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Batch Rename Files in Adobe Bridge

The next time you need to rename a set of files, don't do the job manually—use Adobe Bridge instead.

The next time you need to rename a set of files, don’t do the job manually—use Adobe Bridge instead. Bridge has a built-in feature called Batch Rename, activated from the Tools menu or Ctrl/Command+Shift+R. Select all (Ctrl/Command+A), and choose Tools > Batch Rename (Figure 1). Take a look at the dialog box (Figure 2), because there’s a lot to unpack here.

Figure 1. Batch Rename from the Tools menu is one of Bridge’s most powerful tools.

Figure 2. The Batch Rename dialog lets you choose whether to rename in place or move/copy files to a different folder. The rename options are extremely flexible and include adding sequence numbers.

Rename in Same Folder will rename the image files. You could also choose to move or copy them to a different working folder.

In our example, the New Filenames section replaces the file name with the phrase Kids Party_ plus the date, followed by an underscore, and a two-digit—because there are only 98 total images—sequence number. At the bottom of the dialog box you can see a preview of how the renaming will come out to be sure it’s what you want.

The important thing here is that, although we haven’t touched the order of the files on disk, Bridge will use its current sort order when it renames the files (Figure 3). Click Rename, and watch the magic happen!

Figure 3. All the files renamed with Batch Rename so they are in the correct time sequence

If you realize that you got the naming wrong, you can use the String Substitution feature to change it, say changing the word Kids to Children in this case. Figure 4 shows that dialog box.