Support Importing JSON config files separate from already imported images.

[LeBlueElephant]

I recently migrated the backend of my server and exported everything from ente before rebuilding it. After importing I realized dates and other json data wasn't imported via the "watch folder" function.

Manually trying to import via the Google Takeout upload function on the desktop skips all existing files. This also seems to skip JSON files.

Proposed features:

1. Allow importing the JSON files separate from already uploaded images via Upload > Google Takeout
2. Add a info icon/footnote for the Google takeout button to state something like "Use Google Takeout for re-importing from ente"
3. Support for ./metadata/json files in a watched folder. Alternatively if not possible, add a warning or footnote that separate metadata won't be imported.

[0fif]

I am writing to second this issue report and confirm that I have experienced the exact same metadata loss problem when exporting from Ente. The failure to properly retain the original "date taken" during re-import is a critical issue for data integrity.

Upon exporting my library, I found that the original capture dates were lost, and the photos were assigned the date of the export/re-import (the file system modification date).

The core pain point is the disconnect between the image files and their necessary JSON sidecar files, especially during the import process.

This warrants a lock-in concern as well. While I understand the intent behind using JSON files is data portability (similar to Google Takeout), the effect of the current import behavior is that it feels like the metadata is locked to the specific platform state. Improving the import workflow is necessary to maintain user trust and ensure genuine data ownership.

Thank you for looking into this critical bug/feature gap. Hopefully we can see this resolved sooner rather than later...