dc:title, dc:description, dc:creator, dc:subject, dc:rights Dublin Core fields (the open standard XMP builds on). Mostly mirror IPTC equivalents. ### xmp:CreateDate, xmp:ModifyDate, xmp:MetadataDate Three separate dates for capture, last edit, and last metadata change. ### xmp:Rating Star rating (0-5). Lightroom writes this when you press 1-5 in the develop module. ### xmpDM:* and crs:* Develop settings (exposure, contrast, shadows, highlights, white balance, tone curve, lens corrections). These hold non-destructive edits made in Lightroom; the underlying RAW or JPEG is untouched. ### xmpMM:DerivedFrom, xmpMM:DocumentID, xmpMM:InstanceID Provenance: which RAW the current JPEG was derived from, unique IDs that travel with the file across re-exports. ## Editing tips ### When you edit EXIF, untouched fields should be preserved Cheap "EXIF removers" overwrite the entire metadata block, even when you only wanted to change one field. A clean editor (ours, ExifTool) inserts your change and leaves everything else byte-for-byte identical. ### JPEG doesn't re-compress when you edit EXIF EXIF lives in a header block, not the pixel data. Inserting or modifying the header doesn't trigger pixel re-encoding. Cheap tools sometimes decode and re-encode the image anyway, losing a small amount of quality each time. Verify by comparing file sizes: a clean EXIF edit should change the file size by less than a few hundred bytes. ### PNG and WebP don't carry EXIF the same way PNG uses `iTXt`, `tEXt`, and `eXIf` chunks; WebP has a `EXIF` chunk inside the RIFF container. Browser canvas APIs don't write either reliably, so most web tools (including ours, for now) focus on JPEG. For PNG / WebP metadata, use a desktop tool like ExifTool. ### HEIC stores EXIF differently HEIC (the iPhone default since iOS 11) uses a different container format (HEIF) with its own metadata box. The data is the same EXIF tags, but written into the HEIC structure. Most editors round-trip HEIC EXIF poorly; we recommend converting to JPEG first with our [HEIC to JPEG](/heic-to-jpg) tool, then editing. ### Removing all metadata Drop the photo into our [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover). The "nuclear" preset strips EXIF, IPTC, XMP, and ICC profile. The "selective" mode lets you keep, for example, the capture date but strip everything else. ### Sharing safely If you're worried about leaking your home address via the GPS in a photo you upload to social media, *always* strip EXIF before sharing. Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter strip EXIF on upload (good) but Telegram, AirDrop, iMessage, email, Google Drive, and Dropbox preserve it (less good). See our deeper guide: [Why Instagram strips EXIF data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data). ## Glossary - **DMS**: Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (the EXIF GPS storage format) - **EXIF**: Exchangeable Image File Format - **IFD**: Image File Directory (a group of tags in EXIF) - **IPTC**: International Press Telecommunications Council - **XMP**: Extensible Metadata Platform (Adobe) - **WGS84**: World Geodetic System 1984 (the GPS coordinate datum) - **Rational**: a numerator/denominator pair, EXIF's storage format for decimals like aperture and shutter speed ## Tools mentioned in this guide - [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer): read every tag above on any JPEG, PNG, HEIC, or TIFF, free, in your browser. - [EXIF Editor](/exif-editor): edit individual EXIF fields, reset per-field, strip all in one click. - [EXIF Date Editor](/edit-photo-date): bulk-shift or set capture dates. - [EXIF Remover](/exif-remover): strip metadata before sharing. - [HEIC to JPEG](/heic-to-jpg): convert iPhone HEIC to JPEG. ## Further reading - [How to Read EXIF Metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata): shorter, more hands-on introduction. - [How to Add GPS Coordinates to a Photo](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo): four methods covering iPhone, Android, web, and manual entry. - [Why Instagram Strips EXIF Data](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data): which platforms preserve and which strip on upload. One counter that is **not** in standard EXIF: the shutter actuation count. It lives in the manufacturer's private maker note, and only some brands write a usable one. See [how to check camera shutter count on Mac](/photo-guides/how-to-check-camera-shutter-count) for the brand-by-brand picture. --- # Why Instagram Strips EXIF Data (and How to Keep Your GPS Visible) > Instagram, WhatsApp, and most social platforms remove EXIF metadata from every photo you upload. *Published: 2026-05-14* · *8 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data **Quick answer:** Instagram strips EXIF metadata (including GPS, camera, and date) on upload to protect user privacy and shrink file size for fast delivery. So do Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit, and