Bulk Rename and Folder Structure
Put a shoot into one predictable folder and file-name shape so search, backup, and handoff all agree.
Tools
Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, Photo Structure
Outcomes
One folder shape across every shoot • Names carry date, job, and camera body • No two files share a name • Catalog paths match the delivery folder
Documentation
Instruction-ready detail below
What breaks
Every assistant names files differently, so one job ends up in three folders and the catalog cannot tell the versions apart. Renaming two thousand files by hand eats an afternoon and is exactly where typos creep in.
What the workflow does
- Read the shoot date, job name, and camera body from the capture data.
- Apply one agreed pattern, for example date, job, camera, and sequence number.
- Move files into the job folder structure before the catalog imports them.
- Report any file the pattern cannot name, and leave it out rather than guess.
- Run the same check again before a delivery, so an odd file never ships.
What a human still approves
The studio lead sets the pattern once a year, and the person running the job confirms the folder shape matches it. The workflow does not decide what a file is called; it applies the decision you already made, consistently.