How to change video Created Date to "ExifTool:CreateDate"

What I'm doing seems pretty straightforward but I don't see an automated way to do it:
After downloading a few thousand images and videos from iCloud, I want to import them to my Win10 PC, but the PC uses the file attribute: Created Date -the date I downloaded them- instead of the EXIF info "<ExifTool:CreateDate>". So How do I change that? I found someone who used "<ExifTool:CreateDate>" to rename their file but I can't figure out how to modify that to change a file's Created Date. This was the post I found: {Sharing my video renaming script using the MediaCreateDate tag
https://www.advancedrenamer.com/forum_thread?for um_id=3473}

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You will need to use ExifTool itself for this: https://exiftool.org/

It is a very powerful tool but it can be difficult to work out the details of its use. However there is plenty of information on the web if you Google your problem.

eg https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=5007. 0

Be aware that the Windows Created date refers to the date that the particular copy of the file was created. The Modified date is the date that the contents of the file were changed and so is usually a better approximation to the actual date the file was created (provided it hasn't subsequently been edited).

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Reply to #2:
Thanks for the response. I will check that out.

So, just to be clear for myself and others who may run across this, when you refer to a "Windows" date, that's what I was calling a "file attribute" or similar, correct? They are the attributes of the file that any non-image file would have, whereas the "EXIF" dates like "CreateDate" are those embedded into a file using EXIF that only apply to images and videos. Is that correct?

And to further confuse us, I think, Microsoft displays some of that EXIF info in "Details" tab in the file "Properties"? Under the sub-heading "Origin" I see a date that corresponds to EXIF "CreateDate" called "Media Created". It would be nice if they separated "Details" from "Exif Data" and gave it it's own tab in Properties.

The file attributes Date Created, Modified, Accessed, etc all refer to a date around the time I downloaded the files, nothing close to (I assume EXIF data) the CreateDate. For any pictures I downloaded, the file Attribute "Date Taken" is the actual date it was taken - or created- so that works fine, however "Date Taken" is blank for any video downloaded so photo importing tools get confused and import them into the wrong folders.

Thanks Again.

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Reply to #2:
Ok, so I found this thread on the exiftool.org site that explained what to do exactly - https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=5007. 0. Here is what I did - for any future searchers.

Goal:
To download a large batch of pictures and videos from iCloud so I can import them to my Pictures folder and delete them from iCloud and my iPhone and free up space in both places.

(I would have attacked the problem in reverse if it worked, but it doesn't. I would rather have imported the same batch of files first from my iPhone directly to my PC, but it never worked right. I used "Photos" app in Win10 and after much difficulty even "seeing" the iPhone in Windows Explorer, I finally got it visible in Explorer and Photos. But when I start an import, it would only go so far, then would just stop midway. I couldn't figure out any rhyme or reason why. So I had to reverse the process and go to iCloud.com. There you can only download 1000 images at a time so I'm stuck downloading several zip files to clear a whole year. Then, after unzipping those files, I want them imported into folders named YYYY-MM-DD in my Pictures Library folder. Problem is, none of the mov or mp4 files - as well as PNG and some jpg and jpeg files - have a "Date Taken" or any other date that Photos reads as a Media Created date or Date Taken date, so the import stuffs them all into the folder with a date from the day I downloaded from iCloud.)

Solution:
After downloading from iCloud, unzip a batch of files to an SD card in an SD card reader in your PC. (I like using that because Photos app sees it as a removable device and it cleanly imports and deletes the files) Then run the following commands below using exiftool to take the <DateCreated> or <CreateDate> exif date and write it to the file property "FileCreateDate" and "FileModifyDate" - the "Date Created" and "Date Modified" of the file. Photos will read one of those dates (not sure which takes precedence) and export your media files into a folder with the name of the date the image was taken.

You need to download exiftool from https://exiftool.org/ then extract the zip and rename the file from "exiftool(-k).exe" to "exiftool.exe". Copy that to C:\Windows (the PATH that commands look to to execute). Then Open a command prompt -right click it and run it as Administrator- then copy and paste these commands one at a time - modify them for your folder names and file types. The -r command searches all subfolders recursively, so you can enter the highest folder that has all your images and videos below it:

for PNGs
try both if needed:
exiftool "-FileCreateDate<CreateDate" "-FileModifyDate<CreateDate" -ext .png -r {your folder with your media}

exiftool "-FileCreateDate<DateCreated" "-FileModifyDate<DateCreated" -ext .png -r {your folder with your media}


for JPEGs
try both if needed:
exiftool "-FileCreateDate<CreateDate" "-FileModifyDate<CreateDate" -ext .jpeg -r H:\icp14\iCloudPhotos

exiftool "-FileCreateDate<DateCreated" "-FileModifyDate<DateCreated" -ext .jpeg -r {your folder with your media}


for JPGs
try both if needed:
exiftool "-FileCreateDate<CreateDate" "-FileModifyDate<CreateDate" -ext .jpg -r {your folder with your media}

exiftool "-FileCreateDate<DateCreated" "-FileModifyDate<DateCreated" -ext .jpg -r {your folder with your media}


for MOVs
exiftool "-FileCreateDate<CreateDate" "-FileModifyDate<CreateDate" -ext .mov -r {your folder with your media}

(running the second command with <DateCreated wasnt needed)

for MP4s
exiftool "-FileCreateDate<CreateDate" "-FileModifyDate<CreateDate" -ext .mp4 -r {your folder with your media}

(running the second command with <DateCreated wasnt needed)

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