[FAQ]How to rename your pictures for easy viewing

[daiviet_nguyen]

Also, see How to Rename Multiple Files with Windows Explorer by kcpool.

Hi,

For those of us who post photos directly with the text, might I please
suggest a naming convention which will make it easier for us to follow
-- especially with posts where there are a few photos.

Have we noticed that on top of photos there are a text line such
as the following:

281220082257.jpg [ 414.78 KiB | Viewed 14 times ]

Now, what happens if instead of 281220082257.jpg it shows
something like Maple01View01.jpg?

I think that is much easier to follow. Don't you?

Before attach the photos, we just spend a few minutes to rename
them.

Go to the folder where you store the files, right-click on each and
choose Rename on the pop up menu. Rename menu item is down at the
bottom.

Please do not change the extension, that is the letters after the ".".

For example, rename 281220082257.jpg to Maple01View01.jpg -- do
not change ".jpg" to anything different.

And also please note that, you can actual add a comment to the attached file.
This would describe the photo much better too.

Either way it would make it easy to refer to it.

Regards.

[anttal63]

cool, great idea viet, just time gets the best of me, yeah i know it only takes a second.

[Steven]

Great suggestion Daiviet!

Hey Jeff, can you make this one an FAQ please.

Steven

[kcpoole]

Great idea Daviet

But if you are like me and have many files in the same directory of the same tree taken at the same time or session you can rename them all at once

How to Rename Multiple Files with Windows Explorer

1. Start Windows Explorer. To do so, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. Select multiple files in a folder. To do so, press and hold down the CTRL key while you are clicking files.
3. After you select the files, press F2.
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER.

NOTE: When you complete the preceding steps, the highlighted state of all files except one disappears, so it may appear as if you are only renaming one file. However, after you press ENTER, all of the files are renamed. When you rename multiple files, all of the renamed files have the same name with a number in parentheses appended to the name to make the new file name unique. For example, if you type BUDGET as the new name, the first file is named BUDGET. All of the remaining selected files are named BUDGET(x), where x is a unique number, starting with (1).

This will let you rename every file to be the same with just the last digit different

Ken

[gocny]

Thanks viet and kcpool...really nice tutorial...

[MelaQuin]

I do this accidentally.... and I can't figure out why. I transfer my pics to windows explorer and name individually. Successful most times then I discover that everything is named as the first pic with your aforestated numbers. What have I done?? I try to concentrate when I am doing it and individual pics are named, my mind is elsewhere and everything is the same and I don't know what step I did or didn't take. This is not critical but interesting and if someone can shorten the learning curve....

[kcpoole]

I do this accidentally.... and I can't figure out why. I transfer my pics to windows explorer and name individually. Successful most times then I discover that everything is named as the first pic with your aforestated numbers. What have I done?? I try to concentrate when I am doing it and individual pics are named, my mind is elsewhere and everything is the same and I don't know what step I did or didn't take. This is not critical but interesting and if someone can shorten the learning curve....

You must have multiple files selected ( Hightlighted ) when you rename the files.
Ony way I can think this would happen

Ken

[Pup]

You guys wanna put my old feeble mind into over drive. It wont take it.
Just put it in the file comment line. Pup