Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

Nestor · 2012-12-18 03:51

Hello.

I'm wondering if someone can explain to me how to use ReNamer to change photo file names.

I am a small time landlord and I use a digital camera (an Olympus C-720) to take pictures of damage done by tenants and messes they leave behind that I have to clean up.

The problem I have is that this camera will automatically number each picture I take starting with the "number" P10100001. The next pictures will be "numbered" P10100002, P10100003, P10100004 and so on.

The problem is that lots of my pictures end up out of focus or don't show the features I want them to, so I end up deleting a lot of pictures. When I go back to retake the pictures that didn't turn out, it starts numbering each picture with that P10100001 sequence all over again. And when I copy those new pictures into the folder containing my old pictures, my computer tells me that the file P10100### already exists, and do I want to rewrite it? Of course I don't, so I have to change each picture name manually.

(I've tried to get the camera to start with a different initial letter, like "A10100001" instead, and I've downloaded and skimmed through the user's manual for the camera, but it doesn't even touch on that topic at all. I presume it won't allow me to do that.)

As an alternative, I was wondering if each time I took a set of pictures I could copy all of them into a new folder on my computer, and then use ReNamer to rename the photos in each folder with a different starting letter; like A, B, C, etc. instead of "P" so that I never have different photos with the same file name. Then, I could copy and paste all of the photos I want to keep, and delete all the folders with the photos I don't want.

I've downloaded den4b ReNamer and installed it on my computer.

I understand that to load the existing file names into the ReNamer program I:
a) click on the "Add Files" tab,
b) navigate to my digital camera
c) select all the files in that camera, and then
d) click on the "Open" button in that dialogue box.

When I do that, all of the picture file names appear in the bottom box of the ReNamer program. There is one column called "Name" and beside it a second column called "New Name".

But, then I have to rename each file manually, which is what I've been doing up until now.

Then I click on the "Rename" button, and all the files in my camera get renamed to the new names I typed in.

Is there a way to tell ReNamer to replace the first letter (a "P") in each file name with an "A" for example? Or, is there a way of typing in a new file name and telling it to repeat the same thing as I did with the first file name to all the other names in the list?

I don't know Pascal programming language so if someone could just tell me the Pascal code for "Change the first letter P to an A in each file name in the list", that would help.

Thanks for any help you can be.

narayan · 2012-12-18 05:45

Hi Nestor,

Welcome aboard!

First, read the wiki here, which explains how to use ReNamer:
http://www.den4b.com/wiki/ReNamer

To answer your specific questions,
1. There are multiple ways to add files to ReNamer
(see http://www.den4b.com/wiki/ReNamer:Addin … nd_folders)
2. Adding a prefix is easy: Simply replace "P" with any letter (or even phrase-) you want.
(see http://www.den4b.com/wiki/ReNamer:Rules:Replace )
3. There are other rules like Insert that can help here.
For example, you can insert the address or tenant's name as prefix.

The more you check out the rules, the more possibilities you will find!
(refer to http://www.den4b.com/wiki/ReNamer:Rules)

HTH

Last edited by narayan (2012-12-18 05:50)

Andrew · 2012-12-21 17:28

Nestor, ReNamer is fantastic but as a long term solution for anyone with a growing stack of digital photos from multiple cameras, I highly recommend good cataloguing software like Downloader Pro. I'm just a satisfied user, but I'm sure there are reasonably powerful freeware alternatives as well.

narayan · 2012-12-22 05:21

Or for the same price you can buy a much more powerful and general-purpose application: xplorer2.

You can search for different cameras, focus situations, flash situations, etc. using the EXIF parameters (these are embedded in the digital photos).

Andrew · 2012-12-23 20:31

I'm not sure a general purpose file manager with some EXIF-handling features can compete with purpose-built digital camera/image handling software made for casual users and pros alike, but whatever works best for you. All I'm saying is, naming conflicts and the like can be easily (and automatically, based on rules/scripts) handled during the import from camera stage, rather than getting 'em all mixed up and needing to rename later.

narayan · 2012-12-24 06:37

From Nestor's second thread, I gather that he is hesitant about using any software at all!
So using a general-purpose software may indeed not be his cup of tea!

den4b Forum

#1 2012-12-18 03:51

Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

#2 2012-12-18 05:45

Re: Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

#3 2012-12-21 17:28

Re: Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

#4 2012-12-22 05:21

Re: Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

#5 2012-12-23 20:31

Re: Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

#6 2012-12-24 06:37

Re: Changing photo file names created by a digital camera

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