# Batch renaming of images using capture date and time using Lightroom Classic



## MikeTitheradge (Jun 4, 2020)

I am fairly new to Lightroom  and have imported several years worth of images into Lightroom Classic 9.2 and I would like to batch rename several thousand photos based upon their capture time and date. I have looked at lots of videos for batch renaming using the date, but none mention using the capture date and Lightroom appears to use the import date from the small sample I have tried.  I can sort the photos using the capture date and think I  could then use a subset of these to rename each set of images using the capture date as a custom name but this would be fairly tedious with the number of images involved. I realise it would have been easier to rename the files prior to  importing and processing the images, but it is much easier with hindsight.  If anyone can help I would be very grateful.  Mike


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## Jim Wilde (Jun 4, 2020)

The date option when renaming in Lightroom does use the capture date, so provided all your images do indeed have a correctly-stored capture date, you should be able to rename them all in one go.

However, in the absence of a valid capture date in the image's metadata, Lightroom would use the file modification date (which would often be the import date). So you need to verify that the images that you tried to rename do indeed have a valid capture date (which would be shown as "Date Time Original" in the Metadata Panel, using the EXIF & IPTC view). It's entirely possible that older files, particularly scanned photos or jpegs that have been "saved" in the past, do not have valid capture dates.


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## MikeTitheradge (Jun 4, 2020)

Dear Jim.  Thanks for that.  I only tried it out on a small batch of photos shot on the same day and neither had a capture date in the metadata  for some reason and so it reverted to today's date when I imported this morning.  I had sorted over a thousand files this morning using their capture date but only tried to rename this small batch from a different folder without looking at their metadata.  A lesson to be learned for the future and I apologise for troubling you.  Many thanks for your help.  Mike


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## PhilBurton (Jun 8, 2020)

MikeTitheradge said:


> Dear Jim.  Thanks for that.  I only tried it out on a small batch of photos shot on the same day and neither had a capture date in the metadata  for some reason and so it reverted to today's date when I imported this morning.  I had sorted over a thousand files this morning using their capture date but only tried to rename this small batch from a different folder without looking at their metadata.  A lesson to be learned for the future and I apologise for troubling you.  Many thanks for your help.  Mike


Mike,

Most digital cameras. including phone cameras,  have the ability to embed the capture date and time into the photo, regardless of format, JPG or RAW.  I suggest that you check your camera's settings.

Also, you aren't "troubling" anyone.  This is a user-to-user forum, not connected in any way with Adobe.  I have found it to be an excellent (and friendly) forum to exchange information about Lightroom, regardless of your skill level at present.

Phil Burton


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