What do C1 Mac users use to rename?

[tived]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a solution to renaming my files. my workflow is as following.

Download images from cards - verify, images on cards have all be downloaded.

Directory structure is YYYYMMDD_MyClientName
           
File structure is xxxx_MyclientName_YYYYMMDD.extension where xxxx is a sequence number (front numbering for Contact sheets etc...)

Now C1 can't create this file naming structure, so what do I do?

Ok, so I am trying to answer my own question, hoping that someone else will pick holes in my process...so here is the invitation :-)

I am thinking of using Bridge to do the Renaming, within Bridge I have plenty of options for do a custom renaming. This will need to be done prior to processing the images in C1, and if the sidecar/xmp isn't embedded with the RAW file. I am going to have to rename the raw file sequence as well as the .cos files in Settings50.

Ok, either can work, but I would like something a little more elegant :-)

So I am processing my images, keeping my hero shots and any supporting images that I could think off, the rest can just stay or get trashed when the job is done. Now, I end up with a collection of images, however the numbering of this group is by now rather random. As I have bracket a bit here, drop shots there. Giving this collection to my Client, would look incomplete, as image 0001_..., 0021..., 0103... ..... and 0203... Again, I would like things to look more elegant and complete when I deliver the job to the client, so I rename again, but this time starting from 1000_MyClientName_YYYYMMDD ....to last image in one sequence. That way I don't get the question, what happened to image 0002_... etc...

Ohh, I do the last rename as a COPY RENAME, to a different folder, final selection. I know I still have my trash, my keepers and my KeepersRenamedCopy. When the job is done and dusted, the trash gets carried out.

Now, and this may be out of this section of the forum, I add the images to my catalog through Extensis Portfolio 8.5 - Key-wording is applied, and the files are stored on my External (NAS storage). Now, I also make a pair of copies onto a couple of hard drives (as in two hard drives one set, both kept off-site and separate from each other, other then when they are being updated. Now this is more of an Extensis question. How do I keep track of my copies/backup.

I do my backup via Extensis, which then adds a path in the key wording, so I can see where the files are or where they have been, but it doesn't keep a good record of something having being backed up twice...not sure how to express this.

Also I find this irritating, I want to compare content of folders to verify that I have copied everything across, but when I press apple+i on a group of folders I get each and every folder info popping up, and I just want a total! anyone got a solution for this?

Thanks for taking the time to get this far, I look forward to hear what you have to say. I am open to suggestions

Henrik
A Dane Down Under

[Jack Flesher]

Well, C1 import naming could give you YYYYMMDD_MyClientName_XXXX, but you have to manually enter the date format you want as part of the name then it will add the counter extension.  It can also automatically put that import in a working folder labelled  YYYYMMDD_MyClientName but again, you need to manually create that name on import.  So I assume that won't work for you?  If not then it sounds like your workaround is an answer...

FWIW, that's pretty much what I do, only I like to leave the camera filename on the end, so my storage structure is Images/YEAR/JobName_Filename/date, where C1 automatically handles the JobName_Filename/date bit after I point it to my image storage year subfolder...  

[JDG]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a solution to renaming my files. my workflow is as following.

Download images from cards - verify, images on cards have all be downloaded.

Directory structure is YYYYMMDD_MyClientName
           
File structure is xxxx_MyclientName_YYYYMMDD.extension where xxxx is a sequence number (front numbering for Contact sheets etc...)

Now C1 can't create this file naming structure, so what do I do?

...

So I am processing my images, keeping my hero shots and any supporting images that I could think off, the rest can just stay or get trashed when the job is done. Now, I end up with a collection of images, however the numbering of this group is by now rather random. As I have bracket a bit here, drop shots there. Giving this collection to my Client, would look incomplete, as image 0001_..., 0021..., 0103... ..... and 0203... Again, I would like things to look more elegant and complete when I deliver the job to the client, so I rename again, but this time starting from 1000_MyClientName_YYYYMMDD ....to last image in one sequence. That way I don't get the question, what happened to image 0002_... etc...

