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As we continue to look at
Photoshop 7, we'll give you a taste for what you can expect. By
now you've probably heard about the File Browser, that powerful
new way to manage files from within Photoshop. But have you
heard about Batch Rename?
If you use a digital camera, you're likely
familiar with file names such as <P1010001.jpg> and
<P1010002.jpg>. I just know you'd rather be looking at something
at least a little more descriptive, something like
<01282002Vacation001.jpg , indicating a date, a subject, and a
sequential number. Perhaps your digital camera comes with a
utility for renaming files. Or perhaps not. Perhaps you have a
shareware or commercial utility to rename files. Or perhaps not.
When you get Photoshop 7, you'll be all set.
In the File Browser's menu is a command called
Batch Rename, and the name is quite accurate. With this command
you can rename batches of files. Automatically.
If the Batch rename dialog box looks familiar,
you've probably used Photoshop's Batch command under the File>
Automate menu. Here's what you can expect to see in Batch
Rename:
Photoshop will send you a warning about any
changes to the preview that you've made in File Browser that
will not be maintained when the files are renamed.
The File Browser can't write to your digital
camera, nor to a CD or DVD, so if you're pulling images from
those types of sources, you'll have to select a new destination
folder.
To choose which files to rename, you select
either a folder in the "tree" (the file hierarchy in the
upper-left pane) or some file previews in the right-hand pane of
the File Browser. You can click on one file and Shift-click on
another to select all files in between. You can Command-click
(Mac) or Control-click (Win) to select non-contiguous files
(those not consecutive in the window).
When naming the files, Batch Rename offers a
list of choices in a pop-up menu. Most of these choices can be
selected for each of the six fields, or you can enter your own
info (which will be added to all of the new file names).
You'll see that this long list is actually just
a few items, each with several variations. Document name (which
can be all small letters, caps and small, or all caps) uses the
existing file name and adds whatever other info you choose (if
any). The serial number or serial letter will be assigned
sequentially. The date can be in any of the seven common formats
shown. The file extension can be in small letters or caps. (None
is used to empty a field in which a selection has already been
made.)
Keep in mind a couple of things: The only
variable that automatically changes from file to file is the
serial number or serial letter. If you're not using the original
document name, you'll have to add a serial element or you're
telling Batch Rename to assign the same name to all the files.
(Don't worry too much about this, though - Photoshop will remind
you if necessary!)
The other important factor in selecting a file
name is the extension. Photoshop requires you to use it in Batch
Rename. You'll get a little jab if you forget this, too!
Remember, too, that File Browser allows you to
create new folders so that you can sort files prior to renaming
(or for any other purpose).
Another handy feature is the choice of
compatibility. By checking the appropriate boxes at the bottom
of the Batch Rename dialog box, you ensure that the new file
names will be readable by the computers on which you need them.
Batch Rename is just one of the capabilities
that makes Photoshop 7's File Browser an extremely powerful file
management tool. |