Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Adobe Lightroom Q&A => Topic started by: jackperk on June 24, 2009, 09:37:42 am
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Appreciate Resnick's naming conventions in Michael's latest video download and am using it from here on out. But I'm wondering: Is there a way that is not entirely tedious to go back and apply that convention to all the files I already have in my library?
Jack
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Appreciate Resnick's naming conventions in Michael's latest video download and am using it from here on out. But I'm wondering: Is there a way that is not entirely tedious to go back and apply that convention to all the files I already have in my library?
Jack
I haven't found a nifty automated way to do this but here's a manual method:
On the folder level - in Lightroom (in the Library module) right-click (control-click) on the folder name that's in the left panel. A menu will pop up and one of the choices is
"Rename .. ". No nifty naming template available, you'll have to enter the new name yourself.
Inside the folder you can enter Cmd-A/Ctrl-A to select all of the photos and in the Library menu at the top select "Rename Photos" (or use the F2 key on your keyboard).
Again no nifty automated template but you do have a number of choices such as "Custom Name - Sequence #" or "Date - Filename" - although the menu choices show
dashes the filenames will have underscores.
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Library Module - Grid Mode - Select Photos to rename - Library menu - Rename Photos...
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Assuming your photographs are stored by Lightroom in *Folders* identified by year/date, it is fairly easy.
- Create & Save the naming convention as suggested by Seth with the all important Custom Text field
- In Library / Folders, select the photographs of a particular date and select the 'ReName Photos' command. Use the saved template: 'YYYYMMDD_custom-text_0001.ext'.
- You will be prompted for the custom Text (and the starting number - not really needed IMO)
- Rename
- LR will pickup the 'created date' from the files
That's it. The only addition is if on the same day's files, you need to select a subset of photographs because a different custom text is needed, then you will need to do that; otherwise its fairly straightforward.
Chris S
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This is one reason I really like to place my images in folders that have descriptive names then use the Folder Name token for naming. You simply select all, hit F2 (Mac), nothing else to do. In addition, the folder names and the file name ensure I'm clear as to what's what, no matter if I'm just looking at the folder among others or inside that folder. So an example would be to have named the folder Seth used "Indian_Creek" (optionally inside the 2009 folder). Using the Folder Name token, instead of "custom text", that name would be appended every time one does a batch file rename. Further, if for some reason, you decide to move one or more images into another folder that would be descriptive of the image name, those documents will update with the correct file name, again based on the folder. In the tutorial, Seth has to rename "Indian Creek" each time and if someone were not paying strict attention, its possible one could have typed "Indian Creak" which would of course not be a good thing.
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This is one reason I really like to place my images in folders that have descriptive names then use the Folder Name token for naming. You simply select all, hit F2 (Mac), nothing else to do. In addition, the folder names and the file name ensure I'm clear as to what's what, no matter if I'm just looking at the folder among others or inside that folder. So an example would be to have named the folder Seth used "Indian_Creek" (optionally inside the 2009 folder). Using the Folder Name token, instead of "custom text", that name would be appended every time one does a batch file rename. Further, if for some reason, you decide to move one or more images into another folder that would be descriptive of the image name, those documents will update with the correct file name, again based on the folder. In the tutorial, Seth has to rename "Indian Creek" each time and if someone were not paying strict attention, its possible one could have typed "Indian Creak" which would of course not be a good thing.
Can someone tell me why people use underscores (which, being shifted, are tedious to type) rather than spaces (which look nicer)? I'm just curious: many programmers do the same thing.
Jeremy
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Can someone tell me why people use underscores (which, being shifted, are tedious to type) rather than spaces (which look nicer)? I'm just curious: many programmers do the same thing.
If you're on a Mac, only work with Mac users, you can. But otherwise, its considered an illegal character.
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Can someone tell me why people use underscores (which, being shifted, are tedious to type) rather than spaces (which look nicer)? I'm just curious: many programmers do the same thing.
Jeremy
Simply because on some computer systems you are/were not allowed to use spaces in names.
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This is one reason I really like to place my images in folders that have descriptive names then use the Folder Name token for naming....
Very cool tip!
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Very cool tip!
I have more.... <G>
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Simply because on some computer systems you are/were not allowed to use spaces in names.
Well, yes, I remember those days as well. Eight characters long, with a 3-character extension. Or less.
But that was then, and now is now. Why persist?
Jeremy
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Well, yes, I remember those days as well. Eight characters long, with a 3-character extension. Or less.
But that was then, and now is now. Why persist?
