<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" 
      type="topic" style="task" 
      id="rename-multiple"> 
 
  <info> 
    <link type="guide" xref="index#edit"/>
    <link type="seealso" xref="format-change#multiple"/> 
    <desc>Automatically rename and number batches of pictures.</desc> 
 
    <revision pkgversion="3.24" version="0.1" date="2011-09-06" status="final"/> 
    <credit type="author"> 
      <name>Tiffany Antopolski</name> 
      <email>tiffany@antopolski.com</email> 
    </credit> 
    <license> 
      <p>Creative Commons Share Alike 3.0</p> 
    </license> 
 
  </info> 
 
<title>Rename many pictures at once</title>

<p>If you have lots of pictures that you want to rename, perhaps so that they have a standard, numbered name format:</p>

<steps>
 <item>
  <p>Open the <link xref="view#image-gallery">image gallery</link> by pressing 
  <keyseq><key>Ctrl</key><key>F9</key></keyseq>.</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>Select all of the pictures that you would like to rename from the image 
  gallery by holding down <key>Ctrl</key> and clicking them one by one.</p>
 <p>Alternatively, press <keyseq><key>Ctrl</key><key>A</key></keyseq> to select 
 all of the pictures.</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>Click <gui style="menuitem">Save as…</gui>. A window with 
  some filename options will appear (the picture, below, shows what this window 
  looks like).</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>The renamed pictures will be saved in the current folder by default. To
save them elsewhere, change the <gui>Destination folder</gui>.</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>Use the <gui>Filename format</gui> box to choose a naming format for the 
  pictures. The <gui>File Name Preview</gui> shows you what the new filenames 
  will look like. See the <link xref="#filename-format"/> section, below, for advice on choosing how to rename the files.</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>Ensure that the <gui>Filename Format</gui> drop-down list says 
  <gui>as is</gui>, unless you want to <link xref="format-change#multiple">convert the pictures to a different file format</link>.</p>
 </item>
 <item>
  <p>Click <gui>Save As</gui> and the pictures will be renamed.</p>
 </item>
</steps>

<media type="image" src="figures/multiple-rename-count.png" width="300"/>

<section id="filename-format">
 <title>Choose a filename format</title>
 <p>The filenames of the renamed files are determined by what you put in the 
 <gui>Filename format</gui> box.</p>
 <list>
  <item>
   <p>You can keep the original filename as part of the new filename by leaving 
  the <input>%f</input> in the box.</p>
   <p>For example, if you type <input>paris_%f</input> into the <gui>Filename format</gui> box, pictures called <file>flower.jpg</file>, <file>house.jpg</file>, and <file>cat.jpg</file> would be renamed to <file>paris_flower.jpg</file>, <file>paris_house.jpg</file>, and <file>paris_cat.jpg</file>.</p>
  </item>
  <item>
   <p>Adding a <input>%n</input> will number the pictures consecutively, 
  starting at the counter number you choose under <gui>Options</gui>.</p>
  <p>For example, if you type <input>sunshine_%n</input> into the <gui>Filename format</gui> box, pictures called <file>flower.jpg</file>, <file>house.jpg</file>, and <file>cat.jpg</file> would be renamed to <file>sunshine_2.jpg</file>, <file>sunshine_3.jpg</file>, and <file>sunshine_1.jpg</file>. (They will be numbered by alphabetical order of the original filenames.)</p>
  </item>
 </list>
</section>

</page>
