Filter & Rename
Organize your media during a transfer, not afterwards.
Ever connected a backup and had no clue where to start looking? Wade through all the cruft, only to find file names that do not make sense?
Backing up media is about more than merely copying data as fast as possible. Deciding what goes where and how is just as important.
The “where” has always been at the core of Hedge (Pro tip: Labels). Today, we’re adding the “what” and “how” – meet Filter & Rename.
Filtering
The time that one shot resulted in a single file is far behind us . A slew of sidecar, metadata, and thumbnail files is generated alongside clips. Some workflows require them; some don’t.
And it’s not just about camera media; apps like Resolve and ProTools create render files to speed up loading a project. It’s not always a given that you want to keep those when backing up projects. So, filtering in Hedge is all about deciding what not to copy. It’s a blacklist:
As everyone’s workflow is different, there are no pre-set values; you decide which file types will be ignored.
Renaming
Now that you’re backing up only the files that you need let’s make sure you don’t lose track of them. Filenames often do not give you much to go on when looking for a specific clip. So, adding some useful info to your shots is a future proof way to manage media. After all, folders are not metadata.
The case for renaming camera originals is most apparent when working with DSLRs: a typical filename contains an identifier (“EOS”) and a file counter. There’s no project name, date, reel, or other contextual information available. Adding at least a Source Counter saves you from the trouble of having files named identically when your camera counter does a loop-the-loop!
Likewise, frame-based media results in vast amounts of files all named something along the lines of A001_C003_00000001. Renaming these files makes sense if you want to add a project name or timestamp, but do not replace the original filename altogether — you want to keep the counter.
Sony cameras generate a folder structure and multiple sidecar files. Depending on your workflow, you either Auto Source the CLIPS folder and copy only MXFs, or you need all sidecar files and thus copy the complete camera card. If you need the whole card, don’t rename — it will break the links to the sidecars containing metadata. If you work with just the MXFs, renaming is fine.
Folders
You might have noticed in the screenshots Filter & Rename are part of a new Organize settings panel. Folders have moved there, paving the way for some exciting new features we have lined up: Presets, Source Review, and Clip Review.
Both Filter and Rename offer a lot of possibilities for power workflows, so we’re all ears to add more parameters and options 👉 @hedgeforvideo
Filter & Rename is available in Hedge 19.3 on Mac and Windows as an in-app update. If you want to keep your current Hedge next to this new update, you can simple rename your Hedge app and download a fresh copy here: