When two cameras disagree about the time, an event edit can jump backward and forward even when every file imports correctly. Synchronizing camera clocks gives you a useful starting order. It does not determine which photograph is strongest, but it makes the combined coverage easier to understand.
Make a shared reference before the event
Set the cameras to the same date, time zone and clock reference. Check daylight-saving settings separately. Have each camera photograph the same clearly displayed clock, then compare the captured frames. Keep those reference pictures until delivery is complete.
Repeat the check after a battery change or a camera reset if there is any doubt. For a long assignment, an end-of-day reference can help reveal whether the offset stayed constant. A fixed offset and a drifting clock are different problems; do not apply one correction blindly across both.
Correct one camera’s offset on a small selection
If a correction is needed in Lightroom Classic, back up the catalog and preserve the original files first. In Grid view, select only the photographs from the affected camera and the relevant period. Adobe documents Metadata > Edit Capture Time for this task. Confirm the active photo shown in the dialog and use a known reference to establish the adjustment.
Test a small set before changing a full event. Adobe notes that other selected Grid-view images shift by the same amount as the active image. It also warns that this command does not use the ordinary undo shortcut; Revert Capture Time To Original is the relevant reversal command.
Verify the sequence without inventing precision
Compare moments covered by both cameras after the adjustment. A processional, a handshake or a speaker taking the stage can reveal a remaining mismatch. Do not manufacture exact timestamps when the evidence only supports an approximate order; retain a note explaining the correction.
Keep the clock reference alongside your ingest record and use the combined order during the first editing pass. The landscape above is an illustrative photograph from the site’s collection, not event coverage or a demonstration of a timestamp adjustment.
Sources and further reading
Illustrative photograph: Golden Driftwood, Boneyard Beach, Florida, by Neal Nachman / Artistic Creationz.
