How to delete all date/time data from image files?

[JAMotter]

I use a media streaming app called PLEX to stream videos, music and photos to my 4K TVs. When PLEX is showing any given photo it also displays (right below the image) a date. If the specific photo was taken by a digital camera, the date shown is usually either the date the photo was taken (which is useful information) or the date that the file was created (which might not be relevant information if I have copied the file to a different computer).

Worse yet, many of my photos are scanned images of film/paper photos. In these cases the date that shows up on the TV screen via PLEX is the date of the scanning. This is totally irrelevant information and the fact that it appears on screen creates useless clutter. I suppose I could try to revise the date information to the actual date the photo was taken, but I have no idea what year they were taken, Some old photos are over 100 years old.

I want to delete any and all date/time information in these scanned image files. My hope would be that no date/time data would then show up in PLEX. The field would still be there, but it would be empty, thus (hopefully) less clutter.

Can I use this XnView app (I just downloaded it) to accomplush my objective?

Please advise. Is it possible? How do I do it?

Thank you.

[michel038]

I think you should keep "date taken" or "DateTimeOriginal" when exists, (this date is always useful) . and delete other exif fields.
I think that File create date and File modif date are managed by your O.S . and windows will not permit empty fields.
Two others exif fields can contain dates : Exif:CreateDate, Exif:ModifyDate

in XnViewMp, you can't delete easily most of exif fields, unless you delete all exif data.
To clean ALL exif data, use "Tools, Metadata, Clean ..." and select "Exif" to be deleted, in selected pictures.

-"Tools, Change timestamp" permits only to change timestamps, not to delete them.
This tool may be useful for you to adjust many timestamps, if it's impossible to delete some of them ...
For example, you can set all dates to 01 01 2000...


If you want to KEEP all exif data except some dates, you'll have to use an existing add-on : ExifTool
- "Tools, Open with, Configure programs", "ADD" ... browse folders to show XnViewMP installation folder, and open "AddOn" . Select ExifTool.exe
- The first column of the table seems empty, double click and add a name, like "Del Date"
- Double click in the 2nd column to add exiftool"s parameter (choose if you want to delete DateTimeOriginal or not ...)

Code: Select all

 -k  "-exif:createdate= "  "-exif:modifydate= " -overwrite_original
 OR
  -k  "-exif:createdate= " "-exif:datetimeoriginal= " "-exif:modifydate= " -overwrite_original
 

and click OK
(space char. next to = char. means : delete)

- Now, select a photo, right click, "Open with, Del Date" ...
select again the same photo and read Exiftool tab in "Info pane" to check if the method is OK.


- To select only photos where "date taken" is missing, you can sort photos in the browser:
"View, Sort by, Show headers"
With a right click, you can move, add or remove some headers : make "date taken " header be visible ...
Click on "Date taken" , now photos are sort, and you can select those that do not have a right date.
You can also use "details" view : "View, View as, Details"

If your photos are in many folders, you can use "View, View files in subfolders" before sorting