Having proper file naming and folder structures in place makes it easy to find images, see key information at a glance and ensure you do not lose images. It also means if you are using our In-House option, that you will be able to run our Script that will automatically find and pull out all of your approved RAW and high res images once the cast have finished their approvals.
If you do not follow these steps, the script will not work and you will need to pull out your approved images manually so taking the time to do this at the beginning will save you hours later.
If you are a publicist or producer, download our PDF Image Delivery Guide to give to your photographer or direct them to this walkthrough page. This way, the images should already be in the correct format when delivered to you, saving you even more time.
If your photographer has provided your stills in the format below, first double-check there are no errors then jump to Step 2.
We HIGHLY recommend forwarding this PDF to your photographers at the start of production and making sure they adhere to these specifications.
In case your photographer has already left your production and you need to do this yourself, please follow the steps below. This step is the most important to get right so if you are struggling, please contact your Image Approvals account manager for support.
Folder structuring – Basic Delivery (Recommended)
Having the following folder structure in place is vital for maintaining a quick and secure workflow and also enables our software to automatically separate your images into Killed and Approved folders once the cast have finished their kills. Please organise your folders as per the below:
>Production Name
—–>Shooting day and file format
Eg:
Example Production Name
2022-01-01_RAW
2022-01-01_JPG Full Res
2022-01-01_JPG Low Res
2022-01-02_RAW
2022-01-02_JPG Full Res
2022-01-02_JPG Low Res
2022-01-03_RAW
2022-01-03_JPG Full Res
2022-01-03_JPG Low Res
Excluding any .XMP files, there should be the same number of images within the RAW, JPG Full Res and JPG Low Res folders. If there are not, you are likely missing images from your photographer so check in with them if this is the case.
The other cause of having mismatched numbers of images is that the photographer may have included multiple versions or edits of the same images. Keep reading to see how to handle this.
What if my photographer hasn’t supplied low res JPGS?
It’s a very quick and easy process for a photographer to supply their images to you as low res JPGS, and it is these you will upload to the Image Approvals platform.
However, if asking them to supply these is not an option for you, you can easily do so yourself by following this guide on how to create low res JPGS.
What about additional images?
Some photographers like to submit edits or selects and we have given them advice on how to do this in the downloadable PDF above. However, if they have not followed the instructions laid out in the PDF, you can manage their additional files by giving them their own folder. For example;
Example Production Name
2022-01-01_RAW
2022-01-01_JPG Full Res
2022-01-01_JPG Low Res
2022-01-01_JPG Selects
2022-01-01_Edits
2022-01-02_RAW
2022-01-02_JPG Full Res
2022-01-02_JPG Low Res
2022-01-02_JPG Selects
2022-01-02_Edits
2022-01-03_RAW
2022-01-03_JPG Full Res
2022-01-03_JPG Low Res
2022-01-03_JPG Selects
2022-01-03_Edits
Why is it important to do this?
Each version of an image should exist in its own folder so that they can all share the same filename. This enables you to run the Image Approvals Script that automatically pulls out your approved images at the end of the process.
Ideally, you want to ensure your photographer follows the steps in this PDF guide as it is much more time efficient for everyone if they do so.
File naming
Your images should follow this file naming convention:
ProductionNameorAcronym_EpNumber(if TV)_Photographer’sInitials _ 4 digit image number_OriginalCameraFilename
Eg. DemoTVShow_Ep4_2020-01-01_AS_0001_DSC2235
- Start each day’s image count at 1.
- Double-check your RAW image filenames are absolutely identical to their JPG and other file format counterparts. Do not change anything between them other than the file extension, this includes not adding signifiers of editing such as adding -edit to any edited JPG images. For instance, if an image appears in multiple folders (RAW, JPG Full Res, JPG Low Res, JPG Selects and Edits) it MUST have the same filename in each folder.
If this is not the case then the script may not be able to identify and pull out your approved images once the cast have completed their kills, meaning you will have to do this manually.
Photographers: we recommend creating your JPGS only AFTER you have renamed your RAW files so that you can be sure they are identical. - Do not include any periods (.) in your filenames other than the one immediately before the file extension eg .JPG .DNG etc Doing so risks corrupting your images.
Why do this?
- It makes it easy to retrospectively find images and identify episodes if applicable.
- The production can identify who took the shot when sharing a job with other shooters and credit correctly.
- It ensures there are no duplicate filenames which can cause confusion and contractual issues should you accidentally release a killed image that has the same filename as an approved image.
- Enables you to use the sorting script at the end of the approvals process to save you hours of work.
How to rename images in bulk:
If you are a publicist or producer and have already received images from your photographer and they do not follow the above convention, here is a quick guide on how to do this yourself.
Next Steps…
Now that you’ve got your images nicely organised, it’s time to upload them! Click the button below to move on to the next step.