# manual file sorting in Windows 7



## robnor1 (Oct 24, 2012)

Have a question I cant seem to find the answer too. Just purchased a new Windows 7 system. Need to be able to arrange my image files from two cameras in to one folder in the exact order I want them to be in. This was very simple in Windows XP but can not do it in Windows 7. You can not disable auto arrange in 7. When you rename a file in Win 7 it puts it in a location I dont want. Windows 7 is unusable for me. Just wondering how other wedding photographers are sorting their files from multiple cameras?


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## 2WheelPhoto (Oct 24, 2012)

google 

Arrange, sort, or group your files


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## 480sparky (Oct 24, 2012)

How do you want them ordered?  By Time and Date?  Click on that header in File Manager.  Bingo.... they're sorted!


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## MLeeK (Oct 24, 2012)

Keywording and file management in Bridge or Lightroom


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## robnor1 (Nov 7, 2012)

480sparky said:


> How do you want them ordered? By Time and Date? Click on that header in File Manager. Bingo.... they're sorted!



I want to put the images from my assistant's camera in to the folder with my images. I need to manually insert these images exactly where I want them in my folder. Example, I need to put image number 0045 from my assistant's folder right after image number 0095 in my folder and change its number to 0095a. In Windows 7, if you drag and drop it from assistants folder to my folder, it will auto arrange it to the 0045 position in my folder before I have a chance to renumber it. If you renumber it before you drag and drop it, it will auto arrange it in the original folder. There are all kinds of post about this in the Windows 7 forums. There is a download to disable auto arrange but it does not work in most cases for people who need to manually sort. I am just wondering how other wedding photographers are merging their images from two cameras and presenting them in the exact order they want?


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## table1349 (Nov 7, 2012)

In the exact order you want, you rename them all in the order you want.


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## KmH (Nov 7, 2012)

Using Windows 7 to manage your digital photographic assets, is like using trying to dig a big deep hole with a teaspoon.

Other wedding photographers use Bridge, or Lightroom's library module to rate, keyword, and sort images.

What image editing software do you use?


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## 480sparky (Nov 7, 2012)

robnor1 said:


> 480sparky said:
> 
> 
> > How do you want them ordered? By Time and Date? Click on that header in File Manager. Bingo.... they're sorted!
> ...



You're using the wrong tool to do the job then.


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## robnor1 (Nov 7, 2012)

KmH said:


> Using Windows 7 to manage your digital photographic assets, is like using trying to dig a big deep hole with a teaspoon.
> 
> Other wedding photographers use Bridge, or Lightroom's library module to rate, keyword, and sort images.
> 
> What image editing software do you use?




I use Photoshop for cropping, corrections, and enhancements. I have been using Windows XP to merge and arrange my images exactly like I want them. I dont necessarily want them sorted by time or date. I like to have camera 1 and camera 2 folders opened at the same time and drag the images from camera 1 over to camera 2 in exactly the position I need. I didnt think that was possible in Lightroom?


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## KmH (Nov 7, 2012)

So, which versions of Photoshop and Lightroom do you have?

If you don't already have it for ready reference, you might want to get - The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers


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## MLeeK (Nov 7, 2012)

You can do nearly anything in Lightroom or Bridge for file arrangement. The whole file system of having camera one and camera two is just a matter of how you make your files. The power in LR or Bridge is that if you keyword the files you can pull them up by ANYTHING and you can arrange them by ANY criteria  you want to create.  Here's one bit of information on arranging your files your way in LR Arrange Files Your Way in Lightroom
and another Photoshop Lightroom Reference Guide | Change How Photos Are Sorted in Lightroom | Peachpit

And for Adobe Bridge: Searching, sorting, and filtering in Bridge
And a great article on making bridge your assistant 7 Ways To Make Adobe Bridge Your Personal Assistant - DesignFestival



robnor1 said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > Using Windows 7 to manage your digital photographic assets, is like using trying to dig a big deep hole with a teaspoon.
> ...


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## ghache (Nov 7, 2012)

windows 7 sorting works the same way any windows did.


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## robnor1 (Nov 7, 2012)

ghache said:


> windows 7 sorting works the same way any windows did.



No it does not. There is no provision to turn auto arrange off. Check out the Windows 7 forums


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## robnor1 (Nov 7, 2012)

KmH said:


> So, which versions of Photoshop and Lightroom do you have?
> 
> If you don't already have it for ready reference, you might want to get - The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers



I have PS CS3. Dont have LR. The problem I see with both of these is the ability to have both camera folders up at the same time and drag the images I want from camera 1 folder to exactly the position I want in the camera 2 folder. I want to be able to merge a cake picture in camera 1 folder in to a series of cake pictures in camera 2 folder. With the little I have read on LR and Bridge it looks like you can only arrange the photos after all your images are in one folder. Not sure though.


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## The_Traveler (Nov 7, 2012)

How to Disable Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 7? - The Winhelponline Blog

Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable - Windows 7 Forums


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## robnor1 (Nov 7, 2012)

The_Traveler said:


> How to Disable Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 7? - The Winhelponline Blog
> 
> Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable - Windows 7 Forums



Thanks. Ive tried those fixes. It does not work. All Microsoft would have to do is put an on/off button for auto arrange. I have heard they did not address this in Win 8 either.


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## The_Traveler (Nov 7, 2012)

To be honest Rob, you are trying to do something with a tool that isn't made for it.
You were lucky in XP.
If you can use a text listing and don't need thumbnails, you can use Irfanview in slide show mode to resort them and then make a slideshow from that.

Or at Alex Fauland's easy to use tools and utilities you can use A.F.5 to sort and rename in sequence, better than Irfanview in that you then have a stable bunch of files but still no preview.
     I've used both and they work fine - and free.

Or you can break down and buy something that will work, thumbnails, sort, rename, the entire thing.


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## MLeeK (Nov 7, 2012)

robnor1 said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > So, which versions of Photoshop and Lightroom do you have?
> ...



I'd try using a collection to do this. YOu can put the images from folder 1 and folder 2 into one collection and then change the way that collection is sorted. It doesn't MOVE the images, but shows them all together as if they were.


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