Just wondering if anyone can offer any insight as to file numbering. I have been just using the same file number that comes off the card from the camera (ie _IMG_7684 etc).
I will be getting a second body in the next couple of days and I'm not so sure this system is going to work anymore as each camera will have different file numbers. Also I use 4 different 2GB cards and have my current camera set to continuos.
Aaron, one way to deal with your issue is to add a step during the process of loading your images to your computer. That step would be file renaming; numerous programs have this ability. In PS you can check it out at File>Automate>Batch. Best wishes, -Art
Art B wrote:
Aaron, one way to deal with your issue is to add a step during the process of loading your images to your computer. That step would be file renaming; numerous programs have this ability. In PS you can check it out at File>Automate>Batch. Best wishes, -Art
Thanks Art, I am still running Photoshop CS and it doesn't recognize raw files.
Does one of the Canon programs that comes with the camera offer this feature. I only use DPP and as far as I know it won't let you change the file name of the original RAW file. I could be wrong though.
For about $30 this application will load the files from your media cards and rename them in one of many different that you can define. If you like, it will also automatically rotate them as well.
As an added bonus, if you are a GPS user, it can also Geocode your files as you load them.
Personally I use Downloader Pro. Since I shoot with multiple bodies I use "tokens" to identify each camera. My filenames on download with Downloader Pro are in the order of JAN_40D_20070210_101...that is my initials, the camera body used, the date in YYYYMMDD format, and the number of photos taken that day....this numer resets every day.
However you can get the same functionality and even more for free with ImageIngester...see this link: http://basepath.com/ImageIngester/
I just renamed a gazillion files using Breezebrowser Pro today. It was fast and easy and there are so many helpful little things about it that saved me much time and frustration. Even a Caveman like me can do it.
I also suggest you check the Downloader pro mentioned earlier. you can buy both for a discount (together).
Steady Hand wrote:
I just renamed a gazillion files using Breezebrowser Pro today. It was fast and easy and there are so many helpful little things about it that saved me much time and frustration. Even a Caveman like me can do it.
I also suggest you check the Downloader pro mentioned earlier. you can buy both for a discount (together).
Unless you have a Mac I wish BB had a Mac version.
On the Mac I use Photo Mechanic to rename what I want during ingest.
For the Owner string, loaded into the camera, I use nja (my initials) ppp ppp (my Post / Zip code) pro1 (Canon Pro 1) or nja (my initials) ppp ppp (my Post / Zip code) 10D (Canon 10D) .
I load these into a directory structure based on year and day YYYY\YYYYMMDD\.
Using one of the above examples, the path would be:
..\2008\20080209\080209111334_1808_nja ppp ppp pro1.jpg
Image 818-1808, taken at 11:13:34 on 9th Feb 2008, with my Canon Pro 1.
Yet another DL Pro user here. I also have it set to rename based on EXIF date, and set up a directory structure based on date very similar to what Nigel outlined. A very easy system that works well.
AFAIK, there is some utility for Mac that is very similar to DL Pro.
BreezeBrowser (pro) or DL Pro from BreezeSys win -- just about anything you could want out of the EXIF header can be incorporated into the file name. REALLY handy when you have multiple photographers shooting simultaneously with multiple bodies.
I suggest that when you get into multiple bodies you make it a practice to format your memory cards in-camera each time you load. It's quick, keeps the cards running fast in the camera, and helps avoid the anoying Canon digicam habit of jumping continuous numbering around due to stuff already on the card from another body.
Aaron, rest assured that your existing system will cause conflict and confusion when you get a second camera. The worst possibility is that the file names can double-up. In fact you can do that already. Swapping cards between cameras will make matters worse as you cause the numbering to jump all over the place.
Get downloader pro if it will work on your computer, and use its renaming tokens to separate the images from each camera or at least to include the camera id in each name so that you can visually separate them later on.
I've no idea what a program such as lightroom can do for you but DL Pro is excellent and will also manage automated backups to a different drive if you want it to. It's not totally perfect, however. For example it won't let you easily save just your raw files or just your jpg files when you've been shooting raw + jpg.
I wish BB had a Mac version.