Ohh, I do the last rename as a COPY RENAME, to a different folder, final selection. I know I still have my trash, my keepers and my KeepersRenamedCopy. When the job is done and dusted, the trash gets carried out.

...

Also I find this irritating, I want to compare content of folders to verify that I have copied everything across, but when I press apple+i on a group of folders I get each and every folder info popping up, and I just want a total! anyone got a solution for this?



Henrik
A Dane Down Under

A better Finder Rename = awesomeness  
http://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderRename/

You should rename before opening the folder in C1 so you don't have to rename the settings files.  But if you are doing the renumbering later just run the batch rename in the settings folder as well.  With A better Finder rename this is very easy.

I will say though that having the numbering come first is quite unorthodox (at least in my experience) and If you move it the end of your file name you can basically use any renaming solution including the one built into C1.


Lastly yo ucan check summary info for several folder by pressing command+ctrl+i (or ctrl after right clicking on the files)

Cheers!

[tived]

Thanks for responding Jack and JDG,

regarding the "A better Finder Rename" I did have a go at it, but to me, it has some great features, such as renaming across sub-folders (eg, capture folder as well as the Session50 folder, with the cos files) that was very neat, but it isn't as customisable as Bridge is. it was more of you can either do this or that, but not both.

JDG, regarding front numbering, it may be unorthodox but, how do you get around long file names when you make contact sheets, where the whole name won't fit, or back-printing with filename on the back of images to a client. It may be unusual, but it does answer a few problems, that I and I know of may others in both commercial, portrait and wedding photography have come across. With the later, Back-printing, the Pegasus or Frontier or similar will truncate the name into the first eight characters.

Having the original filename in the filename, doesn't really make much sense, as you are renaming the files, to make them better identifiable, at least for us humans. I have in the past when using Bridge, used "the preserve original filename" option. Often when I do books for others, they provide me with a stack of images all named. However, to me the names are irrelevant, as I am only interesting in their placement and color/density. So I would rename them again in order of the book. Then when I am done with the job, I revert the filenames back to their original state.

Anyway, that is my logic or lack thereof :-) Anyway, this is still food for thoughts as I am still looking for the optimal solution.

thanks guys - keep it coming with suggestions and critique please

Henrik

[tived]

JDG,

Thanks for the Command+Ctrl+i, that is mighty handy!

You learn something everyday, boy I love it

Henrik

[K.C.]

Have you seen this ?

http://store.smithmicro.com/productdetails.aspx?pid=12259

[Jack Flesher]

Having the original filename in the filename, doesn't really make much sense, as you are renaming the files, to make them better identifiable, at least for us humans.

Until you want to go back and find the raw from a file you processed out say 3 years ago using a different program

[tived]

Until you want to go back and find the raw from a file you processed out say 3 years ago using a different program

Hmm, Ok!

Maybe this is different in different types of photography, where you would use the file again later for a different purpose. Hmm, No, I don't think you are right here Jack   , because at every 10000 shots you will get the same file number coming up, which means that even over the 3 year period, you could easily have done any number of iterations, depending on how busy you are.

If I rename my raw files first, I have a sequence number and a ClientName or a name that clearly identifies the file and perhaps its association, and a Date. I know there have been studies on this, but I haven't read up on this lately (which is why the question :-)

Maybe I should ask why do I want to go back to look for a RAW file that I processed 3 years ago, using the same or different program? If I am looking for a RAW file, it will have the same name as its off-springs (TIFF, JPG, PSD). The reason for renaming twice is to have a cohesive collection after the selection of hero/keeper shots, which is copied or moved to a new folder (say Hero/keeper Shots Folder). In this case here its mainly commercial jobs. So when the job is done and delivered. The Rejects are either trashed or kept in a separate folder, None of the file will ever have the same name, as the 2nd renaming would commence at say, 1000_ instead of 0001, if the job is less then 999 images to begin with or 01001 if its more then 1001.

What do you think, Jack?      Have I lost the plot? am I making it more complicated for myself?

