Most naming advice for photographers and filmmakers is written for someone renaming twenty photos after a weekend shoot. It falls apart the moment you have three cameras, a dozen cards, and a deadline the same night. Here's what actually holds up at volume.
The short version: don't rename camera-original files by hand. Put the meaning in the folder path (2026-09-11/Canon EOS R5/IMG_4471.CR3), write dates as YYYY-MM-DD, keep folder names to letters, digits, hyphens and underscores, and reuse the same template on every project.
Don't rename the camera-original files by hand
It's tempting to batch-rename IMG_0001.CR3 into something readable the moment
files land — but manual renaming at scale is where typos, accidental double-renames, and
broken links to sidecar files (XMP, THM) come from. The camera's own filename is already a
stable, unique-enough reference for that card; the information you actually want attached
to it — date, client, camera — belongs in the folder path, not scrambled
into the filename itself.
Let the folder structure carry the meaning
A path like 2026-09-11 / Canon EOS R5 / IMG_4471.CR3 tells you everything a
renamed file would, without touching the original name: when it was shot, which camera
shot it, and — one level up — which project it belongs to. It also means two cameras that
both produce IMG_0001 on the same day never collide, because they land in
different camera subfolders.
Use ISO dates, not "Sept 11" or "9-11-26"
Format dates as YYYY-MM-DD. It's the only format where alphabetical sort and
chronological sort are the same thing — your Finder window, your NLE's bin list, and a
script all agree on the order without you doing anything.
Avoid spaces and special characters in folder names
Spaces, accented characters and symbols like & # % in a folder name are
usually harmless — until that folder crosses into a cloud sync tool, a shell script, a NAS
with a different filesystem, or an NLE project file that stores an absolute path. Stick to
letters, digits, hyphens and underscores and you'll never debug a "file not found" caused
by a stray character.
Pick one template and reuse it on every project
The value of a naming convention compounds only if it's the same on project 40 as it was on project 1. An ad hoc structure invented under deadline pressure for "just this one shoot" is the one you'll be searching for at 11pm three months later.
How ShotGrab approaches this: it never renames your camera-original files. It builds the destination folder from a template you set up once — date, camera model, client, whatever you choose — and sanitizes anything you type into it before it becomes part of a path, so the same template just works, card after card, project after project.
Don't rename or move a destination folder mid-transfer
If a card is still copying into a folder, leave that folder alone until the transfer and verification are done. Renaming or moving it mid-copy is one of the more reliable ways to end up with files that never get properly written or verified.
Frequently asked questions
Should I rename camera files after importing them?
Not by hand. Manual renaming at volume causes typos, double renames and broken links to sidecar files such as XMP and THM. Keep the camera's file name and put date, client and camera in the folder path.
What date format should I use in file and folder names?
YYYY-MM-DD. It's the only common format where alphabetical order and chronological order are the same, so Finder, your editor and scripts all sort it correctly.
Which characters should I avoid in folder names?
Spaces, accented characters and symbols such as & # %. They can break cloud sync tools, shell scripts, NAS file systems and editor projects that store absolute paths. Stick to letters, digits, hyphens and underscores.
How do I stop two cameras from producing duplicate file names?
Give each camera its own subfolder. Two bodies that both write IMG_0001 on the same day never collide when they land in different camera folders.