Automate rename of tethered image capture file

[RobV]

I need to capture individual images of a collection of objects (20,000 pieces!) and name each file as it is shot from a camera tethered to a Mac.

Anyone out there used Automator to rename image files as they are captured?
...or have a different solution?

 

[Phil Lee]

I'm not sure how you want to rename the files but I've had great success using Big Mean Folder Machine, A Better Finder Rename and A Better Finder Attributes to sort out my library of ~13000 photos into folders by year, month and day with sensible filenames based on shooting time.

 

[RobV]

Renaming after each image is captured

Thanks, Phil.
I need to rename the file from its generic name (IMG_0032.jpg) to the object number in the collection (1963-092a.jpg) as I pull them out of the collection one by one and shoot them.

Renaming a folder-full of files after the fact is just not practical.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

Renaming a folder-full of files after the fact is just not practical.

I can use Bridge and rename a folder of 600, 800, how many ever images, in less than a minute.

 

[RobV]

Bridge for file renaming

Frankie,

I thought about using Bridge, but I need to rename the image file to the ID number of the object as I take objects out of the collection one by one.

If I use Bridge on a folder-full of files, I'm not going to know what that object ID is just by looking at the picture -- hence the desire to rename each file as I shoot the image. With 20,000 individual objects to shoot, I've got to come up with a streamlined way to do this, or it will take years to finish!

Thanks for the reply, though.

 

[spice weasel]

You might be able to do this using a combination of folder actions and Automator. I don't really use folder actions, but perhaps you can set it up so that the images get renamed as soon as they are dumped into the folder one at a time.

Here's a quick Apple pro tip blurb about Folder Actions:

http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/folderactions.html

 

[RobV]

using folder actions

Spice Weasel,

Thanks for the reply. Great thought.

I have already been working on a a very simple Automator workflow as a solution, just as you suggested, but it isn't working as a folder action for some reason.

I just found an article that suggests that something new in Leopard may have broken the Folder Actions functionality:

(http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1215430)

...and I'll try the workaround proposed there.

Thanks again for the reply.

 

[bocomo]

that's what interns are for!

 

[jampat]

If the artifact numbers are sequential, can't you just use the camera to name the files? IIRC for canon, you can use a computer to tell the camera what the base file name is and it just counts from there. If they aren't sequential, typing in all of the numbers will be hell (even if the actual file renaming is automated).

Are there ID tags with the artifacts that you can shoot? If you had a legible ID tag in every shot, there should be software to convert the ID into text, then you could automate the output of that as the filename. I haven't done this before, but it should be relatively simple recognition, the question is just whether someone has written it already.

 

[RobV]

ID numbers on the edge, not visible

Jampat,
Thanks for the reply.

The objects are from a collection of medallions that date from 1903 to present day. The ID number is stamped on the edge, and won't be visible from the camera.

The real kicker against auto-numbering is that each object has two sides -- an obverse and a reverse -- and this needs to be included in the file name also (1934-106obv and 1934-106rev).

You can appreciate why I need to make this process as efficient as possible... even for the "intern" who gets to do this task. Any volunteers?

 

[NogbadTheBad]

Jampat,
Thanks for the reply.

The objects are from a collection of medallions that date from 1903 to present day. The ID number is stamped on the edge, and won't be visible from the camera.

The real kicker against auto-numbering is that each object has two sides -- an obverse and a reverse -- and this needs to be included in the file name also (1934-106obv and 1934-106rev).

You can appreciate why I need to make this process as efficient as possible... even for the "intern" who gets to do this task. Any volunteers?

I did an automator action to move & rename my photo's based on the timestamp in the exif data, you'll need to install exiftool.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/4035077805_206d1f3d33_o.jpg

Maybe my automater action might give you some ideas, as previously mentioned the exif data has the file number, if you reset the file numbering on the camera and started with obverse then a reverse, all your reverse photos will end with an even number.

You'd need to play about in the do .... done loop part of the shell script.

> exiftool -h -canon pics/IMG_0315.JPG

File Name IMG_0315.JPG
Camera Model Name Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Date/Time Original 2003:09:30 13:37:51
Shooting Mode Sports
Shutter Speed 1/2000
Aperture 7.1
Metering Mode Evaluative
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO 400
Lens 75.0 - 300.0 mm
Focal Length 300.0 mm
Image Size 3072x2048
Quality Normal
Flash Off, Did not fire
White Balance Auto
Focus Mode AI Servo AF
Contrast +1
Sharpness +1
Saturation +1
Color Tone Normal
File Size 1606 kB
File Number 103-0315
Drive Mode Continuous shooting
Owner Name Phil Harvey
Camera Body No. 0560012345

 

[RobV]

Thanks NogbadTheBad

NogbadTheBad,
Thanks for the reply. I'll look into that.

UPDATE: I upgraded to Snow Leopard last night and was able to get the Folder Action to work successfully.

Thanks to everyone for the input. Your suggestions were greatly appreciated.