most modern platforms. To keep GPS and date visible after upload, render the data directly into the pixels using a [free stamp tool](/) before posting; pixels survive every platform's metadata stripper because they ARE the image. You take a photo on your iPhone. The camera writes the GPS coordinates into the EXIF metadata. You upload it to Instagram. A friend downloads it, opens it in any EXIF viewer, and sees nothing. No GPS, no camera model, no original date. Where did it all go? Instagram stripped it. So did WhatsApp, Facebook, X (Twitter), Reddit, LinkedIn, and nearly every other social platform. This is not a bug or a setting you can change. It is policy. Here is what they remove, why they remove it, and the one method that actually preserves your location data after sharing. ## What Instagram strips Open a photo with full EXIF in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). You will see entries like these: - `DateTimeOriginal` (when the shutter pressed) - `GPSLatitude`, `GPSLongitude`, `GPSAltitude` - `Make` and `Model` (the device that took the photo) - `LensModel` - `FNumber`, `ExposureTime`, `ISO`, `FocalLength` - `Software` (camera firmware or editor) - `Artist`, `Copyright` (if set) Now upload the same photo to Instagram, save it back from your feed, and run the saved file through the same viewer. The result, every time: - **GPS:** removed. - **Original date:** removed. - **Camera make and model:** removed. - **Lens, exposure, ISO:** removed. - **Software fingerprint:** removed. - **Color profile:** sometimes kept, sometimes replaced with sRGB. - **Orientation:** kept (the photo would otherwise display sideways). Pretty much everything that identifies the source is gone. This is not specific to Instagram. The same thing happens on Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit (when uploaded as images), Telegram (image mode, not file mode), and most enterprise platforms. ## Why platforms strip EXIF Three reasons, all reasonable from the platform's side, all bad for you if you needed that data. **Privacy.** A photo with GPS coordinates of "user's home address" is a stalker problem waiting to happen. In 2012, the cat-tracking site [I Know Where Your Cat Lives](http://iknowwhereyourcatlives.com/) plotted millions of pet photos by their EXIF GPS to make exactly this point. Platforms got the message fast: strip GPS by default. **Storage and bandwidth.** EXIF blocks add 20-200 KB to a typical photo. Multiply by billions of uploads per day, and you are looking at petabytes of metadata that no viewer needs to render the image. Strip it, save the cost. **Pipeline simplification.** Re-encoding the image (often as a smaller JPEG with sRGB) standardizes the file across CDNs, mobile clients, and embeds. EXIF tags from random cameras break some viewers. Re-encoding makes everything predictable. The result is uniform: the visible pixels travel; the metadata does not. ## Which platforms strip what Approximate behavior as of 2026. Some platforms vary by client (web vs iOS vs Android). Test before you trust. | Platform | Strips GPS | Strips other EXIF | Re-encodes image | |---|---|---|---| | Instagram | Yes | Yes | Yes | | WhatsApp (image mode) | Yes | Yes | Yes | | WhatsApp (document mode) | No | No | No | | Facebook | Yes | Yes | Yes | | X (Twitter) | Yes | Most | Yes | | Snapchat | Yes | Yes | Yes | | TikTok | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Reddit (image post) | Yes | Most | Sometimes | | LinkedIn | Yes | Yes | Yes | | iMessage | No | No | Sometimes (size) | | AirDrop | No | No | No | | Telegram (file mode) | No | No | No | | Email attachment | No | No | No | | Google Drive (download) | No | No | No | | Dropbox (download) | No | No | No | The rule of thumb: **public sharing strips, private file transfer preserves.** WhatsApp document mode is a useful workaround when you need EXIF to survive but you have to use WhatsApp. ## The fundamental fix: visible pixel stamps The reason EXIF gets stripped is also the reason there is exactly one durable solution: stop putting the data only in the metadata. Put it on the pixels. A "visible stamp" renders the date, time, GPS coordinates, and address into the image itself, as text overlay on the photo. Once the bytes are in the JPEG pixels, no platform can selectively remove them. They would have to crop your photo to lose the stamp, and even then most stamps are placed where common social crops do not reach. There are two ways to get this stamp on your photo. **Method A: Stamp at the shutter (live capture).** The [TimeStamp Camera iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) is a camera app that bakes date, time, GPS, and address into every shot you take. The stamp is part of the visible image from the moment the shutter fires. Upload to Instagram, save the file back: the stamp is still there. **Method B: Stamp existing photos (after the fact).