Batch Processing Adds a Hyphen to File Names?

EB
Posted By
Erica_Brade
Feb 6, 2004
Views
1498
Replies
10
Status
Closed
We’re batch processing several hundred jpegs that came to use with Mac-style files names (spaces in them etc). No matter what we do (including ‘save’ in the action, not including it, whatever) Photoshop inserts a hyphen into the spaces. We need to retain the original file names for the client. Can anyone describe creating an action or some other method to make Photoshop retain the EXACT file name, spaces and all, in a batch process? Thanks!!!
Related Tags
add batch file name process

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Feb 6, 2004
Hi Erica,

Your situation sounds like a very good reason for Adobe to stop "hand-holding" users of Photoshop. Although having good intentions, I think the reason this hyphenation was added in PS CS when renaming files with spaces in their names, was to ensure no problems with file names used in web URLs. Of course, if one is working on behalf of a customer who has farmed out image editing work to them, then the customer’s files should definitely be kept intact in the form they were provided. I can imagine someone with a website where many images have been used, and yet they decide to make some sort of global edit to those images, only to find the files have all been renamed differently upon being returned to them. That would definitely be a source of frustration since renaming a file isn’t as simple as one would think it should be.

This sounds to me like a definite candidate for a "feature" removal in the next dot update of PS CS. As it is, I don’t see any way to disable it. I’d expect to see something about that in the preferences, but I don’t. I’ve got a feeling we’re stuck with this nuisance for now. Maybe someone else knows a trick that will work.

Regards,

Daryl
M
MarkATS
Feb 6, 2004
What process are you using for batching? I would suspect hypens if you were using Save for Web, otherwise, Photoshop doesn’t care if there are spaces in the file name when using the standard Save As jpeg
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Feb 6, 2004
Good point Mark…I’ve been using Save for Web so much more often than the standard Save As, that I overlooked that factor. Where I first encountered the renaming with hyphens was when I used the Web Gallery. No doubt it likely employs the same processes as the Save for Web does. I’d bet Erica is using Save for Web as you suspect.

Daryl
M
MarkATS
Feb 6, 2004
Even in Save for Web, if you uncheck ‘Unix’ in the Filename compatibility section of Output settings, Photoshop will leave the filename with spaces intact.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Feb 6, 2004
Thanks again Mark…you know, I figured something like this would surely have had an option provided to disable it. Obviously I looked in the wrong place and was a bit too quick to point blame at Adobe.

Hmmm….then again, as I now explore this further and see where those Output Settings are at, I’d at least suggest an improvement by not hiding those options where they are. Instead, they should be part of the File Handling preferences, which I think would be more intuitive.

Erica, if it’s not clear to you where these options area, follow the steps below or refer to the image at: <http://jazzdiver.com/photoshop/no_hyphen.htm>

1. Open an image and select Save for Web
2. In SFW dialog, select Save
3. In Save Optimized As, select Other… in the Settings drop-down menu
4. In Ouptut Settings, deselect Unix and OK the change.
5. Cancel out of all windows.
6. Save for Web, create Web Galleries, etc. as you like, with no hyphenated file names!

Hope that helps,

Daryl
M
MarkATS
Feb 6, 2004
additionally, uncheck the Mac option if your filenames are longer than 32 characters.

BTW, this is not a feature specific to CS. Should work the same in 6 and 7 as well.

instead, they should be part of the File Handling preferences.

S4W is a plug-in and has it’s own preferences file, that’s why they are separate.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Feb 6, 2004
Darn it Mark! 😉 I tend to think I’d have used Save for Web enough to have noticed that hyphenation before, yet I don’t recall ever seeing it. Sure enough, I do see the same setup in PS7, leaving me to wonder (but not wanting to reset my prefs to test it) if perhaps PSCS uses a default of Unix enabled while PS7 had it disabled. Either that or I just rarely to never used spaces in filenames and thus didn’t notice it until recently.

In any case, while I suppose this is better mentioned in the Features area, my opinion is that ut would make more sense for all users if preferences were grouped together in one common area, be they associated with native plug-ins or not. In fact, even if I’m wrong, it would nearly seem to me as if the File Browser may be a plug-in as well, yet PSCS includes some File Browser options in the Preferences. Perhaps in lieu of making file compatibility options an addition to the File Handling preferences, there could instead be an added Save for Web preferences listed in the Preferences drop-down. Just a thought.

Regards,

Daryl
L
larry
Feb 6, 2004
It’s not just the hyphenated names. Save For Web also truncates at 29 characters if you’re not careful with the preferences. I’ve been arguing for two years for S4W to not change file names as the default setting.

Larry Berman
M
MarkATS
Feb 6, 2004
I’ve been conditioned by the web to not use spaces in filenames anymore, even though I’m a Mac user from way back. I usually just run the words together or use underscores, so hypens were never an issue for me.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Feb 6, 2004
I’ve never used a Mac but have long followed the same approach Mark. I guess it has only been more recently that I departed from doing that and in turn saw this little nuisance behavior…but a nuisance no more.

I wonder if all this has answered Erica’s question? She must’ve been using SFW in her batch.

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections