Just wondering how others save their files. Lets say you photographed a tin can. Would you save your file for uploading to the micro sites as:

Tin Can.jpg
or
tin_can.jpg

I was taught to save as tin_can.jpg

Does it even matter which way you save your file for upload?

Tin can

The underscore is more for programing, space holder,  back in the old DOS days 

Why rename it? I upload them as camera saves it. Like DSC_3456.JPG...

+1

I rename all my files with my initials, the subject, the date, and the frame number.  That way, if I need to figure out what image I'm dealing with on a site, it makes sense.  If the client gets the file named that, it makes sense to them too.  And I never use spaces in filenames.  You don't know what havoc that will wreak.

slp_christmasTree_1216216_0022.jpg

My example of file naming is 2016_12_17_example_4k.mp4, that was an advice from a friend of mine.
File names right from the camera are not very good if you consider uploading to some new stock in the future since camera file names tend to repeat in some time. Or you might have the second camera from the same manufacturer as I do.

Why rename it? I upload them as camera saves it. Like DSC_3456.JPG...

Actually, the filename should increase SEO just as much if not more than the metadata ... which doesn't really help for microstock but, it's certainly useful if you're uploading elsewhere.

Quote from: Dumc on December 16, 2016, 14:23

Why rename it? I upload them as camera saves it. Like DSC_3456.JPG...

If you do composites, illustrations, or anything that isn't straight out of the camera, you need some sort of naming scheme to use. I prefer an organized life

I rename my raw files as well (date and a four digit sequence).

When you use a naming scheme, particularly for files in a series, it's a lot easier to deal with - the larger your portfolio gets, the more help these organizing steps are. So something from my recent remodeling series might have a Kit- prefix (kitchen), something descriptive - countertop templating - and the raw file number - 150707_0008.

If I blend exposures, I might have 161216_0206-209 for the range of raw files in the blend. There's lots more detail, but I think that the camera name is about the least helpful way to handling naming.

I don't worry about spaces any more - once upon a time they caused problems for file systems, but I think that's obsolete for the environments I'm working in, as are worries about length

You're an overachiever! I just let lightroom deal with that ... it likes folders and structure. But, for my freelance work it's all sorted and named by client/date/filename+date+revision+extension

Programmers just figured out that users experience less errors if they replace spaces with - or _ on upload. The environments are still the same, spaces don't work in urls and capital letters are different for windows environments vs. linux (one is case sensitive and one isn't, can't remember which) The micros rename the file anyway so it doesn't matter one bit.

Quote from: DallasP on December 17, 2016, 16:13

The micros rename the file anyway so it doesn't matter one bit.

I also thought it wouldn't matter since they rename them. Is the original name somehow stored with the file and searchable? On import the date is added to the front of the file in case of doubles and to find the file but otherwise that is it.

Pond5 and Videoblocks allow original names. Pond5: uploads > tech data. And yes, it's searchable for you.

I rename all my files with my initials, the subject, the date, and the frame number.  That way, if I need to figure out what image I'm dealing with on a site, it makes sense.  If the client gets the file named that, it makes sense to them too.  And I never use spaces in filenames.  You don't know what havoc that will wreak.

slp_christmasTree_1216216_0022.jpg

Yes and similar, I don't like underscores.

2016-12-19-tin-can-####-editnotes.jpg

They will always sort by date taken which makes things easier to find. Name instead of number tells me what it is. I can search my hard drives for a file. #### is if there are more of the same shoot and subject. Edit tells me if it's got a filter, downsized, made for a particular site, square, portrait.

I can easily find anything going back years with this simple system instead of having a mess of folders, names, numbers and nothing to tell me what it is.

Also I keep a copy in sent files, one folder for approved, one for rejected and one for edit and send again if I feel it's worth trying.

Original shoots are filed the same way, with images keeping original camera file names most of the time. What I mean is, edited files have a new name and originals are never edited versions. Trying to find something from 15 years ago is much easier if people start out with backups and organized storage. Otherwise it's wasting time looking for just numbers.

Searchs are smart enough now to ignore underscore and hyphens, didn't used to be that way. If somebody is worried about SEO it shouldn't matter. Most of the stock sites don't search file name, Google might, but only when stock sites include it in their system.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjCwJj6yYDRAhUj0IMKHdHJCdAQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shutterstock.com%2Fpic-28076497%2Fstock-photo-crushed-tin-can.html&psig=AFQjCNFgpZoLvCUrgfNbT8ZB8HXFweBOkA&ust=1482247783919012

directs you to http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-28076497/stock-photo-crushed-tin-can.html

SS adds stock photo before every image title on SS. Title is important, file name means nothing.