More than 9999 images: best practice?

Ah, so! Here's what the tokens section of the Download Pro help system says about shutter snaps:

%r8 Image or shutter activation counter. Only available when downloading images using a card reader from the following cameras: Canon EOS-1D/1Ds/1DMk2/1DsMk2 and Nikon DSLRs from the D70 onwards

Good old Nikon. You don't have to have very deep pockets to get shutter snaps.

I don't know whether "downloading images using a card reader" would include downloading images from a portable hard drive.
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix

That would be a serious drawback. It's thoughtful of you to post this warning.

However, after reading your post, I tried this experiment:

1. Use THE Rename (TR) to rename a file
2. Use TR to re-rename it back to the original
3. Use TR to rename the file again

4. Without exiting TR, open the folder with Windows Explorer and re-rename the file back to its original again
5. From Windows Explorer, delete the file
6. Restore the file from the Recycle Bin

All worked fine. Have you run across anyone else who reported the problem you mention?

larrytusaz said:

I do want to report a significant
problem with the program which I encountered.

The significant problem is that any files/folders edited with this
program then end up being unable to be renamed again, deleted,
whatever.

Click to expand...

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http://www.pbase.com/morepix

OK, theory is one thing, practice is another. So I took a picture with my D70, put the card in my card reader, set up DP to rename it with the token string %o %r8, which I took to be the concatenation of the original filename (prefix), a space, and the so-called Image or shutter activation counter. The result was a rename to

DSC_8258 8312.JPG

Interesting. The two numbers are not the same. Why? I don't know. But they're close. If you figure it out, I'd be interested to know. A little bit interested.

For my purpose -- keeping the filenames from the camera(s) distinct -- the shutter snap count is a little more compact than the date. But apart from that, the date has more meaning. I think I'd probably opt for the date.

morepix said:

%r8 Image or shutter activation counter. Only available when
downloading images using a card reader from the following cameras:
Canon EOS-1D/1Ds/1DMk2/1DsMk2 and Nikon DSLRs from the D70 onwards

Click to expand...

--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix

This is what they are telling me at the downloader pro forum.....this is a cut and paste.......I have not yet tried it as I am trying to be sure it will work , as I am computer illiterate.

Quote

I suggest renaming the files to use the shutter count and not the image count that is part of the file name. For example, use %T9_%r8 as the file name instead of %o. If the camera generates a name like DSC_1234.NEF, then %T9_%r8 will produce a file name like D50_15345.NEF if the shutter count for the D50 is 15,345 for that image.

I've not tried this with a shutter count over 10,000, but I think it will work fine. And I think, again not sure, that %r8 works for the D50.

This is the approach I use with my D200.
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------------------------------------------------------------
Gene
From Western PA.

Panasonic FZ 20 and FZ30

D50 and lenses.

http://imageevent.com/grc6



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!

This does work as I want

%T9_%r8 ..... gives me D50_23835.jpg

I can move or delete the file ...works as the original filename did.

genece said:

I suggest renaming the files to use the shutter count and not the image count that is part of the file name. For example, use %T9_%r8 as the file name instead of %o. If the camera generates a name like DSC_1234.NEF, then %T9_%r8 will produce a file name like D50_15345.NEF if the shutter count for the D50 is 15,345 for that image.

Click to expand...

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.

------------------------------------------------------------
Gene
From Western PA.

Panasonic FZ 20 and FZ30

D50 and lenses.

http://imageevent.com/grc6



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!

This is a very timely topic. I have been thinking about it as I have rapidly reached DSC_5001. And I thank all for the good suggestions.

I like the approach of renaming files so that each photo will have a unique file name. I already put photos into folders by day so for me it is logical to rename the file with the date included.

I would like to suggest another software approach: Irfanview written by Irfan Skiljan is a very convenient and powerful graphic viewer program. http://www.irfanview.com/ Among its features is a very flexible and easy-to-use batch renaming function. I tried it tonight and I was very quickly able to set up a renaming procedure to change "DSC_4543.NEF" ... etc. to "060722_D70_4543.NEF" ...etc. I like this approach because files will always sort by date and then by the camera. This eliminates potential problems if two different cameras were used on the same day with overlapping photo id numbers. This approach also works regardless of how you download photos to your computer.

Irfanview has a replace function (to change "DSC" to "D70") and it is easy to insert the date at the beginning of the file name. There are also a number of other codes that can be used for EXIF and IPTC data to further automate the process or add additional information.