** For photos you already have, the [browser stamp tool](/#web-tool) does the same job on existing JPEGs, PNGs, or HEIC files. Drop a photo, set the coordinates and address (or read them from existing EXIF), download the stamped version. Nothing uploads. The output is a new file with the stamp baked in; the original stays untouched. Both methods produce the same end state: a photo whose location and date are visible no matter how many times it gets uploaded, downloaded, screenshotted, or PDF-exported. ## How to verify your stamp survives Do not trust claims. Test it yourself. The whole experiment takes 90 seconds. 1. Take or stamp a photo with visible date and GPS. 2. Open it in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). Note the GPS coordinates in the metadata. 3. Upload the photo to Instagram (post to your story or to a private account). 4. Save the photo back from your Instagram feed. 5. Open the saved file in the EXIF viewer again. The metadata GPS is gone. 6. Open the same saved file in any image viewer. The visible stamp is still there. Step 5 confirms Instagram stripped EXIF. Step 6 confirms the stamp survived because it is in the pixels. This is the test that matters: the saved file is the artifact your audience actually sees. ## Workarounds that do not actually work There is a lot of bad advice out there. Here is what does not solve the problem. **"Set the photo as a Document attachment."** Works on WhatsApp document mode and Telegram file mode. Does not work on Instagram, Facebook, or any feed-style platform. Useless for public sharing. **"Use a custom Instagram client."** Third-party Instagram apps are against TOS, get banned, and even if they upload with EXIF intact, Instagram's server-side pipeline strips on receipt. The strip happens at the platform, not the client. **"Embed GPS in the filename."** Filename does not survive any web upload. Servers rename files for storage. Do not bother. **"Watermark with a tiny corner logo."** Works for branding but not for proving location, time, or chain of custody. A logo proves the photo exists; a date and GPS stamp proves where and when. **"Save to iCloud and share the iCloud link."** iCloud Photo Sharing preserves EXIF. But the recipient has to know to open the iCloud link and look at metadata, which none of them will. Once anyone screenshots or downloads, the EXIF chain breaks. **"Just tell the recipient where the photo was taken."** Verbal context is not proof. For insurance, construction, journalism, and legal use, you need the visible record on the image. The only durable workaround is the pixel stamp. Everything else is a workaround for a workaround. ## When you actually need the stamp This is not a gimmick for personal photos. The visible stamp matters when: - **You are filing an insurance claim** and need date and location proof on every photo of damage. - **You are documenting construction work** and need defensible per-day per-site records that survive Procore, PlanGrid, or any cloud handoff. - **You are a courier** and need delivery proof with the door, the package, the time, and the GPS coordinate on the same image. - **You are an inspector** and need every visit to produce a complete, organized photo record automatically. - **You are reporting from the field** and need the editor to trust that the photo was taken when and where you say it was. - **You are documenting a personal incident** (vehicle damage, a delivered package in bad shape, a property condition before move-in) and want the timestamp to outlast any later "but the photo was taken later" pushback. For everyday vacation photos, EXIF is fine. For anything where the date and place are the point, the stamp belongs on the pixels. --- Related reading: - [How to take photos with GPS coordinates on iPhone (4 methods)](/photo-guides/how-to-take-photos-with-gps-coordinates-on-iphone) - [How to read EXIF metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata) - [How to add GPS coordinates to a photo](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo) - [Construction site documentation: photo evidence checklist](/photo-guides/construction-site-documentation-photo-evidence-checklist) - [GPS photo evidence: a contractor's guide](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide) --- # How to Take Photos with GPS Coordinates on iPhone (4 Methods) > Four reliable ways to get GPS coordinates onto your iPhone photos: native EXIF, visible pixel stamps, after-the-fact via web tool, and manual entry for *Published: 2026-05-14* · *6 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-take-photos-with-gps-coordinates-on-iphone **Quick answer:** Four ways to take iPhone photos with GPS coordinates. (1) Native Camera with Location Services on writes invisible EXIF GPS (good for personal archive, stripped on social upload). (2) A GPS camera app stamps the coordinates visibly onto the pixel so the location survives every platform. (3) Our [free web stamp tool](/) renders GPS from existing EXIF onto a copy of the