Renaming digitally-converted photos-update question

[Jim Mohundro]

In response to earlier inquiry I got a couple of good suggestions for renaming photos that I will convert by scanner from film slides and negatives. I've renamed on sample TIFF photo with the year first (XX), but the photo is from 1975. Using 75 as the first two year digits, followed by the month and day (since it was holiday I know the date but I won't often be so lucky to get that precise identification), I imported the photo which ends up in the row "previous imports" under Catalogue.

My previous 21''+ imports were from digital photos taken from 2''3 to date so they fit nicely, arranged by date, into 2''3, 2''4, 2''5, etc., folders.

Do I need to rename all my other imported photos to reflect four-digit year dates? Is that even possible without renaming each photo individually? Or do I have to re-import the whole lot of them with a four-digit year file-naming sequence? I'd like to end up with all my photos in folders by year

 

[Mark Sirota]

When you scanned, did you also populate the EXIF dates? If so, you can just rename in Lightroom.

However, if the EXIF data shows the date scanned rather than the date taken, and you want the date taken, then you'd need to rename in a more manual fashion, or re-import.

 

[Jim Mohundro]

When I scanned, the scan origination date was imbedded in the file. The format for the scanned file is .TIFF. I've tried to change the date in LR2 but that has not worked. I've also tried several approaches to importing the file "manually" by editing my normal preset, for example, as follows: XXXXMMDD_[Custome Name]_''''.TIF or actually inserting the date, i.e.,19751'31_CustomName_''''.TIF.

I do want to end up with a folder for each of the years represented in my (originally on film stock and slides) photo collection. I suppose I could manually change each of the filenames in Explorer so they are sequential and are imported together into Catalogue under "Previous Import" but that is not a particularly desirable alternative.

How do I manually import these scanned TIFF-formatted photos in LR2 without trying out metadata editing software which will allow me to add or edit the scan time to the capture time of the original photographs?

 

[samdring]

Jim
I don't know answer to your last question but if it cannot be done, I can recommend exifgui which is a front end to exiftool (both free). ExifGui now allows batch setting/amending of date time original/created which, if set, would then allow you much more flexibility. It really is a simple process and I use it for all my scans.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I'm not sure I'm quite following Jim.

You've currently got files starting in 75 and you want 19 added on the beginning for those, and 2' added on '3, '4, '5, etc, is that right? If so, you could just rename as {{custom text}}{{filename}}, with the custom text being 19 or 2', and the filename being their existing filename. Would that solve it?

 

[Jim Mohundro]

Victoria,

If I used LR's renaming utility to add 2'... to each photograph in each of my "year folders", i.e., from the beginning of my digital experience in 2''3 through 2''8, would then LR's import function recognize the 1975 images (with new filenames 1975MMDD_...) and import them into a new folder created and named 1975? Does LR's import function look at the newly created and sequenced filename to create appropriately year-numbered folders into which the images will be taken, or does LR perform the intake, creation of folders and distribution of images within them based on the underlying capture date in the metadata?



Jim

 

[Victoria Bampton]

It usually bases it on the metadata dates, so your MMDD couldn't be automated (unless someone can think of a way I'm missing), however you could use the 'into one folder' option and call that folder 1975.

 

[Jim Mohundro]

Victoria,

I'll try the one folder option but is it possible to create more than one folder since I have images from over 25 years of pre-digital photgraphic efforts? "One folder" probably means just that and may simply be equivalent to the "previously Imported" folder LR created or populated by my import of the 1975 TIFs

Otherwise, I'm inclined to try the Exifgui/Exiftool alternative.

By the way, are "color slides" as they are called in the US, "colour transparencies" in England?



Jim

 

[Victoria Bampton]

ExifTool is probably the best way of doing it.

Yes, one folder would dump them all into one folder, so you'd either want to import all of 1975, then all of 1976 and so forth, or import them all and then sort by filename and drag/drop into correct years once they're in LR. Either would work, but either are manual solutions.

