Re-naming a single file in Lightroom

[Rufus]

Photoshop hung recently so I closed it down and restarted it. I was able to reopen the file but it had “recovered” as part of the filename and when I saved the file back into Lightroom the “recovered” part of the filename was included in Lightroom. So far, so unsurprising.

I wanted to rename the file to remove the “Recovered” moniker, but I know that it is important to perform all file management operations in Lightroom in order to maintain the integrity of the Catalog and Library.

I came up with 2 potential solutions. One was to edit the Filename in the Metadata panel of the Library module, and this seems to work. The other option was to use the F2 shortcut, but this seems more appropriate to batch processing changes, or for importing/exporting.

Although the first option seems to work, I have a hazy memory that if one changes metadata it is best to edit the Preferences to save the changes somewhere, but I have not yet found that option.

So, what is the recommneded practice for amending a single filename in Lightroom?

[rpcrowe]

The Library complications is one reason that I don't use Lightroom... I am sure that it is operator error but, I "lost" files when I began using Lightroom years ago. I then tried to use Lightroom without the library and the program froze up on me.

I probably should have tuned my skills in that program but, I just stopped using it. For my uses, Adobe Bridge Camera Raw suits me just fine and I have never misplaced or could not locate any file when using ACR and Photoshop.

It is easy to rename or group rename files using Adobe Bridge and Photoshop...

[Round Tuit]

It looks to me like you are trying to complicate a simple task. The easiest way to rename a file in lightroom is to select the file in grid view, press F2, enter the new name and click OK. That takes care of everything.
You could also change the name in the OS and when lightroom complains that it cannot find the file, point it to the renamed file.

[DanK]

The F2 shortcut, which is the same shortcut Windows uses, is the simplest option, as Andre posted, and it works fine on a single file. You can access the same function by selecting the image in the library module and pulling down the "library" menu. One option on that menu is to rename the file.

Richard--AFAIK, you can't use Lightroom without its catalog.

To avoid losing photos, you can do all of your file management for photos already imported from within Lightroom. if you do it externally, you just have to sync or re-sync the directory.

[Rufus]

Thank you for the replies.

Richard - The catalog and the fear of disassociating sidecar files etc are the reasons I was, for several years, reluctant to use Lightroom. I also did not use Bridge to any great extent. I took a short introductory course for Lightroom because the tools seemed fewer and more intuitive. Also, some people said they used it in preference to Photoshop. I now appreciate the limitations of Lightroom but very much like certain aspects of it. I mainly use it at the beginning and end of my workflow.

Andre - I admit I have a tendency to overcomplicate matters! F2 would certainly be much easier.

Dan - For me re-syncing or re-linking will always be a last resort, perhaps because I have never needed to do it so far and would be concerned that I would end up in an even greater a mess!

[Rufus]

...I have a hazy memory that if one changes metadata it is best to edit the Preferences to save the changes somewhere, but I have not yet found that option.

BTW...I have found the option in Edit/Catalog Settings and the tickbox for "Automatically write changes into XMP".

[DanK]

BTW...I have found the option in Edit/Catalog Settings and the tickbox for "Automatically write changes into XMP".

This refers to something entirely different. Lightroom can store your edits in either of two places: in the catalog file, or in an XMP "sidecar" file in the same directory as the edited photo. This option changes the choice between the two. I always store to sidecar files because that preserves my edits if the catalog is ruined and I can't retrieve what I need from the previous backup.

[rpcrowe]

The F2 shortcut, which is the same shortcut Windows uses, is the simplest option, as Andre posted, and it works fine on a single file. You can access the same function by selecting the image in the library module and pulling down the "library" menu. One option on that menu is to rename the file.

Richard--AFAIK, you can't use Lightroom without its catalog.

To avoid losing photos, you can do all of your file management for photos already imported from within Lightroom. if you do it externally, you just have to sync or re-sync the directory.

To avoid losing photos I just avoid using Lightroom... Adobe Bridge Camera Raw has everything that Lightroom offers without the bother (on my part but, it might be an advantage to someone else) of the Lightroom Catalog...