photo. (4) Manual entry for photos missing GPS, using an [EXIF editor](/exif-editor). Methods 1 and 2 cover daily use; 3 and 4 fix past photos. Most iPhone photos already carry GPS data, but only inside the EXIF metadata. That data gets stripped the moment you upload to Instagram, WhatsApp, or most other platforms. So the practical question is not "does my iPhone capture GPS" but "how do I make sure the GPS survives wherever the photo ends up." Here are the four methods that actually work, ordered from least to most effort. ## Method 1: Native iPhone Camera with Location Services Every iPhone since the 3GS writes GPS coordinates into EXIF when Location Services is on for the Camera app, and that is still true in [iOS 27](/photo-guides/ios-27-camera-timestamp). To enable it: 1. Open *Settings*. 2. Tap *Privacy & Security*, then *Location Services*. 3. Make sure the master toggle at the top is on. 4. Scroll down to *Camera*. Pick *While Using the App*. 5. *Precise Location* should also be on for accurate coordinates. Take a photo. Open it in the Photos app, swipe up, and you will see a map with the location and the address. **What you get:** Latitude, longitude, altitude, and a map pin in your Photos library. **What you do not get:** Visible coordinates on the image itself. The GPS sits in the EXIF only. Open the same photo in our [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) to confirm what is there. **The catch:** Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and most messaging apps strip EXIF GPS on upload. Your friends and your platforms see no location. AirDrop and iMessage preserve EXIF; cross-platform messengers usually do not. This method is enough if the photos stay in your library. It is not enough if they go anywhere public. ## Method 2: A stamp camera app that burns GPS into the image For coordinates that survive any upload, the stamp has to live in the visible pixels, not the EXIF. A stamp camera app handles that. The [TimeStamp Camera iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) captures GPS at the shutter and renders it onto the photo as a visible label. Date, time, latitude, longitude, and the reverse-geocoded address sit in a corner of every shot you take. Settings to check on first run: - **Format.** US (`MM/DD/YY`), EU (`DD/MM/YY`), ISO (`YYYY-MM-DD`), or long form. - **Position.** Top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right. - **Address.** Toggle on to show the street address; off if you want only coordinates. - **Job note.** A free text field that becomes part of the stamp. Useful for project names, unit numbers, claim IDs. The app captures GPS even with no signal. The address fills in once you are back online. This is the only method that gives you photos defensible against later disputes, because the proof is on the image itself, not in metadata that any pipeline can drop. ## Method 3: Stamp existing photos in the browser If you already took the photos with Method 1 (native Camera), you can render their EXIF GPS onto the image after the fact. Open the [browser stamp tool](/#web-tool): 1. Drop the photo onto the canvas. 2. The tool reads the EXIF and pre-fills the coordinates and address. 3. Adjust the position and format. 4. Click *Download*. The output is a JPEG with the stamp baked in. The original file is untouched. This works for any photo from any camera, as long as Location Services was on at capture. It is the bridge between Method 1 and a shareable file. If your photos do not show coordinates after step 2, the EXIF GPS is missing. Either Location Services was off, or the photo went through a platform that stripped it. Either way, Method 4 is your fallback. ## Method 4: Manual entry for photos with no GPS Some photos have no usable GPS data: - Screenshots (they carry the device's screen capture metadata, not a location). - Scanned old photos. - Photos downloaded from social media. - Photos taken with Location Services off. For these, you need to find the coordinates yourself and enter them. **Quickest ways to find lat/lng for an address:** - **Google Maps.** Right-click any spot on the map, pick *What's here*. The card at the bottom shows the coordinates as decimal degrees. - **Apple Maps.** Long-press a spot. The pin shows the coordinates in the card. - **OpenStreetMap.