Thanks for listening, I look forward to hear what you have to say

Henrik

PS: I have been wrong before :-)

[Jack Flesher]

I think whatever works for YOU is fine   From my end, my cameras have not automatically "rolled over" at 9999 for several years now, so it has become a non-issue for me.  So I do not rename my raws on import, rather load them into a directory structure that makes sense to me, YYYY/Projectname/MM-DD.  From there, I only rename the files that get processed out for delivery -- and that is why I want the full filenmae in the string.

Best of luck with whatever you end up doing,

[Doug Peterson]

Directory structure is YYYYMMDD_MyClientName

File structure is xxxx_MyclientName_YYYYMMDD.extension where xxxx is a sequence number (front numbering for Contact sheets etc...)

Now C1 can't create this file naming structure, so what do I do?

Ok, so I am trying to answer my own question, hoping that someone else will pick holes in my process...so here is the invitation :-)

I am thinking of using Bridge to do the Renaming, within Bridge I have plenty of options for do a custom renaming. This will need to be done prior to processing the images in C1, and if the sidecar/xmp isn't embedded with the RAW file. I am going to have to rename the raw file sequence as well as the .cos files in Settings50.

Ok, either can work, but I would like something a little more elegant :-)

I don't think it's the best workflow for your needs, but technically you CAN get that file renaming
1) batch rename with just a counter (that counter will increment so you can keep it going, reset it, or set it to a number at any time)
2) bath rename with "filename plus job name" and add the rest of the file name.

I'd say batch renaming in Better File Renamer or automator before you view the folder in c1 is the way to go. If you're not afraid of a little scripting an AppleScript could be written in about 30 lines of code that would prompt for a name, import them to the correct folder name, automatically rename the raws according to your scheme, do a backup, and display a message verifying the number of images and their total size. Optionally it could also open Capture One to that destination folder (technically you would tell the OS to open the first raw file "with Capture One" which would in turn cause capture one to launch and then switch to that folder) so that the proxies/previews start to generate whether you are around at the end of the import/rename or not and even if you wanted it could select all the images in the folder and pack them as EIPs so that no matter what you do after that your settings/ratings will be maintained with the raw file; heck while we're at it it could process low resolution JPGs to a separate folder, make a web contact sheet, and then upload that contact sheet to your server for remote viewing. In fact if you were the only one using your computer you could even script it so this happened automatically when you stuck a CF card in. In the end you would Stick in the card, enter a name, and bam everything else is taken care of.

Sound like a lot of work? It's a golden rule that you have two options for workflows:
- conform to generally accepted and implemented workflows and have less power but more simplicity of implementation (like C1's naming scheme which places the counter at the end of the file name)
- demand a very precise and powerful workflow and have more power but less simplicity of implementation

You can't have it both ways (though for any given specific workflow some program may by pure luck have that as their "accepted and implemented workflow").

Note that you can append all the sidecar data to the raw file itself. Since C1 has a golden rule against making any change whatsover to the original raw file (including messing with metadata etc of the original file) it has a unique approach to wrapping the sidecar and the raw file together into one container called an EIP file (our explanation). However, the cache, for obvious reasons is not part of the EIP file, so if you rename the EIPs outside of C1 you won't lose your settings/ratings/metadata but C1 will have to regenerate proxies which will slow the program.

However, all this said: I will lobby for you to get a "counter and filename" option in the batch renaming option in C1 along with an option to rename during import. This would greatly simplify your workflow and your arguments to it's advantages are compelling.

Also I find this irritating, I want to compare content of folders to verify that I have copied everything across, but when I press apple+i on a group of folders I get each and every folder info popping up, and I just want a total! anyone got a solution for this?

Option Apple I gives you the inspector which will show a single info window for whatever folder/folders/item/items are selected in aggregate.

Doug Peterson
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[tived]

Thanks Doug,

Sorry I have not responded any sooner, I have been away.

I think your idea of a two pass renaming will work just fine. thanks for that, but do keep pushing PhaseOne for a better renaming option.

thanks

Henrik