Jeremy
As mentioned in the video, one of the main areas you still come across this is on the web. Spaces can work on a UNIX system but you have to be very careful with them in filenames and it's mostly a pain. But spaces are illegal in URLs and have to be replaced with the ugly %20 instead. Yes, a lot of browsers do this automatically these days but if you're writing a web page you have to make sure to put them in your URLs and then that means that the filename you put in the URL is not the same as the filename on the system which just adds to the time and overhead.
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As mentioned in the video, one of the main areas you still come across this is on the web. Spaces can work on a UNIX system but you have to be very careful with them in filenames and it's mostly a pain. But spaces are illegal in URLs and have to be replaced with the ugly %20 instead. Yes, a lot of browsers do this automatically these days but if you're writing a web page you have to make sure to put them in your URLs and then that means that the filename you put in the URL is not the same as the filename on the system which just adds to the time and overhead.
Fair point. I shall buy and download the video tonight.
Jeremy
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I have watched the tutorial and am confused...
I have always sorted & renamed RAW files using Bridge then imported into LR2 and applied a preset for copyright etc.
Seth is suggesting importing the files as DNG's with the new metadata embedded. This creates two files, a RAW (CR2) and a DNG.
As this system doubles the amount of hard drive used are there any other valid reasons other than creating metadata?
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If you're interested in this area, treat yourself to Peter Krogh's The DAM Book.
John
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If you're interested in this area, treat yourself to Peter Krogh's The DAM Book.
John
2nd vote. Great book.
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3rd vote. Peter listed all the things you shouldn't do when naming and organizing files. I was doing all of them.
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I have watched the tutorial and am confused...
I have always sorted & renamed RAW files using Bridge then imported into LR2 and applied a preset for copyright etc.
Seth is suggesting importing the files as DNG's with the new metadata embedded. This creates two files, a RAW (CR2) and a DNG.
As this system doubles the amount of hard drive used are there any other valid reasons other than creating metadata?
I didn't get that he imported them as DNG's at all. Rather, that he converts to DNG's later for classification purposes. I'll look again unless Sanderson can clear it up with that 128TB memory of his....
jack
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I stand to be corrected but I think what he says is that he imports his RAW files into LR as DNG's and applies his YYYYMMDD_jobtitle_0000 template which is what I'm trying to get my head round!
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I didn't get that he imported them as DNG's at all. Rather, that he converts to DNG's later for classification purposes. I'll look again unless Sanderson can clear it up with that 128TB memory of his....
jack
Well, at this distance and only 127.9TB, I believe the files were imported and renamed in their native proprietary format. The question of DNG for Seth is only to export a DNG after his development etc. to a Job folder (not necessarily part of the LR Catalog) and then only as part of his deep backup process - the part referred to by Michael as the 'belt, suspenders & a piece of string'. At that point the photograph exists in its original state along with its associated XMP and the EXIF in the LR catalog... (plus the backups for those). It is then also exported to another location (a Job Folder) as a DNG and this is again backed up in a mirrored 'paired drive'.
Suggestion: Liisten/watch Segment 10 again "10. XMP Sidecar Files.
Chris
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I believe the files were imported and renamed in their native proprietary format. The question of DNG for Seth is only to export a DNG after his development etc. to a Job folder (not necessarily part of the LR Catalog) and then only as part of his deep backup process - the part referred to by Michael as the 'belt, suspenders & a piece of string'.
Pretty sure Seth does indeed import native files and only uses DNG on an export to adjusted files with metadata...the primary reason is that any backup software that will catch file modification date/time and copy those updated files will have to copy the entire DNG file each and every time that file is touched...and a raw file may be 10-15MBs in size when saved as DNG. However if Lightroom is working on native raws instead of DNGs and updates to those files get written into the .xmp text files which is tiny (usually under 100K). So, you can accomplish a lot more small file backups than full file DNG backups...
I also do not convert to DNG upon import for Lightroom and only convert to DNG when the raw image processing and metadata is essentially done. Then I'll export the DNG for further use...
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Thanks Guys, I understand now. I have been importing .CR2 RAW into LR and then exporting as a TIFF and not DNG which I think I should be doing.
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Well, yes, I remember those days as well. Eight characters long, with a 3-character extension. Or less.
But that was then, and now is now. Why persist?
Jeremy
Because someone you might want to do business with, such as a stock agency, will eventually require it. Most major stock agencies will accept filenames longer than 8.3, but pretty much as a rule they all require names made of letters, numbers, underscore and dash.
--Joe
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I also do not convert to DNG upon import for Lightroom and only convert to DNG when the raw image processing and metadata is essentially done. Then I'll export the DNG for further use...
Thanks Jeff. After watching all of the LL tutorials, this last tutorial with Seth had be debating all weekend over the value of importing as DNG which is what I have been doing and then archiving the original CR2s for the fear I may need them someday.
I think I have been convinced that I should not be importing as DNG and only using DNG when archiving.