CreateDate: What This Metadata Tag Means
CreateDate is when a photo was digitized or, in videos, when the file was created. In photos from a digital camera it usually matches DateTimeOriginal.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
What it means
In photos, CreateDate is ExifTool’s name for the EXIF field DateTimeDigitized: when the picture became digital data. For a digital camera that is the same moment as DateTimeOriginal. In videos, CreateDate in the QuickTime group is the file’s creation time.
Example
- Tag
- CreateDate
- Group in ExifMeta
- EXIF, QuickTime
- Example value
- 2026:10:06 14:32:05
This is how the tag appears in ExifMeta’s results. The value in your file will differ.
Typical values
Photos use the same YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS format as DateTimeOriginal. In videos, the value is usually UTC, so it can differ from the local time by your time-zone offset. A value of 0000:00:00 00:00:00 means the field was left empty.
Where it comes from
Cameras and phones write it at capture. A scanner writes the scan time, which can be decades later than DateTimeOriginal for a scanned print. Video recorders write the QuickTime CreateDate when they save the file.
What it is useful for
For scanned prints and film it separates the scan date from the shooting date. For videos it is often the only recording date, so it is the first place to look when a clip has no CreationDate.
Watch out for
The QuickTime format defines video CreateDate as UTC, so it can look shifted by your time zone, although some cameras write local time instead. Re-encoded copies often show the date they were exported, not recorded.
Find it in your file
Upload a file to ExifMeta, then type CreateDate into the “Search tags and values” box under All metadata. If nothing matches, the file does not contain this tag.
Learn more in the guide: How to Check When a Photo Was Taken (Date Taken)
See the tags in your own file
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