re-naming difficulties

[R. Neil Haugen]

This is close to a last cry, I guess ... I've been e-mailing with II's creator, Marc, and if HE can't find a way to accomplish something, probably no one else can ... but here goes.

First, I am not that familiar with scripting and all the fancy-dancy under-the-covers-of-the-software computer work that I know many of you do ... I've never figured out how to get my work done and find time to learn all that too. I've already spent several hours working with II and had numerous emails back and forth with Marc, and it still seems that much of the macro stuff is like unto much Microsoft help materials: If you understand the answer, you didn't need to ask the question. Marc is clearly VERY familiar with the scripting/macro terminology and function, so we have a bit of a difficulty of communications. I feel like I need a translator at ... or should I say, much of the time. And my wife (also an M. Photog, CPP) and her employee make me look a veritable code-warrior.

Like many portrait/wedding photogs, our naming scheme is "Client_XXX.ext" where the X's are a three-number sequence starting at 0 for that session. Weddings I use a four-number sequence. It seems that I cannot set up II to simply do that as Marc says (and yes, it seems to from my experience) that it will only CONTINUE in the numbering from the last ingestion.

So ... to get it to re-name the way my system works, I would need to re-write or modify a macro-command every time I ingest? That is problematic. My wife's studio uses an employee who is ... not shall we say, particularly a software guru. As in, knows and dares even less than my wife. Neither of them will touch this with the proverbial ten-foot pole. I could set up the basics and go through it with them, and as soon as I left they'd do the whole upload and copy manually to avoid this. Which, knowing their skills as I do, is probably wise.

Now that I've whined overmuch, do any of you know how to set this up for our re-naming needs such that someone could just enter the client name and see that the various "choice" drop down pre-sets are all the proper ones and then click "go"? I would so like to cut down the manual task of uploading that we do, without adding a process that will often create problems to spend time cleaning up!

Neil

[Ken]

Neil,

Are you using Lightroom after IIP?  I believe that their naming templates allow you to easily do what you have requested.

--Ken

[R. Neil Haugen]

Yes, I do most "prep" work in Lightroom.

However, that would negate using II for creating backups, as neither of the backups would have the filenames correct. At that point, why would I use II?

Neil

[Ken]

Yes, I do most "prep" work in Lightroom.

However, that would negate using II for creating backups, as neither of the backups would have the filenames correct. At that point, why would I use II?

Neil

Hi Neil,

You are correct.  I was not certain how IIP and LR fit into your workflow so I offered the suggesation.  I, too, use II for renaming, backup and DNG conversion as a "front end" to LR.  But, I thought that perhaps youhad a different arrangement for backups, and could use LR's renaming template.  At this time, I cannot think of any alternatives that would address your needs, but I will keep it in mind in case something comes to mind.

Good luck,

--Ken

[R. Neil Haugen]

Thanks, Ken. With all the wonderful capabilities that IIPro has, it was such a jolt to find it coudn't be set to automatically do this rather simple little re-name automatically. I am so disappointed! And sadly for all the wonderful work that Marc has done with it, the usable photographic market is a LOT smaller that it should be between it's re-naming limitations and the expectation that to use most any of it's capabilities, one needs to learn the scripting and macro languages it uses. Just to really understand the manual, let alone the program.

That cuts the market for the program by at least 90%. For, overall, a great program.

But again, thanks for your help and consideration.

Neil

[peterkrogh]

Neil,
You know that there is a place where you can reset IIP renumbering at the start of each job, right?  It's the "Starting Number" at the top right of the window.  Does that not work for you?
Peter

[R. Neil Haugen]

Peter,

Yes, I saw that ... but at Miriam's studio, we want this to be done by the employee. Who, like Miriam, is typically incredibly non-computer or techie types ... and I can guarantee we're gonna have re-numbering issues with this. That lil' ol' box up in the corner is gonna get fergotten every once in a while ... or more. That's why I wanted it automated, like the way LR can do it. They just type in a name and click "start" or "go" or whatever it's called. And that every 4th through 10th session is gonna cost in time about quadruple that in getting it corrected, and ... worries about sad things happening during correcting efforts. I think I noted, in testing through the various permutations it took to get the other details sorted right, *I* probably blew that re-set on 2 or three ingestions!

I've been made ... painfully ... aware of real-life in these sorts of things. It ain't always pretty.   ;~)

I would hope this is something Marc could change sometime in the near future without too much trouble.

Neil