Dan Margulis Applied Color Theory

File Naming Systems

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 10:37:17 -0800
   From: Pat Sagers
Subject: File naming systems

I have around 100 gigs of scanned and corrected images on my harddrive.  I separate them by artist name and then a folder for each work.  I know programmers use a system to track all changes with files.  I was wondering if some of you would share how you keep track of the various stages an image would go through.  Over the last couple years, I’ve used a dozen different naming conventions, but have not really liked any of them.
 
Thanks for all replies,
 
Pat Sagers
 
Systems Engineer
Alliance Data Systems
(541) 389-0120 x1554 voice
(541) 389-8267 fax
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 11:52:26 -0800
   From: J Walton
Subject: RE: File naming systems

I like the system we use now.  Each image has an edit #.  So if your file is named “Car”, the file name of the worker would be Car_e1.psd.  The first time the file is edited, the edit number would go to Car_e2.psd.  The flattened TIFFs or EPS files retain the edit number, so you know which file you have placed in Quark or InDesign.

If you assign a specific job number to an image, it would go before the Description.  So the file would be 1234Car_e1.psd.

J
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 12:24:48 -0800
   From: CitizenRay
Subject: Re: File naming systems

Sure, Pat.

I think a good, simple example is:

12345a01.tif

“12345” is a job number. (A large shop may use 6 digits or more.) Attributable to a work order where as the work order should be attributable to an eventual invoice where as an invoice will historically show the work order. (Cross referenced.)

“a” is a code. It could be for a product, film type, color space, anything you imagine. It always follows the five-digit job number, without a space in my example, in order to keep file names short to an eight-dot-three convention. (A hold over from DOS.) It is letter, not a number, to identify and differentiate itself as the “code” position in the sequence.

“01” is the iteration/version of the file. (99 versions should be enough!)

“.tif” is DOS convention which really helps these days for CD compatibility of machines, players, etc.

Important things to know. . .

1) You’ll want all these files to sort and view as a list on your computer display, in a printed report, in a printed index for a CD cover, in your archive software, etc. So, the latest version will show up last (or first) in the list, naming errors and duplicates stand out like a sore thumb (a good thing), etc. Easy on the eyes.

2) The file name on disk is not necessarily meant to describe or contain all info about the file. That’s where a good archive/catalog software comes in. I use Extensis Portfolio which contains and brings in from Photoshop and others software descriptive data and a ton of other attributes. Files can live in different places such as CDs, hard drives, servers, etc. The all-important catalog database file is to be central and accessible and used to view the file attributes.

3) A simple number is superior than a client’s initial or abbreviation . . . then a number, etc. There’s good reason why we are identified by our SS numbers and not much more. The number references other records which tell more about us.

4) Gaps in a number sequence are unimportant. What is important is that they be “unique.”

5) Consistency is key.

Many shops also use a printed “Retouch/Revision” form or database where a production artist simply fills in changes/requests and time stamps the line item as they go down the list. Typically, the form might have 5 items to deal with in the layout and they are simply numbered line items on the form which are dealt with and then double checked by a supervisor or QC person. If there’s a hardcopy, each item is numbered the same as the line items on the form. This helps prevent oversights.

I hope this helps.

-Stephen Ray
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 14:35:53 -0600
   From: David Riecks
Subject: RE: File naming systems

Pat:

I work mostly in stock, but some with assignment. I don’t know if what I have will work, but it’s an alternative. basically I use the same file “name” but with a different “suffix” to indicate which stage/colorspace the image is in.

See (http: //ControlledVocabulary.com/imagedatabases/filenaming.html) for details.

David
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 16:22:18 -0500
   From: Dan Margulis
Subject: RE: File naming systems

David Riecks writes,

I don’t know if what I have
will work, but it’s an alternative. basically I use the same file “name” but
with a different “suffix” to indicate which stage/colorspace the image is in.

There’s a certain danger in that, in that PCs absolutely require the proper suffix, and Photoshop CS/Mac is more finicky than past versions. Since Photoshop 2, I have always named the original, uncorrected picture with a .raw suffix, both in my work and in color classes. Worked fine thru PS 7, but Photoshop CS won’t open them, or any other files that have a format-specifying suffix that doesn’t agree with the actual image data.

As for naming conventions, I have been saved many times over the years by a rule that whenever a file becomes dated (i.e. whenever a more current version exists) the dated file gets an xx. prefix and an .xx suffix. This is to ensure that nobody picks up that version unless they are really sure that it’s the right thing to do.

Dan Margulis
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 14:33:00 -0800
   From:Paul D. DeRocco
Subject: RE: File naming systems

From: Dan Margulis

There’s a certain danger in that, in that PCs absolutely require
the proper suffix, and Photoshop CS/Mac is more finicky than past
versions. Since Photoshop 2, I have always named the original,
uncorrected picture with a .raw suffix, both in my work and in
color classes. Worked fine thru PS 7, but Photoshop CS won’t open
them, or any other files that have a format-specifying suffix
that doesn’t agree with the actual image data.

Put your version control suffix before the file type extension.

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 17:35:25 -0500
   From: Laurentiu Todie
Subject: Re: File naming systems

To be kind to layout artists the job number should be the last part of an image’s name (leave the suffix to Photoshop).

If you’re making books, the page number should be the second part.

Laurentiu
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 15:50:48 -0600
   From: David Riecks
Subject: RE: File naming systems

Dan:

I think there is a confusion between what I’m calling a suffix and an “extension.” The suffix I’m referring comes after the filename but before the period and standard 3 letter extension.

Here’s a couple of examples from the page I was referencing:

Negatives
Example: 12035GD[suffix].[ext]

Slides
Example: an02002[suffix].[ext]

The suffixes I use primarily deal with the different color spaces, so that:

an02002a.tif = the “access” or preview file used when cataloging
an02002r.tif = the high resolution rgb image (typically colormatch for me)
an02002r.psd = might be the same version above with adjustment layers prior to flattening.
an02002c.tif = a version in CMYK

etc

The nice thing is that these can exist in the same folder with no issues, and if you have a number of different files together when you sort by filename all the like files are together.

David
___________________________________________________________________________

   Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 10:47:52 -0500
   From: Brian Pylant
Subject: RE: File naming systems

...PCs absolutely require the proper suffix...

I know this is a bit nitpicky, but the above is not implicitly true.

Windows requires the filename extension in order to properly associate a file with an application, but other than for that purpose no extension is required. You can happily save a TIFF with no extension, and you can also open this file into any TIFF-capable application as well (by using the File/Open command in the app, NOT double-clicking the document in Windows Explorer). If the application is filtering the file list you can tell it to show all files, or just type an asterisk for the filename and hit enter, forcing all the files to display. Select the one you want and away you go...

That having been said, in practical use it certainly doesn’t make much sense to intentionally not use filename extensions, but they are not “absolutely required” - I love when I see Usenet posts where someone is trying to open a Mac file on a PC, and they say something to the effect that “I added the .xxx filename extension like I’m supposed to and the file still won’t open - what’s wrong?” like adding the filename extension is going to magically fix whatever the problem is; in reality it’s one of the least-important parts of the cross-platform struggle, not the most.

Brian


Adobe Photoshop training classes are taught in the US by Sterling Ledet & Associates, Inc.