ImageOrganizer

A Python tool for organizing image and video files by date.

Language versions:

• English (default): README.md
• 中文: README_zh.md
• 日本語: README_ja.md

The program reads image EXIF time first. If EXIF time is unavailable, it falls back to the file's modified time. Organized files are placed into the target directory using a year\month\day folder structure.

Features

• Recursively scans subfolders in the source directory
• Organizes images and videos by date automatically
• Uses move mode by default
• Supports copy mode to keep original files
• Supports Chinese, English, and Japanese UI
• Generates a separate log file for each run
• Automatically appends a numeric suffix for duplicate file names

Supported File Types

• .jpg
• .jpeg
• .png
• .mp4
• .mov

Environment

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Python 3.10 or later
• Dependency: Pillow

Install dependency:

pip install Pillow

For detailed environment setup, see:

• ENVIRONMENT.md
• 环境配置说明.md
• 環境設定ガイド.md

Basic Usage

Open a terminal in the project root and run:

python main.py --src SOURCE_DIR --dst TARGET_DIR

Example:

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos

Arguments

--src

Source directory. Required.

--dst

Destination directory. Required.

--mode

Organization mode:

• move: move files, default
• copy: copy files and keep originals

Example:

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --mode copy

--lang

Interface language:

• zh: Chinese
• en: English
• ja: Japanese

Default: en

Example:

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --lang en
python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --lang ja

Common Examples

Move files by default

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos

Copy files and keep originals

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --mode copy

Use English UI

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --lang en

Use Japanese UI

python main.py --src D:\InputPhotos --dst D:\SortedPhotos --lang ja

Logs

The program automatically creates or reuses the log folder under the script directory.

Log file names use this format:

organize_log_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.txt

Example:

organize_log_20260413_135222.txt

After execution, the program prints the full path of the generated log file.

Organization Rules

• Recursively scans all subfolders in the source directory
• Uses image EXIF time first
• Falls back to file modified time when EXIF is unavailable
• Outputs files to target\year\month\day\
• Adds a numeric suffix if a file with the same name already exists

Duplicate name example:

photo.jpg
photo_1.jpg
photo_2.jpg

Project Structure

• main.py Program entry point
• core/ Date detection and EXIF reading logic
• services/ File organization logic
• locales/ Chinese, English, and Japanese UI texts
• log/ Log output folder for each run

Notes

• Make sure the source and destination paths are correct
• Default move mode removes files from the source directory
• Use --mode copy if you need to keep original files
• It is recommended to test with a small number of files first
• Back up important files before large batch processing

Common Failure Causes

• File is in use and cannot be moved or copied
• File permission is insufficient
• Image EXIF data is invalid
• Destination directory is not writable

Disclaimer

This tool is intended to automatically organize image and video files. In actual use, the result may still differ from expectations due to incorrect paths, permission problems, file locks, disk issues, invalid time metadata, interrupted execution, or other unforeseen factors.

Please note:

• Default move mode moves original files
• Duplicate file names are automatically renamed
• If EXIF time or file time is inaccurate, the destination date folder may not match the real capture date
• Logs are only for assistance and do not guarantee completeness of results

To reduce risk:

1. Test with a small set of files first
2. Prefer --mode copy for verification
3. Back up important data before full processing
4. Check both the log and destination folders after execution

For the full disclaimer, see:

• DISCLAIMER_en.md