Photo renamer photographer how to#
Photo renamer photographer professional#

How to rename files already imported into the Lightroom Catalog rather than filename-0010.jpg, filename-0017.jpg). However, if you supply files to clients, you may prefer to rename them at the export stage so the exported files run in sequence (i.e filename-0001.jpg, filename-0002.jpg etc. It may also be useful to have the date and shoot name in the file name so you can see at a glance when the photo was taken, and what the subject is. The main one that I can think of is to ensure that you have no duplicate file names on your hard drives. Reasons for renaming files at the import stage Yearmonthday_clientname_hoursminutesseconds Just make sure that the time is set correctly on your camera to avoid confusion, especially if you have changed time zones or the clocks have gone forwards or back. This is another simple method that ensures the photos will be stored in the order that they are taken. Yearmonthday_location_hoursminutesseconds Gavin Gough recommends this method in his book The Photographer’s Workflow (out of print). Martin Evening recommends the following sequence. This would generate a filename something like this. Note the use of a two digit year, the ommission of the day and the three digit counter. Scott Kelby recommends a slightly simpler file renaming method. You can read Matthew’s article about this, and why he arrived at this file naming structure, here. jaineportraits – brief description of shoot.Photographersname_yearmonthday_descriptivewords_counterĪndrewsgibson_20131012_jaineportraits_0001.dng Matthew Campagna at The Turning Gate recommends file renaming according to the following formula. Let’s take a look at some examples (I’ve linked to the articles so you can go and read them in full). I thought it would be interesting to see how other photographers approach the task of renaming files. I will look at this in more detail in the second part of this article. Naturally, you can rename your files at the export stage rather than the import stage, and if they are for a client you may prefer to rename them this way. It may also prevent the clients themselves becoming confused – what if they have ten different photo files with the same name on their system, each one from a different photographer or photo shoot? It’s hard to avoid confusion when that happens.

Photo renamer photographer professional#

It looks more professional to send clients photos with names like andrewsgibson-20170501-yourphotoshoot-oo1.jpg than 0001.jpg. When you use a system that generates a unique name for each photo, you will avoid a situation where a client may ask for a copy of a specific image, and you don’t know which one he means because you have several images that share the same name. Include the photographer’s name in the filename at import to avoid confusion. If two or more photographers use the same camera, or work for the same studio, you could use filenames as an easy way to see who took a particular photo. And by later I really do mean later – don’t be surprised if people contact you enquiring about photos years or decades after a shoot. It may be helpful to include your name, the client’s name, the date, the name of the shoot or some other variable in the file name to help you locate the images later. Professional and semi-pro photographers gain the most as it gives you chance to set up a naming system that suits you and your business needs. However, there are advantages to be gained by renaming your Raw files. So don’t feel that you have to change if, like me, you are happy working this way. Lightroom can handle it, I can handle it and it hasn’t had any negative effect on my workflow whatsoever. Is that a big deal? I don’t really think so.