I have iPhoto '08, and to find all of the photos, you must go into the Package Contents. I renamed the photos using Automator, but they couldn't be found in iPhoto. I have restored all of the photos using Time Machine, but is there a simple way to change the file names of the photos in iPhoto?
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Rename iPhoto File Names using Automator
- Thread starter soccersquirt82
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Do NOT rename or otherwise change your photos in the finder!!! You will lose/corrupt the photos. Apple changed the way the library is shown in finder to a package to keep people from mucking about in there and losing their photos! Do anything and everything to/with your photos from within the app itself. That is how it is supposed to work. If you change anything in the finder, iPhoto will not be able to access/find your photos.
Do your organizing, labeling etc. from within the app. There is NEVER a need to go into the finder!
Do your organizing, labeling etc. from within the app. There is NEVER a need to go into the finder!
How do you change the file name within iPhoto? I can give it a Title, but that's something different.
Why do you need/want to change the filenames if you never need to look at them? Waste of time! That is the Windows way, and uses too much energy. Just change the titles in the app and you are set to go. If you want to export to say, MySpace, just use the export command from within the app. Your title will be preserved and all is well. I repeat -- there is never a need to go into the library in finder. You can do anything you want to do from the app itself. That is why Apple hid the library in a package -- to prevent users from corrupting and losing photos.
I also need this...
I am also in need of a way to rename files in iPhoto. I would be fine if the file names were random numbers, but I got these files from someone else and they have names. The names that they have are wrong, and the name of another event that I have. Whenever I search for something with those names these files show up.
I am also in need of a way to rename files in iPhoto. I would be fine if the file names were random numbers, but I got these files from someone else and they have names. The names that they have are wrong, and the name of another event that I have. Whenever I search for something with those names these files show up.
Simply rename them in iPhoto using the batch change feature. Stay out of the finder! the only other way you can deal with this is to export them form your iPhoto library to a folder somewhere (desktop?), rename them, and then re-import them back into iPhoto. Lots of work if there are many,
Renames those files??
So I was attempting to export a bunch of photo's and realized that there are characters int he filenames that the file system does not like- '/' ';' etc.
So this makes me want to have the names changes. I do not see any batch automator in any of the menus....
Does anyone know the secret or am I SOL?
So I was attempting to export a bunch of photo's and realized that there are characters int he filenames that the file system does not like- '/' ';' etc.
So this makes me want to have the names changes. I do not see any batch automator in any of the menus....
Does anyone know the secret or am I SOL?
renaming of files
Hi. I've managed to rename my files through automator (and had problems with iphoto finding the photos - so had to remove them and put them back in - a long story !) but found that automator modified the files and gave them the current modified date and took away the created date, leaving me with no history of the files. Does anyone know a way of renaming multiple files without losing the date? I hate to say it but Windows does it easily! [I tried renaming in Windows bootcamp and moving them to the Mac side and while ok in Windows, not ok in Mac - all the dates changed!]
Thanks
Mahana
Hi. I've managed to rename my files through automator (and had problems with iphoto finding the photos - so had to remove them and put them back in - a long story !) but found that automator modified the files and gave them the current modified date and took away the created date, leaving me with no history of the files. Does anyone know a way of renaming multiple files without losing the date? I hate to say it but Windows does it easily! [I tried renaming in Windows bootcamp and moving them to the Mac side and while ok in Windows, not ok in Mac - all the dates changed!]
Thanks
Mahana
What part of "stay out of the finder" do you not understand? iPhoto organizes photos in its own way so that it can find them for you. DO NOT RENAME FILES IN FINDER! Do your renaming, organizing,etc.from within the app and you will be fine. All dates will be preserved, etc. Windows makes the user work entirely too hard in having to rename files. Let go of your windows ways and let the app do the work for you -- that is why it exists! You should have a backup of the iPhoto library (you do, don't you?), so put that back and then stay out of the finder. all will be back to normal.
If you don't have a backup, I'm afraid you are sunk. You obviously did not listen to the advice given several times over in this thread about naming, exporting, etc.
Hi Mary
Looks like I'm going to have to think differently. I'm not used to not being in control of my files and it looks like I'll have to get used to it... go with the flow !
I have got a backup on time machine, but I guess i'm not trusting it... goes back to control !
Thanks for your advice.
Mahana
Looks like I'm going to have to think differently. I'm not used to not being in control of my files and it looks like I'll have to get used to it... go with the flow !
I have got a backup on time machine, but I guess i'm not trusting it... goes back to control !
Thanks for your advice.
Mahana
must be an easier way to rename files surely?
i want to be able to rename files( in batch change) and when i burn a cd or attach email from iphoto not have it revert to old camera file name. its driving me insane!!
help!!!
i want to be able to rename files( in batch change) and when i burn a cd or attach email from iphoto not have it revert to old camera file name. its driving me insane!!
help!!!
Do this from within the app and your names, etc. will remain. For CD burning, export your photos from the iPhoto app and then burn. For email, either email directly from iPhoto, or do the export thing and then attach to your email. DO NOT CHANGE THE NAMES OF YOUR PHOTOS IN THE FINDER!
So skybolt,
How can I change the names of my photos in Finder?
Morod
PS... Sorry, I couldn't help myself.... Feel free to shoot me if necessary.