And, slides and transparencies are used pretty much interchangeably here - slides more by Joe Public, transparencies more by pros.

 

[Denis Pagé]

Scanning "Slides" or "Transparencies"?

Well, my native language is not english but as slides are sliding into projectors, viewers and (some) scanners, I would say that I am scanning slides if my transparencies are framed and that I am scanning transparencies if they come as a film strip or any size not framed.

But saying one or the other form won't affect the answers as the result is the same and everyone will understand either way. The only thing that is changing is irrelevant and it is that in film strip, you can give the whole film roll (pos. or neg.) to the scanner and get all frames scanned one after the other in one single pass (As with my LS4''') rather than sliding in and out each... "slide".

Does that make sense? :roll:

 

[Jim Mohundro]

EXIFGUI and EXIFTool Experience

Jim
I don't know answer to your last question but if it cannot be done, I can recommend exifgui which is a front end to exiftool (both free). ExifGui now allows batch setting/amending of date time original/created which, if set, would then allow you much more flexibility. It really is a simple process and I use it for all my scans.

I've tried EXIFTool and EXIFGui two ways: I've opened both from my desktop and opened both where they have been residing in the same directory. Attached are the screens I've been able to bring up and they do not look as complete as your examples.

The Date/time shift dialogue box does not allow me to insert data (the changed date) in either the "DateTime Original" field or in the "CreateDate" field. Placing the cursor in either box produces a text dilaogie which tells me "Can't be cganged directly-use ShiftAmount field."

Using that field I enter a decrement by unchecking the increment box. I'm going way back to 1945 (63 years) and changing the month by 6 (December back to June). I get the message ' fields updated. I'm wondering if this is too far back in time for the program to respond.

It's a bit frustrating that there appears to be no help or tutorial file available for the EXIFGui side.

By the way, I've just tried to attach my screen shots (how did you do yours?) and the MSWord docs into which I've placed my screen shots can't be attached here. When I note that the files must be text files I save them as text files but then, of course, the screen shots are lost.

I've experiemnted with at least a half dozen EXIF editors and none seem to be able to edit the capture or modify date to my create date. Photo Mechanic will make the change but does go back beyond 1971. The maker says a fix will be in the next update.

 

[Jim Mohundro]

ExifTool is probably the best way of doing it.

Yes, one folder would dump them all into one folder, so you'd either want to import all of 1975, then all of 1976 and so forth, or import them all and then sort by filename and drag/drop into correct years once they're in LR. Either would work, but either are manual solutions.

And, slides and transparencies are used pretty much interchangeably here - slides more by Joe Public, transparencies more by pros.

Victoria,

My reply to Sandring should probably precede this one. If I could create folders manually (not subfolders of existing folders) for those missing years before importing, I'd settle for that. I've arranged my scans (I'm about 3'' scans in and have about 3'' to 5'' to go, depending on editing out the bad ones, by year and the task would not be all that tedious, I think. I'm not sure that I'm able, however, to manually create folders for specific years. Are those folders not generated solely by date/time capture data in EXIF files of the photographs?

 

[Mark Sirota]

Jim: Exiftool can definitely do this. I can't speak to exifgui, though.

 

[Jim Mohundro]

I haven't used DOS and command lines since the late 198's. I guess I've gotten so used to a graphic unterface that I can't do without it. I'm not so sure that the EXIFTool's very brief notes on the website and on its display when opened are very clear to me. Although you're a MAC user you're obviously quite skilled on the non-GUI side.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

I'm not sure that I'm able, however, to manually create folders for specific years. Are those folders not generated solely by date/time capture data in EXIF files of the photographs?

Should you decide to go the manual folders route eventually, no, they don't have to be automatically generated. You see the + button on the Folders panel? That'll let you create folders or subfolders to your heart's content, and you can just drag/drop the photos into them.

 

[samdring]

Jim
I am using ExifToolGui v3.26 with Exiftool v7.52 although I suspect the latter is less important. The ringed icon brings up the appropriate edit facilities (in this case it's exif)