Need Timestamp Workaround

Hi,

I bought a Pentax M30 a few weeks ago to use mainly as a tool to capture
text from a newspaper or computer screen, image store products, document
home projects and record voice.

The camera does an very good job at these tasks IMO and the only complaint I
have is lack of a time-stamp on the images.

I want to be able to download the images to a folder with a time already
installed. The supplied ACDSee software does allow me to print with a
time-stamp but I rarely want hard copies. If I do want a hardcopy, I want
to be able to upload it to Costco with a time-stamp already applied and the
software does not allow that.

Printing to PDFCreator allows me to do this but I don't want to bother with
this extra step. I also don't know if Costco's printing process allows for
PDFs.

Is there a simple way of getting the time-stamp on the image in jpg format
with this camera?

Thank you.

Mike

On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:55:26 -0700 in rec.photo.digital, "JB"
wrote,
Is there a simple way of getting the time-stamp on the image in jpg format

ImageMagick can do it if you can figure out the command line parameters.
For example, (all one line):

mogrify -density 300 -font Arial -pointsize 16 -stroke blue -gravity
SouthEast -draw "text 200,200 '%%[EXIF:datetime]'" print.jpg

"David Harmon" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:55:26 -0700 in rec.photo.digital, "JB"
wrote,
Is there a simple way of getting the time-stamp on the image in jpg format

ImageMagick can do it if you can figure out the command line parameters.
For example, (all one line):

mogrify -density 300 -font Arial -pointsize 16 -stroke blue -gravity
SouthEast -draw "text 200,200 '%%[EXIF:datetime]'" print.jpg


Thanks, but getting that to automatically process a batch of photos would
require more time than I can allocate to the task.

"Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!)" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:55:26 -0700, in rec.photo.digital "JB"
wrote:


Is there a simple way of getting the time-stamp on the image in jpg format
with this camera?

Take a look at Irfanview. http://www.irfavview.com
--
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html


I already have. Maybe there is something I overlooked?

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:41:00 -0700 in rec.photo.digital, "JB"
wrote,

"David Harmon" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:55:26 -0700 in rec.photo.digital, "JB"
wrote,
Is there a simple way of getting the time-stamp on the image in jpg format

ImageMagick can do it if you can figure out the command line parameters.
For example, (all one line):

mogrify -density 300 -font Arial -pointsize 16 -stroke blue -gravity
SouthEast -draw "text 200,200 '%%[EXIF:datetime]'" print.jpg


Thanks, but getting that to automatically process a batch of photos would
require more time than I can allocate to the task.

Come on, it's one "for" command to do the whole batch! That's the easy
part, just a couple of seconds. The thing that takes time is getting
exactly the color and font you like, etc.

I already have. Maybe there is something I overlooked?

File=Batch Conversion/Rename= Choose Set advanced option in lower
right=In Misc check Add overlay text and click settings box= click
Help for options.
-
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html



That's an excellent program and I used to superimpose the time and date on a
batch of images. But it uses the current time and date rather than EXIF
data. But I suspect that's about as good as I am going to be able do
unless Pentax puts out a firmware change.

I can still take the camera back but it works so well I am reluctant to just
to get the date stamp.

Thank you for the tip.

Mike

"JB" wrote in message
...

I already have. Maybe there is something I overlooked?

File=Batch Conversion/Rename= Choose Set advanced option in lower
right=In Misc check Add overlay text and click settings box= click
Help for options.
-
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photography/General/index.html



That's an excellent program and I used to superimpose the time and date on
a batch of images. But it uses the current time and date rather than
EXIF data. But I suspect that's about as good as I am going to be able
do unless Pentax puts out a firmware change.

I can still take the camera back but it works so well I am reluctant to
just to get the date stamp.

Thank you for the tip.

Under XP there is an option in properties which says use exif data which I
think sets the file date to the Exif date.
I haven't tried it as Olympus studio keeps things in folders based on the
exif date anyway.

You did not read the help file I suggested. $T adds the file date and
time,
which if you have used proper techniques to transfer then should be the
original time stamps from the camera. If that is not good enough then as
pointed out in the help file you can query the exif data and an example is
given in Appendix A at the end of the help file.
--
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photog...ral/index.html

The format of the stamp works better for me using the EXIF query. Thank
you for the help

Mike