Date Taken is different from the file creation date
A scan made today can show today as its creation or download date even when the original picture was taken decades ago. Date Taken describes the photographed event; file creation and Date Added describe the digital file or the library import. Different photo apps display and sort these fields differently.
For example, if you review 12 August 1992 as the Metadata date, Then & There exports that chosen day with the photo. Inspect Date Taken in the receiving application after extracting the ZIP. A Finder creation date alone is not a reliable check of all the photo’s embedded metadata.
Photos only, sidecar files or a full archive?
Photos only is for ordinary photo-library imports: the image carries its embedded date and photo information. Photos and everything else adds companion files, including text, available audio, XMP metadata and export details. XMP sidecars are useful only where the receiving workflow reads them; keep a sidecar beside its matching image.
A full Then & There archive backup has a different job. It preserves the editable collection, original sources and dating context for restoring in this app. Keep an archive backup even if you also export images for another library.
Choose the kind of export you need
Use Export photos when you want images for another photo app. Use Export archive ZIP when you want a Then & There backup containing originals, corrected images, available audio, text and the editable collection details. A photo export is not a substitute for this archive backup.
Check every image's metadata date
Open Review dates & export in the bundle. Photo export requires a full calendar day for every included image. Review next date helps you finish missing or outdated choices. A known full date qualifies, as does a current reviewed estimated day. A year or month saved to the timeline may still need this step.
Review extra images too
Check Extra image files when shown. A linked back without its own date can use the front's full date, with that source recorded. A back with its own date and retained collage originals may need their own review. The image-file total can therefore exceed the bundle's main photo count.
Choose folders and contents
In Settings → Photo export settings, choose One folder, Year, Year / month or Year / month / day. Month and day folders use leading zeroes, such as 2024/07. Under Export contents, choose Photos only for images with embedded metadata, or Photos and everything else to include text, available audio, XMP sidecars and export details.
Prepare the chosen export
Create the photo export after its dates are ready. To back up selected bundles from the home screen, hold a bundle to begin selecting and use Export selected. Archive backups remain available even when photos are undated. Your current export keeps the settings it started with; create a new photo export to apply changed folder or contents preferences.
Share or save the finished ZIP
Watch the export status, then choose Share ZIP when it is ready. Preparing to share and Opening sharing show that Then & There is working. Choose a destination in the system share sheet. If the operating system pauses an export, reopen Then & There to continue. Selecting a cloud app does not prove that its upload has finished; check the destination.
Check the result in the destination
Extract a photo ZIP and inspect Date Taken or the equivalent metadata field in your photo software. This should match the Metadata date reviewed in Then & There. File creation or Date Added can behave differently between computers and extraction tools. Estimated dates remain estimates even if another app displays only the chosen day.
Keep an archive copy somewhere separate
Save a Then & There archive to another device or a storage service you control, and check that the file is present. Keep an earlier backup until you have checked the new one. Archives include personal photos and context and are not encrypted by Then & There. Store and share them accordingly.
A few useful things to know
- XMP sidecars are companion metadata files for workflows that use them. Photos only still embeds the chosen date and photo information in the image itself.
- An estimated full day makes an image easier for other systems to order; it does not replace the supported range and reasoning kept in your archive.
- Deleting a photo inside Then & There does not remove copies you previously exported or shared.
Instructions checked against Then & There 0.2.66. Labels may change as the app develops.