4 Replies Latest reply: Jun 12, 2007 4:18 PM by (Jan_Balster) RSS

    Extra options for renaming (for use with stacks, VCs)

    SimonTindemans Community Member
      Lightroom currently allows for quite flexible renaming of files. However, the many options given in the filename template editor are mostly geared towards a set of fully independent images. There still is some room for improvement when working with sets of derivative images, stacks or virtual copies. To improve the current situation, I have three specific suggestions for the filename template editor:

      1) Do not count virtual copies as an item for the 'sequence' and 'image' counters. Because virtual copies are restricted to have the same name as their parent image, the current situation leads to gaps in the count where the virtual images were supposed to be.

      2) Optionally(!) use the same sequence number for all images within a stack. Often, the stacked images are versions of the same image, and should have the same number.

      3) In the 'image name' section, create an option 'filename suffix', that gives the file name suffix, but *not* restricted to a number. Preferably, there would be a customizable suffix separator, or a customizable base name length. However, for a start, defining the suffix as all the remainder of the file name after a dash ('-') would be fine. This would include the Lightroom-generated '-Edit(n)' suffix.

      Especially the combination of items (2) and (3) would be very powerful when working with sets of derivative images. These images will generally have the same base name and a differing suffix or extension - also when they are made from within Lightroom ('-Edit'). All derivative images could be grouped into stacks. Using the above functions, you could then change the base name, including a sequence number, whilst keeping the filename suffix.

      For example, you could change:
      P2113791.ORF, P2113791-Edit.tif, P2113791-Edit2.tif
      into
      YYYYMMDD_###.ORF, YYYYMMDD_###-Edit.tif, YYYYMMDD_###-Edit2.tif

      I hope someone is reading this!

      Simon