For those who have not tried Irfanview, it is worth a look - easy to use, efficient and surprisingly sophisticated for a basic viewer. It also works well with NEF files. On my desktop computer, NEF files appear as thumbnails and full-sized as quickly as JPG's. I have even modified NEF files in Capture NX and Irfanview picks up the changes and displays the photos correctly. I use the program to quickly review raw photos after download to evaluate them and delete the obvious rejects. Irfanview is free for personal use (donations accepted) and inexpensive if used for commercial applications.

--
John

'I think lenses are addictive.'
Dee-seventy - click profile for more on equipment

Yes, I have IrfanView too. Wonderfully useful program.

But the reason I opted for Downloader Pro is that once you set it up, you don't need to do anything extra each time you have a batch of images to transfer to your computer. It handles the transfer and renames the image files as it does the transfer.

In addition, if you have more than one camera and want the images to go to different places (as I do), you can set up a different destination for images from each camera. It remembers the destinations, recognizes which camera the images are from, and sends them to the right place.

All that for $29.95.
--
http://www.pbase.com/morepix

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Here's a couple things that may not be clear from the previous posts:

1) Downloader Pro (DP) can "download" from any directory. Select File > Open Source Directory (Cntl O) to display a directory tree to choose from. You don't have to go from CF card to hard disk.

2) If you can't rename the files, they may have their "Attribute" set to read only. Right Click on a file you can't rename and select Properties. A check box indicates the read only status. I always set my originals to Read Only. Then I use "Save As" and save any files I edit with a suffix (e.g. A) so the camera original remains intact. Marking them Read Only gives some protection against my mistakes. You can change the status by checking or unchacking the box. You can also select all the files in the directory, and check them all at once.

3) DP has tokens for "Download Sequence Number". Select File> preferences> Show Tokens, and then scroll down to %n1 etc.

You can probably solve all the problems discussed above with DP if you learn what it can do.

4) There are various workarounds for the problem of multiple cameras giving duplicate numbers problem. You don't have to switch brands.
RLD

In pict proj, hit the 'transfer' button (it should be the second button/icon top left).

This opens the window for transferring from either memory card or camera. There is a drop down box in order to select the source (the source sould be connected/inserted).

In this same window you'll find an option box bottom left. The options are grouped in three tabs:

• general
• destination (you can enter a fixed folder, or you can have pict project create a new folder with every transfer)
• rename photo's

The last is the important one. It allows you to
-activate renaming

• use a prefix (original name - text - no prefix )
• an index (sequential number - date - date and time)
• if you select a sequential number you can enter a starting number as well as the number of digits
• a suffix (original name - text - no prefix)

If you would import an existing folder/directory, you should use File - import. You'll get a standard file selection window. It has however an option button (bottom left) that provides you with exactly the same renaming options as when you import from card.

It also took me some time to get used to this program, but I really like it now.

I don't have a lot of photography-hobbyist friends, so no I haven't heard from anyone else complaining of this same thing.

In my case, what happened is that I had it rename the contents of the files in the folder, but I still had the images on the card (I didn't realize you could rename them back to the "old" names). So I would then try to delete the "test" files to try renaming again, and Windows wouldn't let me under any circumstanes until I rebooted.

If that continues that would possibly be a serious-enough drawback for me to not use the program again in the future. I am quite finicky as a control-freak that when I tell Windows to delete a file, I expect it to do so no matter what it thinks. I'm real big on this "it's my computer, I'm in charge, it is to do what I say" point of view.

Meanwhile, I am rethinking about how to rename the files. It would be good to have the file's EXIF date in there, the only thing is that THE Rename also, apparently, won't let you rename a file by its date based simply on the DATE it was shot, it insists on inserting the time too. I didn't want it doing all that.

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LRH
http://www.pbase.com/larrytucaz
http://larrytxeast.smugmug.com/
Nikon Dee-50, click profile for more on gear

nt = no text

I'm in the 8000 area.

my PS Elements 4 has a batch renaming tool.

has anyone used it?
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Looong thread.

I haven't gone through all the messages, but I think the most elegant solution is to simply run ALL your files through a renamer that handles EXIF information.

Then what you can do is append the date+time info to the beginning of the file, and voila.

Alternately, you should be able to insert the EXIF info anywhere in the filename.

Should be able to find one that you like by googling 'renamer EXIF'.

K.

Interesting note about the D200 -- it allows you to rename the "DSC" portion of the file name (which, by convention, stands for "Digital Still Camera") with any three letters or numbers, while maintaining the four-digit number sequencing. Thus, for example, if you use "AAA" instead of "DSC", you can start using "BBB" or some other three-figure combo when the camera goes back to 0001.
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AviBen
http://www.pbase.com/aviben