Developing a file structure is one of the first steps in creating your workflow. Whether youre using Lightroom to manage your library or Bridge to view folders of photos, its much easier to find a specific photo if you use a descriptive filename.

In my personal workflow, I include the date, project name, and image number. So for example: 2014-09-16_ND_Scout_0001.nef

Most everything I shoot is on one day. However, if youre shooting for multiple days, with multiple cameras on larger shoots, then I recommend you include that information too. That would look like this:

2014-09-16_ND_Scout_1_D700_0001.nef
2014-09-16_ND_Scout_1_D810_0001.nef
2014-09-16_ND_Scout_2_D700_0001.nef
2014-09-16_ND_Scout_2_D810_0001.nef

Adobe Bridge offers a really easy way to batch rename your photos.

Step 1

Open your photo folder in Adobe Bridge and select all photos. Then choose the Tools menu and click Batch Rename (Shift-Cmd-R on Mac, Shift-Ctrl-R on Windows).

Step 2

On the Batch Process window, you’ll have the option to create or use presets, choose where to save the photos, and create a recipe for a new filename.

Step 3

Creating a new filename recipe is very easy, and you can have as many steps as youd like. Well start by adding text 2014-09-16_ND_Scout then well create a new text line with an underscore and a 4-digit sequence number.

Step 4

At the bottom of the window, you can see a preview of your new filename.

Step 5

Click Rename. Depending on how many photos youre renaming, this process should only take a few seconds.

With renamed and organized files, I can easily search and find anything I need from my library in just a few minutes.