How can I change the names of my photos in Finder?
Morod
PS... Sorry, I couldn't help myself.... Feel free to shoot me if necessary.
Even if this answer is correct, it doesn't solve the problem. iPhoto does not rename the files, it reTITLES the files. Big difference. I use Image Capture to import to the desktop, Automator to batch-rename, THEN import into iPhoto. It sucks balls but Apple doesn't want to make it easy. That way Spotlight isn't COMPLETELY RENDERED USELESS BY IPHOTO.
So skybolt,
How can I change the names of my photos in Finder?
Morod
PS... Sorry, I couldn't help myself.... Feel free to shoot me if necessary.
Bang!decksnap -- Spotlight finds my photos just fine when searching for a title. I have just tried this, and it found my photos perfectly. Spotlight is not rendered useless at all! You are making life much too difficult by importing into Image Capture and doing all the "silly knees bent running around" of renaming and reimporting. All of that is so Windows!
In addition, when searching for a photo, why use spotlight? Search from within iPhoto -- easy! Or use keywords.
decksnap -- Spotlight finds my photos just fine when searching for a title. I have just tried this, and it found my photos perfectly. Spotlight is not rendered useless at all! You are making life much too difficult by importing into Image Capture and doing all the "silly knees bent running around" of renaming and reimporting. All of that is so Windows!
In addition, when searching for a photo, why use spotlight? Search from within iPhoto -- easy! Or use keywords.
mmm because spotlight is 'instant' and system-wide. Why bother having spotlight search mail if you could just search in mail?
Spotlight does not find any of my files by title.
This is what I was doing but note it modifies the date of your file - creation and modified. Aperture 2 can give you the EXIF information which stays there in the file, but you can't find this in i-photo. You have to give something up to gain something else. The titles in i-photo do work nicely.. I'm beginning to come round to that way of thinking.... [seeing a 'genius' today at Apple to discuss this - will let you know if I find out anything interesting].
I *think* that I'm SOL for an easy way then - I lost all my photos from my home machine through a combination of me being stupid (trying to move iPhoto library to be on an external drive) and the external drive failing.
Luckily, most of my photos were on my Smugmug gallery, so I got a recovery disc from them, but all the Nikon file names (DSCNxxx.jpg) were prefixed by what I assume are some Smugmug numbers, so DSCN0000001.jpg is now 123456789_DSCN0000001.jpg, for example.
I imported them back into iPhoto, but now that screws up my sorting because the prefix numbers aren't in the same order as the DSCN file names, so stuff is all over the place.
All I want to do is remove everything before the DSCN bit, where there is something before the DSCN bit, if you get my drift. Any ideas?
Luckily, most of my photos were on my Smugmug gallery, so I got a recovery disc from them, but all the Nikon file names (DSCNxxx.jpg) were prefixed by what I assume are some Smugmug numbers, so DSCN0000001.jpg is now 123456789_DSCN0000001.jpg, for example.
I imported them back into iPhoto, but now that screws up my sorting because the prefix numbers aren't in the same order as the DSCN file names, so stuff is all over the place.
All I want to do is remove everything before the DSCN bit, where there is something before the DSCN bit, if you get my drift. Any ideas?
[All I want to do is remove everything before the DSCN bit, where there is something before the DSCN bit, if you get my drift. Any ideas?[/QUOTE]
Mary is more experienced than I am, so may have a better experience but from what I know, you will need to use automator. Under Library find 'Rename Finder Items'. It gives you an option of using copy Finder Items at the same time which would mean you wouldn't change the originals - your choice. Look at all the options (eg make sequential - new name, etc) and choose appropriately. Next find the items you want to rename in finder and click and drag them to the automator. Click on Run and hocus pocus... but be careful. As I said before, it changes the date of creation and modification to the current one and also the meta data.
PERHAPS try copying them to a disk, putting them on a windows machine, rename the files and then import them from another disk. I did it through boot camp - moving from one to the other and it didn't work, but perhaps if the files are renamed externally and brought in externally... if you get my drift.
Good luck.
I've given in... decided to go along with what Mary (Skybolt) says and to use the program as it is.. no more renaming except within the program... if you can't beat 'em join 'em comes to mind ! I wasted too much time and found myself having to delete all of iphoto and re-importing from the start and having to stop worrying about where the files are.
Mary is more experienced than I am, so may have a better experience but from what I know, you will need to use automator. Under Library find 'Rename Finder Items'. It gives you an option of using copy Finder Items at the same time which would mean you wouldn't change the originals - your choice. Look at all the options (eg make sequential - new name, etc) and choose appropriately. Next find the items you want to rename in finder and click and drag them to the automator. Click on Run and hocus pocus... but be careful. As I said before, it changes the date of creation and modification to the current one and also the meta data.
PERHAPS try copying them to a disk, putting them on a windows machine, rename the files and then import them from another disk. I did it through boot camp - moving from one to the other and it didn't work, but perhaps if the files are renamed externally and brought in externally... if you get my drift.
Good luck.
I've given in... decided to go along with what Mary (Skybolt) says and to use the program as it is.. no more renaming except within the program... if you can't beat 'em join 'em comes to mind ! I wasted too much time and found myself having to delete all of iphoto and re-importing from the start and having to stop worrying about where the files are.