Use Unique Names

[ATJ-renamed]

I think I have found a bug in Lightroom with export.

I have a file naming convention for my photographs. The filename begins with the identification of the subject and ends with the location and the last 2 digits of the year. For example, if I took a photograph of Plesiastrea versipora at Camp Cove in 2''8, the file name would be P_versipora_Camp'8.jpg for the first image. If I have more then one image of that subject from the same location in the same year, the subsequent files have a sequence number appended. e.g. P_versipora_Camp'8-2.jpg. This is a convention I have used for a number of years before I started using Lightroom.

I found it to be pretty cool that Lightroom could detect duplicates and if I choose "Use Unique Names", Lightroom appends the sequence number in the same way that I was doing manually. This means I no longer have to worry about what number I am up to, Lightroom will do that for me. All I have to do is set the Copy name to be the filename I want wihtout the sequence number and Lightroom determines the next file in the sequence.

If I export one file at a time, the duplicate checking and appending works perfectly. If I export multiple photographs at a time and there were no previous files of the same name, I don't have to choose "Use Unique Names", but the duplicate checking works fine, anyway.

I have a problem if I already have an image of the that name and export more images with the same name in batch.

I already have an image called P_versipora_Camp'8.jpg. I exported a batch of 3 photographs each with a copy name of "P_versipora_Camp'8". When I select Export, Lightroom tells me there is a duplicate and asks what I want to do. I choose "Use Unique Names". Lightroom exports the first image as P_versipora_Camp'8-2.jpg. It then exports the second image as P_versipora_Camp'8-2.jpg, overwriting the first image. It then exports the third image as P_versipora_Camp'8-3.jpg. This is not correct. It should have given me P_versipora_Camp'8-2.jpg, P_versipora_Camp'8-3.jpg and P_versipora_Camp'8-4.jpg. If I export each one separately, I get 2, 3 and 4, correctly.

Is this a bug?

 

[Brad Snyder]

Andrew, I think I remember seeing a similar problem commented on elswhere, but of course I can't put my fingers on it.

I'd say, go ahead and file a bug report. You can access it thru the WIKI tab at top.

Not pertinent to your finding, but in a similar vein, or at least in the same dialog box, where you can choose from Overwrite, Unique Names, or Cancel, there have been requests for "Skip Duplicates."

 

[ATJ-renamed]

Thanks Brad.

I have submitted a report. LR also does weird things if I export the same 3 photos in a batch again. i.e. where I already have P_versipora_Camp'8.jpg, P_versipora_Camp'8-2.jpg and P_versipora_Camp'8-3.jpg. After export I also have P_versipora_Camp'8-4.jpg, P_versipora_Camp'8-2-2.jpg and P_versipora_Camp'8-3-2.jpg. I included that in the report, too.

 

[Sean McCormack]

In the 2nd instance, it's appending to the original filenames. In the case of the -4, it's correctly seen the -2 and -3 file, so the next one is -4. Next it sees the -2 file and makes a new version -2-2, etc.. It's just adding a sequence. The behaviour described in the OP is a bug though.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

In the 2nd instance, it's appending to the original filenames. In the case of the -4, it's correctly seen the -2 and -3 file, so the next one is -4. Next it sees the -2 file and makes a new version -2-2, etc.. It's just adding a sequence.

Respectfully, I disagree.

The copy names were all the same, they did not have the -2 or -3 so I was in no way asking for them to be -2-2 and -3-2. Further, if I export them singularly, I get the expected behaviour: -4, -5, -6.

The bug I see in both cases is when doing a batch it makes the decision about the files names before it determines what files are already there and then does not take into account the effects of the previous steps in the batch.

 

[ATJ-renamed]

This appears to be partially fixed in Lightroom 2, but it still isn't right.

This time I already had the following files in the export directory:
P_decanus_Oak'8.jpg
P_decanus_Oak'8-2.jpg
P_decanus_Oak'8-3.jpg

I have two images in the library each with a copy name of P_decanus_Oak'8. If I select them both and export, I get told that the following files are found:
P_decanus_Oak'8.jpg
P_decanus_Oak'8-2.jpg

and when I choose "Use Unique Names", Lightroom 2 creates:
P_decanus_Oak'8-4.jpg (which is correct)
P_decanus_Oak'8-2-2.jpg (which is not correct)

 

[ATJ-renamed]

The behaviour in Lightroom 3 is still not correct.

I had a situation where I already had a file in the export directory called:
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105.jpg

I then exported 2 new images in a batch using the copy name O_maculatus_Shiprock1105

I ended up with:
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-2.jpg
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-2.jpg (i.e. it over wrote the file).

If I delete the newly created file and export each image separately, I end up with:
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-2.jpg
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-3.jpg
Which is correct.

If I then export the two images again (to simulate 2 more images in the future) I end up with:
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-4.jpg
O_maculatus_Shiprock1105-2-2.jpg

What do I need to do to get this fixed?

 

[Mark Sirota]

You're already doing what you need to do -- you've filed it on the official bug report/feature request forum, where it will get the attention it deserves. And even better, your report is well written and includes a recipe for recreating the problem.