Easy Time & Date Stamp Software for Videos — Free and Paid Options

Stamp Time and Date on Videos Software: Top 10 Tools for 2025Adding a visible time and date stamp to video footage remains a common need across many fields — from security and surveillance to journalism, field research, legal documentation, and personal archiving. In 2025 the market offers an array of tools to apply timestamps: lightweight mobile apps, feature-rich desktop editors, and automated camera-centric solutions. This article reviews the top 10 tools for stamping time and date on videos in 2025, covers how to choose the right software, explains best practices, and gives quick workflow tips for popular platforms.

Why add time and date stamps to video?

Time and date stamps provide immediate contextual metadata for footage. They:

• Help establish a timeline for events (useful for evidence or reporting).
• Simplify footage management and searching.
• Provide an easy visual cue for review without relying on file metadata that can be altered.
• Assist in syncing multi-camera setups when visible timestamps are consistent.

However, timestamps can be visually intrusive and, when improperly handled, may be challenged as evidence (if metadata can be altered), so choose clear, trustable workflows when legal integrity matters.

Top 10 Tools for Stamping Time and Date on Videos (2025)

Below are ten recommended solutions spanning mobile, desktop, and camera-integrated software. Each entry includes key strengths, main limitations, and ideal user scenarios.

1. Timestamp Camera (Mobile — iOS & Android)

   • Strengths: Simple, real-time stamping during recording; supports customizable formats, fonts, and overlays; lightweight and fast.
   • Limitations: Limited post-processing editing; watermark on free tier.
   • Best for: Field users who need live, burned-in timestamps from a phone.

2. VLC Media Player (Desktop — Windows/Mac/Linux)

   • Strengths: Free and widely available; can overlay time using filters or in scripting workflows; open-source.
   • Limitations: Not user-friendly for batch stamping; requires technical setup for burned-in timestamps.
   • Best for: Users who need a no-cost solution and are comfortable with manual configuration.

3. FFmpeg (Desktop — cross-platform, command-line)

   • Strengths: Powerful, scriptable, excellent for batch processing; precise control over fonts, placement, and format via drawtext/timecode filters.
   • Limitations: Command-line only; steeper learning curve.
   • Best for: Power users, automated servers, and forensic workflows requiring repeatable, auditable processing.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro (Desktop — Windows & Mac)

   • Strengths: Professional non-linear editor with titling tools, timecode effects, and plugins for burned-in timestamps; precise frame-accurate control.
   • Limitations: Subscription cost; overkill for simple stamping tasks.
   • Best for: Video professionals editing footage as part of larger projects.

5. DaVinci Resolve (Desktop — Windows/Mac/Linux)

   • Strengths: Free tier with professional features, Fusion for advanced overlays, supports scripting and automation, frame-accurate.
   • Limitations: Steeper learning curve for beginners; heavy on system resources.
   • Best for: Users who want powerful editing and stamping without subscription fees.

6. Avidemux (Desktop — Windows/Mac/Linux)

   • Strengths: Simple, lightweight editor; supports basic filters and burn-in subtitles for timestamps.
   • Limitations: Limited modern GUI polish; fewer customization options.
   • Best for: Quick, lightweight desktop stamping tasks.

7. Timestamp Video Watermark (Windows desktop)

   • Strengths: Focused tool for batch stamping; supports templates, custom date/time formats, and multiple output formats.
   • Limitations: Windows-only; paid license for full features.
   • Best for: Batch processing of CCTV or multiple files on Windows.

8. iMovie (Mac & iOS)

   • Strengths: Easy-to-use for basic overlays; good for casual users and Apple ecosystem.
   • Limitations: Limited direct timestamp features; requires manual text overlays or third-party plugins.
   • Best for: Casual Mac/iPhone users wanting simple visual timestamps.

9. Camtasia (Windows & Mac)

   • Strengths: Screen recording + editor with callouts and timestamps; good for tutorials, presentations, and screen-capture videos.
   • Limitations: Costly for occasional use.
   • Best for: Educators and content creators recording desktop activity who want integrated timestamp overlays.

10. Security DVR/NVR Software (Camera-integrated)

    • Strengths: Built into many security camera systems; stamps in real time at capture, often with embedded camera metadata.
    • Limitations: Varies widely by vendor; sometimes proprietary and hard to extract original footage.
    • Best for: Surveillance environments requiring trusted, on-device timestamping.

Comparison table — quick glance

How to choose the right tool

Consider these factors:

• Use case: live recording vs post-processing vs automated batch conversion.
• Platform: mobile, Windows, macOS, Linux, or camera/NVR.
• Evidence requirements: If footage is for legal use, prefer camera-integrated stamping or workflows that preserve raw files and provide audit logs.
• Volume: high-volume batch operations favor FFmpeg or dedicated batch tools.
• Budget and technical skill: free tools (VLC, FFmpeg, DaVinci) exist but may require technical skill; paid tools often provide friendlier interfaces.

Recommended workflows & quick tips

• For mobile fieldwork: use an app that stamps in real time (Timestamp Camera) and keep original unstamped files separately if possible. Note the device clock should be synced to a reliable time source (NTP) before recording.
• For batch server-side stamping: use FFmpeg with drawtext. Example command (replace variables to match your font/path):

  
  ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "drawtext=fontfile=/path/to/font.ttf:text='%{localtime:%%Y-%%m-%%d %%H\:%%M\:%%S}':x=10:y=10:fontsize=24:[email protected]:box=1:boxcolor=0x00000099" -c:a copy output.mp4 

• For professional editing: apply a burned-in timecode or use Premiere/Resolve timecode generators for frame-accurate overlays.
• For security: configure camera/NVR time sync (NTP), enable hardware timestamping, and verify export includes burned-in time/date if needed for evidence.
• Avoid placing timestamps over critical visual information; use a subtle box or shadow for legibility.

Legal and forensic considerations

• Burned-in timestamps are visible evidence but can be challenged unless the capture system can be shown to record reliable system time and a trustworthy chain of custody exists.
• Preserve original recordings and metadata. Maintain logs (who exported/modified files and when).
• When admissibility matters, use camera/NVR-based stamping, synchronized clocks (NTP/GPS), and documented export procedures.

Final recommendations

• For quick mobile stamping: Timestamp Camera.
• For batch, automated, or server-side processing: FFmpeg.
• For professional editing pipelines: Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
• For surveillance-grade integrity: configure camera/NVR hardware timestamping and maintain chain-of-custody.

If you want, I can:

• Provide detailed FFmpeg commands customized to your filenames and preferred timestamp format, or
• Write a step-by-step for stamping in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or a mobile app.