How to restore backed-up photos and videos on Google Photos with correct dates after factory reset through takeout

On this article, I’ll information you thru the method of restoring your Google Photographs knowledge with the right dates.

The Downside: Incorrect Date Order in Restored Photographs

After a manufacturing unit reset of an Android cellphone, I seen that sure apps, like Fb and Instagram, failed to acknowledge the right chronological order of my pictures and movies. This difficulty arose regardless of utilizing Google Photographs to again up my media.

Initially, I didn’t organise my pictures into albums inside Google Photographs. I merely relied on the app’s “Photographs” tab to make sure my media was backed up. Nevertheless, following the bootloop and subsequent manufacturing unit reset, I found that Google Photographs might solely restore the newest 200 pictures and movies right into a “Restored” folder inside the DCIM listing. This was opposite to my expectation that Google Photographs would preserve the construction of my native storage folders.

Discovering Restoration Strategies

Decided to revive my whole Google Photographs library with correct dates, I turned to numerous strategies shared on Reddit. I targeted on strategies involving Google Takeout, permitting me to efficiently get better all my knowledge, together with non-camera sources like WhatsApp pictures and web downloads.

Getting ready for Restoration

Earlier than making an attempt any restoration methodology, it’s essential to tidy up your Google Photographs:

1. Entry Google Photographs by way of a PC.
2. Take away pointless previous media and delete any created albums to forestall duplication.
3. Provoke an export from Google Photographs utilizing Google Takeout, guaranteeing to pick out the biggest zip file possibility (as much as 50 GB) for comfort.

Methodology 1: The Simple (Paid) Strategy

To make use of Metadata Fixer for fixing your footage’ and movies’ EXIF metadata when exporting from Google Takeout, you’ll be able to observe these steps, primarily utilizing the ExifTool:

1. Deleting Duplicates: For any edited file, Google Takeout exports each the unique and the edited information. If you wish to take away duplicates, you’ll be able to delete the edits utilizing the command.del /s /q *-edited.jpg
2. Fixing File Creation Dates: The file creation date to your media is perhaps up to date to the present date throughout export. To right this, particularly for media with out EXIF knowledge, use the ExifTool command from the Takeout root listing:

   exiftool -d "%s" -tagsfromfile %dpercentf.%e.json "-DateTimeOriginal<PhotoTakenTimeTimestamp" "-FileCreateDate<PhotoTakenTimeTimestamp" "-FileModifyDate<PhotoTakenTimeTimestamp" -overwrite_original -ext mp4 -ext jpg -r .

This command updates the file creation, modification, and authentic dates based mostly on the metadata within the .json information.

4. Restoring Geolocation Information: So as to add again geolocation knowledge to your information, use the next ExifTool command:

   exiftool -tagsfromfile %dpercentf.%e.json -description -title "-gpslatitude<GeoDataLatitude" "-gpslatituderef<GeoDataLatitude" "-gpslongitude<GeoDataLongitude" "-gpslongituderef<GeoDataLongitude" -ext mp4 -ext jpg -r .

This helps in instances the place location knowledge won’t be intact within the information.

5. Deleting JSON Information: After fixing the metadata, you’ll be able to take away the .json information with the command del /s /q *.json
6. Organizing the Information: If you wish to set up your information higher, you should utilize ExifTool to recreate a listing construction based mostly on the digicam mannequin or different standards. For instance:

   exiftool "-directory<%d/${mannequin;}" -r .

This command organizes information into directories based mostly on the digicam mannequin.

7. Sorting by Picture Measurement: To additional kind your information, particularly if some actions stripped EXIF knowledge or for information like mp4 that typically don’t have EXIF knowledge, you’ll be able to kind by picture measurement utilizing:

   exiftool "-directory<%d/${ImageSize;}" .

This helps group collectively pictures saved from varied sources like screenshots or films.

These steps will enable you in effectively restoring and organising the EXIF metadata to your footage and movies exported from Google Takeout.

Methodology 2: The Uneasy (Free) Strategy

This free methodology is extra complicated and includes a number of steps:

Right here’s a information on tips on how to use the GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper software to arrange and repair the EXIF metadata of images and movies when exporting from Google Takeout:

1. Obtain the GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper Executable: Go to the releases tab of the GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper repository on GitHub and obtain the suitable executable to your working system.
2. Run the GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper (gpth):

• For Home windows: Double-click the downloaded .exe file and observe the directions. You may want to verify to Home windows Defender that the file is secure.
• For Mac/Linux: Open the terminal, navigate (cd) to the folder with the downloaded executable, and run the next instructions:
  • For Mac with M1/M2 chip, allow x86 emulation: softwareupdate --install-rosetta
  • Add execute permission: chmod +x gpth-macos (or gpth-linux for Linux)
  • Inform MacOS Gatekeeper it’s secure: xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine gpth-macos
  • Execute the script: ./gpth-macos (or ./gpth-linux for Linux)
  • Observe the prompted directions.

3. Fixing EXIF Metadata:

• Obtain Phil Harvey’s ExifTool from here.
• Open the command line or terminal, navigate to the folder the place you downloaded ExifTool.
• Run ExifTool in your pictures: exiftool -overwrite_original -r -P "-AllDates<FileModifyDate" "your/output/folder/ALL_PHOTOS/"This command inserts the right EXIF metadata, preserving the creation time of your pictures.

This course of ought to set up your Google Takeout pictures into one massive, chronologically ordered folder, with corrected EXIF metadata for higher group and viewing.

Elective Organisational Steps

After restoring your pictures and movies, you may need to organise them additional. I created separate folders for various content material sorts (e.g., Screenshots, Fb, and so on.) and sorted my media accordingly. This step is non-obligatory however can drastically improve the accessibility of your media.

Concluding Ideas

Restoring and organising your Google Photographs knowledge after a manufacturing unit reset generally is a daunting activity, however with the precise instruments and endurance, it’s undoubtedly achievable. This course of ensures that your treasured reminiscences should not solely recovered but in addition well-organized.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the artistic thoughts behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Keen about all issues know-how, my experience spans from computer systems and networking, to cellular, wearables, and sensible residence gadgets.

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