====== File Naming ======

===== Quick Example =====

Name the scan file like this: ''2018-07-04_Fireworks-1_4x6print_48bpp_1200dpi_raw.tif''

^  Date  ^  Description  ^  Media  ^  Bits Per Pixel  ^  Dots Per Inch  ^  "Raw"  ^  Extension  ^
|  ''2018-07-04''  |  ''Fireworks-1''  |  ''4x6print''  |  ''48bpp''  |  ''1200dpi''  |  ''raw''  |  ''.tif''  |

===== Full Explanation =====

When **naming** the file, the following pieces of information should be included:

  - The **date** the photo was taken in the format ''YYYY-MM-DD'' for easy sorting[([[https://www.scanyourentirelife.com/what-everybody-ought-know-when-naming-your-scanned-photos-part-1/]])]. If the day or month is not known, these can be omitted, or use the format ''YYYY-xx-xx'' with ''x'' in place of the unknown numbers. If the exact year is not known, use the format ''YYYYca'' meaning "circa YYYY".
  - A one to three word **description** of the photo[([[https://www.scanyourentirelife.com/what-everybody-ought-know-when-naming-your-scanned-photos-part-2/]])], perhaps a place name or a person's name. If you have multiple photos with the same description, add a **number** that indicates the chronological order of the photo in the series, if known, starting with the number 1.
  - A **keyword** that describes the **source media** such as ''neg'' (negative) or ''4x6print'' (4x6 print). It is better to scan a larger photograph than a smaller one, so this field provides a quick indication of the quality of the scan, similar to ''bpp'' and ''dpi''. See below for more keywords to use here.
  - The number of bits per pixel, probably ''24'' or ''48'', to indicate the color depth of the scan.
  - The dots per inch such as ''1200dpi'' to indicate the pixel density of the scan.
  - Add the word "**raw**" to the filename to indicate that it is a raw scan.
  - The filename should end in ''.tif'' or ''.tiff'' //because you scanned directly to [[TIFF]], right?//

Other source media keywords you might use include:

^  Keyword  ^  Description  ^
|  ''2×3print''  |  Wallet-size print  |
|  ''4×6print''  |  4×6 print  |
|  ''5×7print''  |  5×7 print  |
|  ''6×6cmprint''  |  6×6cm print (old style)  |
|  ''8×10print''  |  8×10 print  |
|  ''neg''  |  Film negative  |
|  ''slide''  |  Slide  |

When you need to, feel free to make up your own keywords.

<WRAP tip>
Tip: avoid spaces in the filename, putting an underscore "_" where a space would go. When documenting the file, this makes it easy to determine where the filename ends.
</WRAP>

<WRAP important>
If you are saving all the scans into the same directory, you may need longer descriptions in the filenames to help distinguish photos from each other.
</WRAP>