https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=388386
Bug ID: 388386
Summary: Time adjustment tool is misleading and potentially
leads to data loss
Product: digikam
Version: 5.8.0
Platform: Appimage
OS: Linux
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: BatchQueueManager-Tool-TimeAdjust
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Target Milestone: ---
The time adjustment tool in Digikam's BQM is - IMHO - a step backwards from the
old 4.7.x feature which was separate.
I think the time adjustment tool doesn't really belong into BQM: Time
adjustment is usually very fast (so there is no need to queue it), doesn't
require creation of file copies, but absolutely requires a preview of what the
target timestamps will look like for each file - and exactly what metadata will
be modified. Also time adjustment is used very frequently (possibly more
frequently than other adjustments) and so needs a simple, easily accessible UI
- and BQM is neither, unfortunately.
But if the time adjustment tool will stay in BQM, I have some suggestions to
make it more usable anyway:
1. It is very easy to destroy timestamps altogether. This should never happen.
To reproduce: manipulate an image which has no metadata (just the file system
timestamp), for example a mp4 video, select "Digikam timestamp" as source,
subtract 1h (for example) from the timestamp, but leave all target checkboxes
unchecked. => The file will be 'touch'ed to have the current datetime as
timestamp, the old timestamp will be lost.
Solution:
Make it mandatory to check at least one target checkbox for the modified
time.
Also warn if no target checkboxes are checked before running the batch.
Also - by default - display a visible(!) preview of the modified timestamps,
maybe as additional columns in the batch queue which appear when selecting time
adjustment - one for each modified timestamp (EXIF/IPTC/XMP/Filesytem/...).
2. It is completely unclear whether Digikam will *create* the target metadata
timestamps if checked or if it will only update them when they exist already. I
do not want Digikam to *create* additional timestamps, I just want it to update
existing ones.
Solution:
A checkbox (checked by default) which says "Only update existing timestamp
metadata".
In the queue window, display a new timestamp value in the respective column
(see #1) only if it will be updated.
3. It is hard to find out how *not* to create *copies* of modified files. If
you select the Timestamp tool, then set it to overwrite existing files (which
is misleading, there is no overwriting being done) and to do no renaming, I
*think* it is just modifying the timestamps, but I don't know - is it also
resampling / recompressing the JPEG files?
Solution:
Explain what settings are required *just* to modify timestamps and not the
image data at all.
Or better yet, if the timestamp tool is selected, make these settings the
default.
*Even* better, if the time adjustment tool is the only selected batch tool,
just
4. For large time difference corrections, it is hard to calculate exactly what
amount needs to be added or subtracted. It would be easier if there were an
option to set the absolute time for the *first* selected image and let Digikam
calculate the difference (add/subtract) for the remaining images based on this
delta. (This is how iPhoto does it.)
Thank you! :-)
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