Tips for merging photos and movies from multiple cameras and renaming to a common date format

[terrycloth]

Sharing my command line use of Exiftool to rename my photos and movies from multiple sources so I can merge them and create a common media library.

Examples of this, including the format of media that occur in the same second:

2016-06-16 19.28.01.jpg

2016-06-16 19.28.02-1,jpg

2016-06-16 19.28.02-2.jpg

2016-06-26 11.06.08.mov

Here is what I do at the command line after changing to the directory containing the media to be renamed:

-- Start by renaming photos with a JPG extension
-- Use the EXIF CreateDate or "Date Taken"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<CreateDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" IMG*.jpg

-- Then rename photos with a PNG extension - but these probably don't have EXIF data but try anyway
-- Use the EXIF CreateDate or "Date Taken"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<CreateDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" *.png

-- then rename the photos using the file system dates (a little dangerous) for any reamining ones
-- use the FileModifyDate
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<FileModifyDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" "IMG*.JPG"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<FileModifyDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" "IMG*.PNG"

-- RENAME movies using TrackCreateDate
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileModifyDate<TrackCreateDate" "-FileName<TrackCreateDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" *.mov
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileModifyDate<TrackCreateDate" "-FileName<TrackCreateDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" *.mp4
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileModifyDate<TrackCreateDate" "-FileName<TrackCreateDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" *.WMV

-- if no EXIF data for movies, use file system information.  change prefix to limit to files not yet changes
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<FileModifyDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" IMG*.mov
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<FileModifyDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" IMG*.avi
"C:\Program Files (x86)\exiftool-9.78\exiftool(-k).exe" "-FileName<FileModifyDate" -d "%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S%%-c.%%e" vid*.wmv

[FramerV]

Hi terrycloth,

Thank you for sharing your resolution and/or workaround. We appreciate your contribution to the community. 

Feel free to post any suggestions, questions, recommendations or anything about your NAS that you think needs attention or will help others.

Regards,