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How Do I Sequentially Number Items (photos) In a Folder?

I have a 27″ iMac (2011) and am using Lion. When I download photos from my card to a folder I’ve made for them on the desktop, all the photos have the typical …img2345.jpg nomenclature. After going thru them and deleting the non-keepers, I want to rename the photos in that folder using a more ‘friendly’ nomenclature…ie: Event1.jpg; Event2.jpg etc.
The only way that I have been able to do this in the past is to click on each file name, rename, press return and go to the next file…very tedious!
In Windows (sorry ’bout that slur…) I could select all the photos, rename the first one and press enter and all the following files would be renamed with sequential numbers.
Is there an easy way to do this on a Mac?
—–
Harley Mumma

Comments: 5 Responses to “How Do I Sequentially Number Items (photos) In a Folder?”

    11 years ago

    Yes, very easy, at least once you are using iPhoto or Aperture, either of Apple's photo collection management tools.
    Once you have the photos in there, in addition to all of the other stuff you can do with them, you can also export. Exporting allows you to choose the quality, and you can simply choose "original" as the file type to export copies of the files, or maybe choose high quality JPG images to export slightly smaller files.
    Either way, you can then choose file name options. One of the options is to assign each photo a sequential number with a prefix. So you can use "image" as a prefix and then get image1, image2, etc.
    Aperture allows you to do the same thing, but it calls it "Custom Name With Index" in the export options.
    This way you can keep the original photos and organize them as you wish, and also provide someone else with a folder of files with neat sequential names. If you don't need the photos in your iPhoto or Aperture library, then you can just delete them after.

      Harley
      11 years ago

      Thanks Gary, I'll give it a try.

    michael
    11 years ago

    found last question interesting ,but cant get how to do it! i am in i photo {lion}
    i have an event i want to put in sequential numbers after deleting some,as above.cant find file name options under file.looked at batch change but only changes the name to one title for all.hope this makes sense.maybe there is a video ?

      11 years ago

      Are you using the latest version of iPhoto? Keep in mind, this is not for ordering the photos INSIDE iPhoto, this is for exporting a set of files out of iPhoto.

    Nick
    10 years ago

    I export using the drop down menu selection "album name with number". So I export from within a named album ie my photos are named 'Xmas2012-001', 'Xmas 2012-002' etc etc.
    Is this option not available in your version of iPhoto?

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