** Right-click → *Show address*, or paste an address into [Nominatim](https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/) for reverse lookup. All three give decimal degrees, which is what the stamp tool expects (e.g., `37.7749, -122.4194`). Drop the photo into the web tool, type the coordinates, optionally add the address, and download. The flow is identical to Method 3 except you provide the coordinates instead of reading them from EXIF. ## Comparing the four methods | Method | Visible on image | Survives uploads | Needs install | Works for old photos | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1. Native Camera | No | No | No | N/A | | 2. Stamp app at shutter | Yes | Yes | iOS app | No | | 3. Web tool, EXIF source | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | | 4. Web tool, manual | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | The right method depends on what you do with the photo. For personal memories that stay in your library, Method 1 is enough. For anything you share publicly, you need Methods 2, 3, or 4. ## Verifying that GPS made it through Take a stamped photo, upload it to Instagram, save it back to your phone, and inspect both versions: - Open the original in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer): you will see the GPS coordinates. - Open the saved-from-Instagram version in the same viewer: the EXIF GPS is gone. - Look at both files in any image viewer: the stamped version still shows the coordinates because they live in the pixels. This is the test that matters. If you cannot verify your method this way, the GPS is not actually surviving where you think it is. ## Common pitfalls **Stale GPS cache.** Some camera apps cache GPS for battery. If you walked 50 meters between two shots, both might carry the same coordinate. The native iPhone Camera and the TimeStamp Camera app both reacquire GPS per shot. **Wrong timezone.** EXIF stores time as a local wall-clock string, not UTC. If you travel and your device clock changes, two photos taken seconds apart can appear an hour apart. Atomic time (network-synchronized at the shutter) avoids this. The iOS app uses it; the native Camera does not. **Cropped-out stamp.** Place the stamp where common crops will not eat it. Bottom-left at about 3% of the image height fits inside both 4:3 and 1:1 social crops. **Privacy on public uploads.** A visible GPS stamp also shows your home location to anyone who sees the photo. Decide per shot whether you want that. Use the [EXIF remover](/exif-remover) to strip GPS from photos you do not want to broadcast. --- Related reading: - [How to read EXIF metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata) - [Why Instagram strips EXIF data and how to keep GPS visible](/photo-guides/why-instagram-strips-exif-data) - [Construction site documentation: photo evidence checklist](/photo-guides/construction-site-documentation-photo-evidence-checklist) --- # How to Add GPS Coordinates to a Photo (iPhone, Android, Web) > Three ways to add GPS coordinates to a photo: at capture on iPhone, after the fact on Android, and entirely in your browser. *Published: 2026-04-15* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo **Quick answer:** Three real ways to add GPS to a photo. (1) Automatically at capture: a GPS camera app writes the location into EXIF and visibly onto the image the moment you press the shutter. (2) From the photo's existing EXIF: render the GPS already in the file as a visible overlay using our [free browser stamp tool](/). (3) Manually by entering coordinates: type a latitude and longitude into an EXIF editor like our [free EXIF Editor](/exif-editor) for scanned prints or photos without GPS. Method 1 is the gold standard. There are three meaningfully different ways to "add GPS to a photo," and they solve different problems. 1. **At capture, automatically.** The camera reads GPS from the device the moment you take the photo and writes it both to EXIF and onto the visible image. 2. **After the fact, from a photo's existing GPS.** The photo already has GPS in EXIF; you want to render it onto the visible image so it survives uploads. 3. **After the fact, with manually entered coordinates.** The photo has no GPS; you know where it was taken and want to stamp it. Pick the right one for your situation, then follow the steps. ## 1. iPhone: at capture, with a GPS camera app The native iOS Camera app writes GPS to EXIF if Location Services is on, but it doesn't render the coordinates onto the visible image. Most platforms [strip EXIF GPS on upload](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata), so EXIF-only GPS disappears the moment the photo leaves your phone. For visible GPS, install a GPS camera app. The [TimeStamp Camera iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) captures GPS, atomic time, and a reverse-geocoded address at the shutter. Open the app, point, shoot. Every photo arrives with the stamp baked in. For photos already in your library that are missing a location, or tagged in the wrong place, see [how to change the location of a photo on iPhone](/photo-guides/how-to-change-photo-location-on-iphone). Settings to check on first run: - **Format.** US (`MM/DD/YY`), EU (`DD/MM/YY`), ISO (`YYYY-MM-DD`), or long (`Mon DD, YYYY`). - **Position.** Top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right. - **Show address.** Most fieldworkers want both the coordinate and the address line. Toggle the address off if you only want numbers. - **Job note.