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jacobf91877538
Participant
November 23, 2016
Open for Voting

P: Add "Preserve current filename in XMP Metadata" as a checkbox to Export,

  • November 23, 2016
  • 22 replies
  • 1305 views

There is a feature in Bridge that allows you to batch rename files while preserving the original filename as a new field in the metadata. This feature would be great to have in Lightroom as well, most likely as a checkbox option under "file renaming" of Export. When dealing with loads of files, it ensures that no matter what the file is renamed we will always be able to track back to the raw file. I saw someone posted about this 10 years ago in the adobe forum so I am guessing that it isn't super important...

22 replies

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 12, 2019

Try- (Date-Initials-Original number suffix)

Enter initials "jf" in Custom Text.

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .
jacobf91877538
Participant
June 11, 2019
My workflow is as follows:
Import photos and rename on import. (Date-Initials-Original file number)
Edit photos
Export
Batch rename in Bridge with current filename. (This adds the preserved filename)

I see that it now displays the preserved filename in the metadata of Lightroom, but it's of the name of the file from the camera, not the updated filename after I import. Is there a way to batch rename in Lightroom on export that it will change the preserved filename from "IMG_1234.jpg" to "20190611-jf-1234.jpg?"
Rikk Flohr_Photography
Community Manager
May 14, 2019
Lightroom Classic 8.3 was released today and contained a fix for this issue. Please update to 8.3 and verify that you are no longer seeing the issue. Thank you!
Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org
jacobf91877538
Participant
November 28, 2016
I called Adobe and asked, the feature DOES NOT exist. They were the ones that suggested that I add a feature request. The only current workaround is to batch rename to "current filename" in bridge and it adds the new field "preserved filename" into the metadata. This works, but it just add an extra step. This feature already exists in bridge, just not in lightroom. Hence the request 
johnrellis
Legend
November 27, 2016
No good options:

You'd have to do the rename in Bridge before importing the pics into LR.

You can't change Original Filename in the Metadata panel.

I very much doubt Adobe will ever do anything about this, based on past experience.  But the feature request is here and people have voted on it, so you never know.
Inspiring
November 26, 2016
Yes, I followed the above steps & the original Raw Filename was replaced by the new filename. I had to close & reopen Bridge for the change to show. So what's the cure, change the filename in Bridge? Write the original filename in Lr in the Metadata panel? Have engineering fix the problem?
johnrellis
Legend
November 26, 2016
I asked about your configuration to determine if you were observing the exact same behavior I was, following the precise same steps.

I now understand what's going on -- LR does not preserve the original filename in the XMP metadata.  After doing a rename, the next time LR writes out the .xmp sidecar (e.g. because you've changed metadata or develop settings), it will write the current  filename to the .xmp sidecar, overwriting the previous filename recorded there.

I don't think that's the behavior you want.

For example, consider these steps (verified on LR CC 2015.7 / Windows 10):

1. Check the option Automatically Write Changes Into XMP.

2. Import a raw file DSC05480.ARW.

3. Add a caption to that file in the Metadata panel. This causes LR to write a .xmp sidecar containing the current filename:

         crs:RawFileName="DSC05480.ARW"

4. Do Library > Rename Photo to rename the file to Test006.ARW. The .xmp sidecar still contains the original filename:

         crs:RawFileName="DSC05480.ARW"

5. Change caption in the Metadata panel.  This causes LR to write a new .xmp sidecar, which contains the current filename, not the original:

        crs:RawFileName="Test006.ARW"

So the .xmp sidecar will only contain the original filename until you cause LR to write a new sidecar, either by doing Metadata > Save Metadata To File, or by changing metadata or develop settings and waiting for Automatically Write Changes Into XMP to write the sidecar.
Inspiring
November 25, 2016
I'm using Windows 10, Lr CC 2015.7. I have Automatically Write Changes Into XMP checked. Why would I want to uncheck it? It's working the way I want it to; it saves the original file name after renaming.
Lightroom version: CC 2015.7 [ 1090788 ]License: Creative Cloud
Operating system: Windows 10
Version: 10.0
Application architecture: x64
System architecture: x64
Logical processor count: 8
Processor speed: 4.0 GHz
Built-in memory: 32685.8 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 32685.8 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 806.3 MB (2.4%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 857.9 MB
Memory cache size: 7.1 MB
Maximum thread count used by Camera Raw: 8
Camera Raw SIMD optimization: SSE2,AVX,AVX2
System DPI setting: 96 DPI
Desktop composition enabled: Yes
Displays: 1) 1920x1200, 2) 1920x1080
Input types: Multitouch: No, Integrated touch: No, Integrated pen: No, External touch: No, External pen: No, Keyboard: No

Graphics Processor Info: 
AMD FirePro W5100

Check OpenGL support: Passed
Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.
Version: 3.3.13456 Core Profile Context FireGL 21.19.141.0
Renderer: AMD FirePro W5100
johnrellis
Legend
November 25, 2016

I'm observing something different on my LR CC 2015.7 / OS X 10.11.5.

- Which exact version of LR and Mac or Windows?  (Do Help > System Info).

- Is the option Catalog Settings > Metadata > Automatically Write Changes Into XMP checked or unchecked?

Try unchecking that option and then doing these steps:

1. Immediately after import into LR (with no existing .xmp sidecar):


2. After Library > Rename Photo:

No .xmp sidecar exists.

3. After doing Metadata > Save Metadata To File, the .xmp sidecar exists and contains the current filename, not the original (you can open the .xmp in Notepad or TextEdit):

crs:RawFileName="Test004.ARW"

4. After doing Library > Rename Photo again:


5. After doing Metadata > Save Metadata To File, the .xmp sidecar contains the current filename, not the original:

crs:RawFileName="Test005.ARW"

6. Bridge shows the same contents for that field (the current filename, not the original):

Inspiring
November 25, 2016
In the example above with the screenshots, the name change was made in Lr & then I went to Bridge to get that screenshot in which the Raw Filename is still the original.