Working with digital images

[jag90]

Is there an automatic way or a program that will remove the date stamp on digital photos? I know I can use an editor to blur the date or blend it in or remove it pixel by pixel. Wondering if there's an easier way?

Thanks for the help.

[ShutterbugGail]

Hello and welcome,

As far I as know, there is no software to automatically remove the date stamp on digital photos. Removing it, as you point out, does take image editing.

If it doesn't ruin the compsition of your photo, you can crop an image to eliminate the date. If your image editing program has one, you can use a clone tool, which copies the surrounding area over a portion of an image you wish to eliminate. Cloning over a small area can be done rather easily.

Is there a particular reason you keep the date-stamp on? Most cameras with a date-stamp have a menu setting where you can shut it off.

You can always find the date you took a photo, by look at the EXIF data which is embedded in each image. Please note that, depending on how you save an image after editing, EXIF data can be lost. Just one more reason to always work on a copy of your favorite images, rather than an original.

If you're unfamiliar with EXIF data, here's some info which can help:

What is EXIF data?

http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-exif/index.htm

[jag90]

Thanks for the reply. I am, somewhat, familiar with EXIF data. I downloaded a program called Exifer which allows you to view, manipulate, etc the Exif data.

However, within this program, while working on a picture, Exifer shows a thumbnail of the picture - the thumbnail does NOT have the date stamp on it, even though the original picture did. That's what led me to think there might be a way to remove it automatically.

I'll keep you posted on what I find.

[ShutterbugGail]

Exifer shows a thumbnail of the picture - the thumbnail does NOT have the date stamp on it, even though the original picture did. That's what led me to think there might be a way to remove it automatically.

I'll keep you posted on what I find.

Please do keep us posted.

That's interesting about the thumbnail not showing the date stamp. Are the thumbnails very small and, if so, could the reduced size of the thumbnail be actually masking the date that may still be there?

[jag90]

RE: Exifer and thumbnail size

The date stamp is definately not there. I wish I could save the thumbnail somehow. Here's a link to the program, try it and see:

http://www.exifer.friedemann.info/#Description

[carol jones]

I am new to digital photography and using my new HP photo printer.  I do believe that you have the ability to have the date and/or time printed or not.  It is true that when you view your photos the date will not appear.  Within the software that you are using you can check or uncheck the date/time area.  Therefore, you will have a choice to print with the date or not.  I printed out several photos using the date imprint and several without.  

Just look when you are getting ready to print and the options that are offered.  Hope that this has helped in some small way.

[jag90]

What is the name of the software that you are using?

[ShutterbugGail]

What is the name of the software that you are using?

If I understand correctly, we may be talking about two different, though related, things. If I'm not mistaken jag90 had his camera set to apply the date directly on each photo taken, so when he opens an image the date is stamped right on it (often red in color).

I think what Carol is talking about it the ability to print out an image with the date and/or file name printed beneath the photo. You can turn that on or off.

Am I correct?

[ShutterbugGail]

I think this is what we are talking about, where the date-stamp is right on the image. The above is only a portion of a photo. If I am correct, then as far as I know, this can only be removed using software.

[carol]

My Olympus C-750 digital camera does allow me to print the date and/or the time on my photos; but that notation does not show up when looking at the images on the computer monitor, etc., whether in thumbnails or larger.  I do have the ability to print photos on my home printer with either the date appearing in the lower right corner in white or not have it there.

Now, my 35mm SLR film camera is another story; you must either manually turn on or off the date imprint before taking pictures. When it is on, the date (or time) will appear in the lower right corner in an orange color on all photos when they are printed.

So, from my limited knowledge of digital photography, I am under the impression that all digital photos have much info recorded at the time the image is taken, but obviously it doesn't get printed.  It is our choice when using the software to prepare them for printing whether the date info will be printed or not.

When printing my photos at home, I have used/experimented with Adobe Album and the sofware that came with the HP printer, HP Photo and Imaging Gallery.  Both gave me quite a bit of control but being new, I just have been mainly using the 'auto fix' option to enhance the images.

Hope that this helps.

[Zigi]

>Is there an automatic way or a program that will remove the date stamp on digital photos?


Yes, I know such a program, you even can have a look at the date stamp removal  example:
http://akvis.com/en/retoucher-tutorial/peterhof.php

[Mike Hayes]

Thanks for the info Zigi, although that programme is for re-touching the image rather than actually removing the date, as far as I can tell. I've actually had my images (taken with a Sony Cybershot) downloaded to CD and was also wondering if the date could be removed after the event, as it were, before getting hard copies printed. Sounds like my options are limited.

[ShutterbugGail]

My guess is that retouching may be your only option since the date is usually burned right into an image at the time it was taken.

One way is to eliminate the date is to use a "clone tool?" Many image editing programs included this tool which let's you remove something unwanted in an image by copying and painting an adjoining area over, in this case, the date. When done correctly, one would never know there was a date there in the first place.

Our December issue of the Digicamhelp Newsletter will feature and illustrated article about using the clone tool.

[David]

The photo editing software that I use, Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10, has a cool feature called Smart Erase. You draw a circle around an area that you want to erase, and it fills in the area with the image from the surrounding area.

I've been rather impressed with how well it fills in the area. Most of the time you cannot tell that you did anything to the area.

Of course this isn't automated, but at least the end result would look pretty good.

[ShutterbugGail]

The photo editing software that I use, Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10, has a cool feature called Smart Erase.  

Welcome David, and thanks for the great information about software features in this and another thread! I'm curious, I've never used Digital Image Pro. Do you like it?

You really don't hear much talk about it and I'm wondering how it stacks up to other programs such as PaintShop Pro, Photoshop, Elements, etc.