** Project name, unit number, or claim ID becomes part of the stamp. The iOS app captures GPS even when offline; the address fills in once you're back on signal. ## 2. Android: capture EXIF, stamp in the browser There's no native TimeStamp Camera app for Android (yet). The Android workflow is two steps: 1. Make sure Location Services and the camera's "Save location" setting are on. Take photos as normal; GPS goes into EXIF. 2. On a desktop or another phone, open the [browser GPS stamp tool](/#web-tool). Drop the photo, the tool can read GPS from the EXIF, and you click download to get a stamped JPEG. This works on *any* photo from *any* camera that wrote GPS, including DSLRs and action cameras. The drawback: you can't stamp at the moment of capture the way a native iOS app can. ## 3. Photos with no GPS: manual entry If your photo has no GPS data (which is the case for most social-uploaded photos, since [platforms strip GPS](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata)), you can still add coordinates manually. 1. Open the [GPS camera tool](/gps-camera). 2. Drop the photo. 3. Type the latitude and longitude in decimal degrees (e.g. `37.7749` and `-122.4194`). Most maps apps let you right-click a location and "copy coordinates." 4. Optionally type the address. The stamp shows live; click *Download*. This is the same workflow you'd use to stamp a screenshot, a scanned photograph, or any image where the original GPS context is gone. ## How to find coordinates for an address Quickest options: - **Google Maps.** Right-click any spot, pick *What's here*. The card shows the coordinates. - **Apple Maps.** Long-press a spot. The pin shows the coordinates in the card. - **OpenStreetMap.** Right-click → *Show address*. Or paste an address into [Nominatim](https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/) and it returns lat/lng. All three give decimal degrees, which is what the stamp tool expects. ## Visible stamp vs. EXIF: which one matters? If you're going to upload the photo anywhere, **the visible stamp matters more.** Most platforms strip EXIF on upload to protect users' privacy. So if your goal is a photo where the GPS is verifiable to anyone who looks at it, a visible, pixel-rendered stamp is the only reliable answer. You can confirm this for yourself: take a GPS-stamped photo, upload it to Instagram, save the file back. Open the saved file in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer): the GPS is gone. Open the same file in any image viewer: the visible stamp is still there. For evidence and audit work, you usually want **both**: the original file (with EXIF GPS, kept as evidence) and a stamped version (for sharing). Apps like the iOS TimeStamp Camera produce the second from the first automatically. ## Common pitfalls **Stale GPS.** Some apps cache GPS to save battery. If you walked 50m between two shots, both might carry the same coordinate. Pick a camera app that re-acquires GPS per-photo. **Wrong timezone.** EXIF stores time as a wall-clock string, not UTC. If you travel and your device clock changes, two photos taken seconds apart can appear an hour apart. Atomic time + an explicit timezone in the stamp avoid this. **Cropped-out stamp.** Place the stamp where it won't be cropped out of common formats. Bottom-left at ~3% of the image height fits inside both 4:3 and 1:1 crops. --- Related reading: - [How to read EXIF metadata](/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata) - [GPS photo evidence: a contractor's guide](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide) --- # How to Read EXIF Metadata > Learn what EXIF metadata is and how to read it from any photo for free in your browser, what the common tags mean, and how to view or strip them before you *Published: 2026-04-10* · *5 min read* URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/how-to-read-exif-metadata **Quick answer:** The fastest way to read EXIF on any photo is to drop it into a free browser-based viewer like our [EXIF Viewer](/exif-viewer); nothing uploads. On macOS, right-click a photo → Get Info → More Info. On Windows, right-click → Properties → Details. iPhone shows EXIF inside Photos (i icon below an opened photo). For deep forensic work, the open-source ExifTool command line reads every tag including IPTC, XMP, and maker notes. EXIF (*Exchangeable Image File Format*) is metadata that cameras and phones write into photo files. It can include the date and time, GPS coordinates, camera and lens, exposure settings, copyright, and more. Reading EXIF is the fastest way to confirm *when* and *where* a photo was actually taken, and there are real reasons (insurance, real estate, journalism) to care. This is a short guide to reading EXIF on macOS, Windows, in the browser, and on a phone. It also explains what the most common tags mean. ## Read EXIF in the browser (no install) The fastest way is the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) on this site: 1. Open the page. 2. Drag a photo onto it. 3. The viewer parses the file in your browser (nothing is uploaded) and shows the