Answer: client, YYYY-MM-DD date, padded number
Name client photo files that survive delivery
Name each file like smith-wedding_2026-06-14_001.jpg: shoots.page saves every download under your filename, so use the client or project, the date as YYYY-MM-DD and a zero-padded sequence, with hyphens or underscores instead of spaces. Pick a name that still makes sense years later.
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The pattern to copy
Pattern on the first line, a real example on the second.
{client}-{shoot}_{YYYY-MM-DD}_{seq}.jpg
smith-wedding_2026-06-14_001.jpgWhy it matters
Delivered photos move between phones and computers and end up in client archives for years. A clear naming pattern keeps each shoot together and in order, and makes files easy to find later. When a client asks about a print or a specific image, a distinct filename saves you both the guesswork.
The rules that survive everywhere
- Start with the client or project:
smith-wedding, notfinal selects - Date as YYYY-MM-DD so files sort by date and read the same in every country
- Zero-pad the sequence:
001,002up to147, so files sort in order - Hyphens or underscores, never spaces
- No special characters: Windows forbids
\ / : * ? " < > |in file names, and#,%and&have special meanings in web links - Keep the extension lowercase:
.jpg,.png
Rename at export, not by hand
Rename your files during export rather than by hand afterwards. In Lightroom Classic, the Rename To option in the Export dialog does it for you; our Lightroom export guide has the settings. To draft and preview a naming pattern before a delivery, use the free photo filename planner.
Common questions
Should I keep the camera filenames?
No. Camera names like IMG_4021.jpg mean nothing to clients, and they repeat: the counter starts over after 9999, and a second camera can produce the same names. That makes it hard to talk about a specific image.
Spaces or hyphens in filenames?
Use hyphens or underscores. A space turns into %20 when a file name ends up in a web link, and it needs quoting in scripts; hyphens and underscores need neither.
How long can a filename be?
On shoots.page, a photo's filename can be up to 255 characters, and download names are shortened to fit 180 bytes. Keep names far shorter in practice so they stay readable.
Does the client see my filenames?
Yes. In a shoots.page delivery gallery, clients see each filename in the photo viewer, and under each photo in the Classic design. Downloads keep your filename, with a .jpg extension for JPEG previews and for JPEGs made from RAW files. shoots.page swaps characters Windows forbids, such as : or ?, for an underscore, and a ZIP adds a four-digit number in front, such as 0001_.
Deliver the renamed set
Select your exports on the homepage and build the gallery draft before you even sign in. Free up to 2 GB.