• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 1752 0

the plus buttons to add new components to the file renaming structure. Bridge CS5 also allows what's called ‘string substitution’. This simply means that you can use the Batch Rename dialog to search and replace specified phrases in an existing filename structure and replace them. Suppose all your files start with ‘_MG_’. You can use the String Substitution to replace this phrase with an alternative. As shown below in Figure 11.73, when ‘String Substitution’ was selected as a file naming option I was able to replace the above prefix with custom text that related to the shoot (such as ‘Casting_’) and preserve the fournumber sequence that followed afterwards in the original filename. Note that when you mouse down on a renaming component there will often be further options that you can choose from. In the Figure 11.73 example I included a YYMMDD Date Time file renaming option at the beginning, based on the date the file was created.

Editing the Batch Renaming fields

In the Batch Rename dialog, the default mode settings are configured to leave the filenames unchanged, but once you start editing the pop-up menus, you will discover that the renaming options are quite extensive. You can select items such as Text, where you can enter your own text data. You can also incorporate the original file name in parts of the new name, which will make a lot of people I know very happy.

If you click on the Preview button this opens a separate window that shows you exactly how all the selected photos will be renamed. You can also click on the Export to CSV button (in the Figure 11.73 Preview dialog) to export a comma separated value file (CSV), which can then be opened via a spreadsheet program (Figure 11.74). This feature is aimed at those users for whom it is important to maintain an exact record of everything that has been done to a file.

Figure 11.74 This shows an example of an exported CSV file opened in a spreadsheet program.

Renaming schemes

The renaming scheme you use can be anything you want. There are no hard and fast rules, but whatever method you decide to use it should be done with a view to the future and should avoid the possibility of you creating file names that overlap with other files. I prefer to adopt a naming scheme where a short text description (such as the client name or an abbreviation) is followed by the date shot, using the YYMMDD format, followed by a four digit serial number. You can also use the Preset menu (circled in red in Figure 11.73) to save a renaming scheme as a custom preset. Click on the Save… button, give the preset a name, click OK and it will now be added as a new preset to the Preset menu list.

Undoing a Batch Rename

If you inspect the Batch Rename options closely you will notice there is an option to preserve the original file name. So, if for some reason you slip up, you can use the Batch Rename dialog to locate and reassign the original name to the file. However, this will only be possible if you previously remembered to check the box that says ‘Preserve current filename in XMP Metadata’ (Figure 11.75).

Figure 11.75 Lots of extra options become available as you mouse down on the pop-up menus. Selecting ‘Preserved Filename’ allows you to restore the original file name, providing the ‘Preserve current filename in XMP Metadata’ option (circled in blue in Figure 11.73) was originally checked when you first renamed the master files.

Figure 11.73 With the Batch Rename dialog you can copy the files to another folder as you rename, or rename in the same folder. Clicking on the Preview button shows you how the files will be renamed. You can also preserve the current file name in the XMP Metadata by checking the option that's circled here in blue.

Applying Camera Raw settings

You can use the Edit Develop Settings menu in Bridge to apply a saved Camera Raw preset setting to selected images or choose ‘Previous Conversion’, to apply the last used Camera Raw setting. The settings listed here will be like the ones you also see listed in the Camera Raw Preset panel (see pages