How do you number your photos?

I hope this is the right place to ask - the topic didn't seem to fit in any of the other categories!

 

I was wondering how people name their files during workflow, if at all. Do you batch rename? Do you reference the

date? Do you change the original filenames to a system like:

 

{project_number}_{file_number}

 

so 0034_8377 would be file 8377 in project number 34?

 

A further refinement I just read about is the use of a letter to indicate the media card in the sequence during a

shoot.

 

So 0062-B-0321.NEF would file 0321 on the second media card used in project 62.

 

Using a project number would mean having a list of project number and descriptions, would make cataloguing and

searching easier, and would be handier for proper shoots, though not necessarily for personal shots of mixed nature.

 

At the moment I just use the names generated by the camera, with addition number inserted for the thousands. So a

file DSC_4190 would become DSC_44190 as I am now in the 40K range.

 

I thought it would be interesting to hear what others no, as I'm looking for a better system to adopt.

All my original image files are renumbered on import into Lightroom 2 using the naming schema YYMMDD-tag-filenum

where YYMMDD are the year, month and day of capture in the metadata, "tag" is something I assign as a mnemonic

(often "mixed" or "misc"), and filenum is the trailing numeric portion of the original filename assigned by the camera.

 

I don't bother with trying to keep track of memory card used or which specific camera body was used. I've never found

that information useful. I have files made with two Oly E-1s, two Panasonic L1s, several Pentax, Canon and other

cameras. It's just not useful to worry about it.

 

On output, filenames are adjusted to be relevant to the output needs of the project or client. Most usually, a filename

that includes tag-sequence-filenum goes into my project archive as a fully rendered, final TIFF, and JPEGs/proofs/etc

sent to the client get named as tag-sequence ... where tag might be some code or other indicator required for the project. The full

filename's filenum will always tie the final output back to the original RAW exposure file, with only a few possibilities for redundancy that

are quickly resolvable.

 

Godfrey

Think outside of yourself and ponder how someone in the future might try to make sense of your naming & numbering scheme. For that reason my photos are named and numbered as they import into Lightroom 2.1 thus: Vener_YYMMDD-####. In other words Photographers name ( if my name were as common as Joe Smith Than I would use somethign like JDSmith as the prefix. As for the numbering itself numbering I am going from the most general to the most specific: year, month, day and frame number. I could use five numbers but it is extremely rare that I shoot over 9999 photos in a single day.

 

Subject matter, project name and keywords are used in caption and keyword fields.

I automatically create a daily directory, a batch name directory and then automatically rename all the pictures dumped there. A single shell script does among other things all the mounting, directory creation, dumping and renaming for me.

 

The naming scheme is /Shooting_Date/BatchName/20081029_112307_2255_BatchName.jpg where the file name is YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_SERIAL_BatchName.jpg - the in-camera four numbers serial is used to differentiate pictures taken in the same second. I designed this naming scheme so that the file name alone is sufficient to contain the critical data necessary to find the picture.

The "reverse" date code (which is sortable) is the best approach, since you are unlikely to change your mind about the numbering scheme later (as is common with other descriptors). In the future you may find several categories for a particular image, not just the original project. With Ellis' scheme, you don't need to make copies nor rename the image to fit the new category - just refer to that code and the image is easily retrieved. Be sure to include all leading zeros when assigning a date code or frame number.

over 31 characters might cause trouble. Underscores look like empty spaces in an underlined hotlink.<p>I name

with the same protocol as Ellis using underscores between name,

date and original file number (meyer_20081124_1234). Derivative files have a suffix of MF for Master file and PF

for Print File and go in a separate folder. Folders correspond to the capacity of a DVD. The only downside to a

long file name is a image browser set to show small thumbnails hides some of the name.<p>And

build a search-able keyword database... t

<i>...Think outside of yourself and ponder how someone in the future might try to make sense of your naming &

numbering scheme. ...</i>

<br><br>

Why? What's the point? Once I'm gone, if my work is really that important to someone, they'll figure it out. If it's not, it

will just be deleted anyway. Besides, if you're going to MY data archive of MY photographs, I don't think there's any

ambiguity that requires my name be repeated endlessly on every exposure I make. Some indication of my intent/use of

the photographs might be embodied in the "tag" value I assign to them by groups, which would be more valuable

information. (My name and contact info is already embedded *in* the file's IPTC metadata anyway.)

<br><br>

Godfrey

<br>

Like most here; I use the reverse date with main subject/location and 3 fig fig no when I first upload the files.

I set up reverse date folder names for ease of storage. for example for a day in London on 24th Nov 08

 

081124 London

 

I then rename files where necessary if I require a more specific description; i.e Tower Of London with

uppercase to separate names.

 

081124001 TwrLon.jpg

 

I use my own set of abbreviations to save on file names

Twr= tower, Bge=bridge, Ho=house, Ch=Church, Cas=Castle etc

 

I keep a list of my general abbreviations to ensure that I am consistent. A lot of these abbreviations were

based on those I used when I worked in cartography.

 

I may add other abbreviated descriptions if they do not make the file name too long, i.e Tower of London Guardsman

 

081124001 TwrLonGuard.jpg

 

I add a specific underscored notation if I have had made copies of the file

For Example if I have converted to black and white (_bw)

 

081124001 TwrLonGuard _bw.psd

 

Or if I have cropped the Image as well ( _crp )

 

081124001 TwrLonGuard _bw_crp.psd

the problem with "081124" (YYMMDD) vs. 20081124 for me is that it adds ambiguity to some dates. Is 061109 June 11, 2009 or Nov. 9, 2006?

I suppose to an outside, Ellis, but the person using that system would know which way round it was.

Americans use MMDDYY which is illogical and misleading. It should be YYMMDD

its the Americans that are out of line.

 

061109 is 9th November 2006 as British and most of the world except US use YYMMDD Computer file systems work

best with this format.

I agree with Dave. Im American but have traveled widely. I have found that we are the only ones that use MMDDYY. By using YYMMDD your files will remain chronological.