The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor

The Filename Template Editor and the Text Template Editor let you specify text strings for different uses. Using the Filename Template Editor, you can use the text strings to name files as they’re being imported or exported. Using the Text Template Editor, you can use the text strings to add captions to photos in a slideshow, add text overlays to photos being printed, and add titles and other text to web gallery pages.

A token is a text string that is replaced by the corresponding option you set. In the Filename Template Editor and the Text Template Editor, tokens specify the content data that replaces the text string. This saves you the effort of manually typing content data and lets you leverage the data already in the photo files.

The Filename Template Editor and the Text Template Editor include the following elements:

Preset menu: Chooses, saves, deletes, or renames presets.
Image Name: Specifies a text string option using the filename, folder name, or a custom name.
Numbering: Specifies a text string using an import number based on how many photos have been imported into the library, sequence number, or image sequence number. (This element is only available in the Filename Template Editor, when importing or auto-importing photos, and in the Text Template Editor, when creating slideshows, printing photos, or creating web photo galleries.)
Additional: Specifies a text string option using the creation date, or Exchangeable Image Format (EXIF) data. (This element is only available in the Filename Template Editor, when importing or auto-importing photos.)
Sequence And Date: Specifies a text string option using sequential numbers and creation dates. (This element is only available in the Filename Template Editor, when exporting photos.)
EXIF Data: Specifies a text string option using EXIF data. (This element is only available in the Filename Template Editor, when exporting photos, or in the Text Template Editor, when creating slideshows, printing photos, or creating web photo galleries.)
IPTC Data: Specifies a text string option using IPTC metadata. (This element is only available in the Text Template Editor, when creating slideshows, printing photos, or creating web photo galleries.)
Custom: Uses the options you specify for the text string.

Open the Filename Template Editor and choose presets

Do any of the following to open the Filename Template Editor:
- In the Import Photos dialog box, choose edit from the File Naming menu when importing photos into the library by copying or moving files. See Name photos when importing.
- Choose File > Auto Import > Auto Import Settings, and then choose Edit from the File Naming menu in the Auto Import Settings dialog box. See Specify Auto Import settings.
- Choose File > Export, and then choose Edit from the Template menu in the File Naming area of the Export dialog box.
Choose a preset from the Preset menu.

Open the Text Template Editor and choose presets

Do any of the following to open the Text Template Editor:
- In the Slideshow module, add text to the slide layout. Make sure the text is selected in the work area, and then choose Edit from the Custom Settings menu in the toolbar. See Add text and metadata to slides.
- In the Overlays panel of the Print module, select Photo Info, then click the triangle next to Custom settings and choose Edit from the pop-up menu. See Print filename, caption, and other information.
- In the Web module, select any option in the Image Settings panel. Click the triangle next to the option and choose Edit from the pop-up menu. See Adding text to web galleries.
Choose a preset from the Preset menu.

Create and save filename and text template presets

In the Filename Template Editor dialog box or the Text Template Editor dialog box, choose an option and then click Insert for as many categories as you want. This creates the text string.
For example, chose Filename from the Image Name menu and then click Insert. A token is added to the window just below the Preset menu. Add one or as many tokens as you want.
Move your pointer over the token displayed in the Example window. Click the triangle to see more options, and then choose an option from the pop-up menu.
To delete tokens, select one or more tokens in the window and then press the Delete key.
If you don’t want to save your token settings as a preset and want to use them immediately, skip the remaining steps and click Done.
(Optional) To save your settings for reuse, choose Save As New Preset from the Preset menu., and in the New Preset dialog box, type a name in the Preset Name text box, and click Create.
(Optional) In the New Preset dialog box, type a name in the Preset Name text box, and click Create.

Rename filename and text template presets

In the Text Template Editor, choose a preset from the Preset menu.
Choose Rename Preset from the Preset menu.

Delete filename and text template presets

In the Text Template Editor, choose a preset from the Preset menu.
Choose Delete Preset from the Preset menu.

Comments

No screen name said on Oct 28, 2007 at 11:10 PM :

How may one program sequential numbering so that it increased the sequence irrespective of what folder you import into or file you rename so that the sequential part of the file name is always unique? Can Lightroom keep track automatically and continue to use the next number even though I've switched to a different folder or drive?

Anita Dennis said on Oct 29, 2007 at 9:10 AM :

If I understand your question, in the Import dialog, under File Naming, choose Custom Name - Sequence from the Template pop-up menu. Then enter the custom text for the name and the starting sequence number.

No screen name said on Oct 29, 2007 at 12:59 PM :

To clarify, when importing using the Custom Name - Sequence preset or any preset one might build that utilizes {Sequrence # (1)»} then two or more photographs can have the same number in different folders. If the images are then collected into another folder, Collection, email, etc., there's an issue with the names being exactly the same. The same is true with {Sequrence # (00001)»}. What I would like is for Lightroom to remember the last number it asigned and raise the number with each import so that the number is always unique no matter the folder one is importing into. This would also play into renaming (F2) as well.

Anita Dennis said on Oct 29, 2007 at 1:09 PM :

I think your best bet for now is to use the batch rename feature--F2--after you import from different sources. But it's a great feature request. To send it to our engineers, go to www.adobe.com/support/feature.html.

No screen name said on Nov 5, 2007 at 4:50 AM :

Is it possible, importing photos with the sequence always starting with 001 for every new day the photos are taken, like:

20010304-001.jpg
...
20010304-009.jpg
...
20010305-001.jpg
...

Rene

Anita Dennis said on Nov 5, 2007 at 9:23 AM :

Yes. IIn the File Naming area of the Import Photos dialog box, choose Template > Edit. In the Filename Template Editor that appears, delete any tokens that may be in the Example area. Then choose Additional > Date (YYYYMMDD), and click Insert. Then choose Numbering > Import # (001), and click Insert. Enter a hyphen between the tokens in the Example area if desired. Click Done. Import.

No screen name said on Mar 26, 2008 at 8:12 PM :

Can you rename and/or export the files contained on two or more
collections selected and give as part of the name the collection that the
file belongs to? I do not care if a file is duplicated with two different names
because it exists in two collections, obviously I want to avoid to do the
task as many times as the number of collections I have, and do it in one
pass.

Thanks

No screen name said on May 11, 2008 at 2:21 PM :

Is it possible to export images with the Collection anme as part of a file name?

Thanks,

jrdeal.com said on May 24, 2008 at 6:41 PM :

In the windows version you can have spaces in the file name where as in the
Mac version you can not have spaces between the preset values. Is there a
work around for this?

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