Exiftool

ExifTool
See http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/

Create new EXIF part
Set EXIF date (and thus creating EXIF data if it wasn't there yet)

exiftool -P -overwrite_original -DateTimeOriginal='2005:06:28 10:03:42' picture.jpg

-P preserves modification date of file

Remove 2.5 hour from EXIF date
exiftool -P -overwrite_original -DateTimeOriginal-=1.5 picture.jpg

Read specific dates
QuickTime creation date (It is not possible to add EXIF date to QuickTime movies)

exiftool -CreateDate movie.mov

EXIF Capture, Digitization and Modification date. Often the same time; the Capture (DateTimeOriginal) is used in iView

exiftool -DateTimeOriginal picture.jpg exiftool -CreateDate picture.jpg exiftool -ModifyDate picture.jpg

Annotated (IPTC) creation date (not possible to specify time, just date)

exiftool -DateCreated picture.jpg

File modification time:

exiftool -FileModifyDate picture.jpg

Note: file creation and last opened time are not available

Print all dates, even those not found:

exiftool -g -s -f -DateTimeOriginal -CreateDate -ModifyDate -DateCreated picture.jpg

Set file modification date to EXIF creation date

exiftool -P -overwrite_original '-DateTimeOriginal>FileModifyDate' picture.jpg

Set file annotated date to EXIF creation date

exiftool -P -overwrite_original '-DateTimeOriginal>DateCreated' picture.jpg

Read specific titles
iPhoto image title

exiftool -Headline picture.jpg

iView image title

exiftool -Title picture.jpg

Read image descriptions
image description (often set to "[BRAND] DIGITAL CAMERA" by default)

exiftool -ImageDescription *.jpg

Erase image description

exiftool -P -overwrite_original -ImageDescription= *.jpg

JPEG comments (not part of EXIF, IPTC or XMP)

exiftool -Comment picture.jpg

iPhoto and iView description (two locations)

exiftool -Description picture.jpg exiftool -Caption-Abstract picture.jpg