I have Lightroom with my Photoshop Subscription but never use it...

[DanK]

For me re-syncing or re-linking will always be a last resort,

David, I wasn't suggesting that you do it. I was responding to Richard's comments about losing files.

I wasn't clear: I have never "lost" a file because of Lightroom. Lightroom does allow you (or itself) to lose track of files, but that is usually a case of operator error. Because lightroom has a catalog, it has to know where photos are. It does that by syncing with directories you point it to. If you then move photos outside of lightroom, it no longer knows where they are. If you do that by mistake, you can simply point Lightroom to the new directory. The simplest thing, however, is to follow one rule: once you have photos in the catalog, do all of your file management (moving, renaming, etc.) from within Lightroom. This will simultaneously make the changes you want and update the catalog.

It really boils down to whether you want a database for your photos. If you don't want a database, you can accomplish most of what you can do in Lightroom--not all of it--with the combination of Bridge and ACR within Photoshop.

I don't use most of the database functions in Lightroom, although I find them useful when I want them. For example, it makes it trivial to create a virtual collection of photos from as many locations as you want. I am currently using that to flag photos that I am printing to try to place in galleries. The photos span 11 years and therefore span a huge range of directories, but I just have to tell Lightroom to place them in that collection, and then when I ask for the collection, it shows me only those.

I do often use various add-ons and plugins that people write for Lightroom because it is so widely used. For example, like many other people here, I use Smugmug, and when I post here, I do it with a link from Smugmug. To get photos into Smugmug, I use a plugin written by Jeffry Friedl that lets me set all sorts of parameters--what gallery it goes into, what level of compression I want, whether I want to rename it, etc. It then creates the JPEG file and uploads it to the right place, leaving no unwanted JPEG behind. Similarly, when I focus-stack, I select the photos I want to stack and call up a plugin written by the author of my stacking program. I have it set for the parameters I want. It then creates the needed TIFF file, opens the stacking software, and loads the TIF files. When I am done, it deletes all of the many working files, leaving just the composite behind. Those are just two examples. It saves a lot of time.

[Rufus]

This refers to something entirely different. Lightroom can store your edits in either of two places: in the catalog file, or in an XMP "sidecar" file in the same directory as the edited photo. This option changes the choice between the two. I always store to sidecar files because that preserves my edits if the catalog is ruined and I can't retrieve what I need from the previous backup.

Dan, thank you for clarifing that.

A means of maximising the chances of preserving changes made to standard metadata still lurks in the back of mind, although I am less likely to do this now I know the best way to amend a filename.

[Rufus]

David, I wasn't suggesting that you do it. I was responding to Richard's comments about losing files.

Yes, that's what I thought; but my words could have made that clearer.

...If you...move photos outside of lightroom, it no longer knows where they are. If you do that by mistake, you can simply point Lightroom to the new directory. The simplest thing, however, is to follow one rule: once you have photos in the catalog, do all of your file management (moving, renaming, etc.) from within Lightroom. This will simultaneously make the changes you want and update the catalog.

I agree. From the outset I adopted the golden rule of performing all file management tasks in Lightroom.

I don't use most of the database functions in Lightroom, although I find them useful when I want them. For example, it makes it trivial to create a virtual collection of photos from as many locations as you want...

I use the keywords and impose a discipline on myself to do so when I import files to Lightroom before working on any of them. I like the print module and, like you, I find collections handy.

[DanK]

I use the keywords and impose a discipline on myself to do so when I import files to Lightroom before working on any of them. I like the print module and, like you, I find collections handy.

We're on the same page. I actually use the keywords more than collections--although not as much as I should. I print entirely from Lightroom even though it offers less control than Photoshop. It has a number of really handy features. One of my favorites is the print template, which will store paper size and type, all of the printer settings, and margins.

[pschlute]

I use the keywords and impose a discipline on myself to do so when I import files to Lightroom before working on any of them. I like the print module and, like you, I find collections handy.

Agreed. The keywords and collections are one of the main reasons I use LR, as a catalogue. I was an Elements user previously and Adobe makes it very easy to migrate to LR with keywords and collections intact.