standard fields in a table. If the photo carries GPS, it pins the location on a map. This works for JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF files from any phone or camera. ## Read EXIF on macOS - Right-click the file in Finder → *Get Info* → expand *More Info*. You'll see basic camera and exposure data, but not GPS. - For full EXIF, open the photo in *Preview*, then *Tools → Show Inspector* (⌘ ⌥ I). Tabs across the top expose Exif and GPS data. - Photographers often use [exiftool](https://exiftool.org/) on the command line. `exiftool photo.jpg` dumps every tag in the file. ## Read EXIF on Windows - Right-click the file → *Properties* → *Details*. Most camera and exposure fields are visible. GPS may be present as decimal latitude / longitude rows. - For more depth, install [ExifTool](https://exiftool.org/) for Windows or a GUI like ExifTool GUI. ## Read EXIF on iPhone - Open the photo in *Photos*. Swipe up. The "Info" panel shows the camera, exposure, GPS, and address (if location services were on at capture). - To see a photo's full EXIF data on iPhone, and edit it, use our [ExifHub app](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6796490477?pt=123600001&ct=cm2&mt=8). The browser-based [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) also works fine in Mobile Safari, which is useful when you don't want to install another app. ## Read EXIF on Android The Google Photos app shows a subset of EXIF in the *Info* sheet. For full EXIF, *Files by Google* or any third-party EXIF viewer app works. Or, again, the browser tool works in Chrome and Firefox on Android too. ## What the common tags mean A short reference. Not exhaustive, just the ones you'll actually need. **Date / time tags.** Three of them, often confused: - `DateTimeOriginal`: when the photo was taken (the shutter press). - `CreateDate` (sometimes `DateTimeDigitized`): when the file was created (usually the same as Original). - `ModifyDate`: when the file was last modified. Editing software updates this; the original is what most "when was this taken" questions are about. **GPS tags.** - `GPSLatitude` / `GPSLongitude`: the coordinates, usually as decimal degrees in the parsed view. - `GPSAltitude`: height above sea level. Less reliable than the horizontal coordinates. - `GPSDateStamp` / `GPSTimeStamp`: UTC time at the moment GPS was recorded. Useful as a sanity check against `DateTimeOriginal`. **Camera & lens.** - `Make` / `Model`: the camera brand and model. - `LensModel`: the lens (for cameras that report it). - `Software`: what wrote the file. If it's a phone, the iOS / Android version. If it's an editor, you'll see Lightroom, Photoshop, or similar, which is a strong hint that the photo was processed, not straight-from-camera. **Exposure.** - `FNumber`: aperture (e.g. `2.8` is f/2.8). - `ExposureTime`: shutter speed, usually as a fraction (`1/250`). - `ISO`: sensor sensitivity. - `FocalLength`: lens focal length in mm. **Attribution.** - `Artist` and `Copyright`: set on cameras with a configured photographer name. Often blank. ## What's missing or stripped Several common situations remove EXIF: - **Social uploads.** Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and most others strip GPS (and sometimes all EXIF) on upload to protect users. If you want a photo whose location stays visible after sharing, the only reliable answer is a [pixel-rendered GPS stamp](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo). - **Some messaging apps.** iMessage and AirDrop preserve EXIF; many cross-platform messengers strip it. - **Image editors.** Some "save as" pipelines drop EXIF unless explicitly preserved. - **Screenshots.** A screenshot is a new image. It carries the screenshot device's EXIF, not the original photo's. If you suspect a photo's EXIF was stripped (or wasn't there to begin with), viewing it in the [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer) is the fastest way to confirm. ## Editing or removing EXIF This guide is about *reading* EXIF, but a quick note on writing: - **Removing GPS only.** macOS Photos has *Image → Location → Hide Location*. Windows: right-click → *Properties → Details → Remove Properties*. - **Removing all EXIF.** A free desktop tool like exiftool or an online EXIF stripper (note: these *do* upload your photo) handles it. - **Editing dates.** Cameras don't normally let you alter EXIF dates after capture, but exiftool can. Most file managers also expose `ModifyDate`, which can be confusing: that's the file's modify time, not the photograph's capture time. The TimeStamp Camera tools on this site are read-and-stamp, not edit. They don't modify your original file's EXIF; they only produce a new image with a visible stamp on top. --- Related reading: - [How to add GPS coordinates to a photo (iPhone, Android, Web)](/photo-guides/how-to-add-gps-coordinates-to-a-photo) - [GPS photo evidence: a contractor's guide](/photo-guides/gps-photo-evidence-a-contractors-guide)