File names are not important in Lightroom
Tuesday 27 January 2026, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 1,761 views | 0 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Lightroom gives you complete freedom when using file names for your photos. But sometimes Lightroom adds something to the file name. If you have a system for naming files, this can look like 'clutter'. But nothing could be further from the truth. I'll explain why.
Suppose you have a system for the file names of your photos. For example, I use my initials, followed by the date and time. This means I can always find my files, anywhere. Both inside and outside Lightroom. It looks like this: NH20260120-172033
The photos automatically get this file name when importing them into Lightroom. I don't have to do anything else. It was set up once, and I don't have to give it any more attention. It's convenient, and above all, consistent.
But then I create an HDR from an exposure bracket, and the resulting new DNG file is named 'NH20260120-172033-HDR'. For a panorama created in Lightroom, 'NH20260120-172033-pano' will become the file name.
If I edit a photo in Photoshop, the new TIFF file is named 'NH20260120-172033-edited'. If I edit it again as a separate file in Photoshop, the new TIFF file will be named 'NH20260120-172033-edited-edited'.
Suppose you create an HDR for every photo in an exposure bracket, and then merge them into a panorama. Then you edit the photo in Photoshop, and after an edit in Lightroom, open the photo in Photoshop once again.
The file name then looks like this: NH20260120-172033-HDR-Pano-edited-edited. This looks very intimidating, and may seem undesirable. Especially if you then export the photo. Fortunately, there is a reason for it.
A new file is created for each of these edits. The addition lets you see immediately what type of edit it was. It's an HDR or a panorama, which tells you that it is a merge of multiple photos.
When the photo is then edited in Photoshop, or any other external programme, you can see this because the text '-edited' is added to it. This is useful information for managing your photo database. You can also see it in Finder or Explorer.
When you export to a JPEG to share, print, or use for another purpose, you don't want that long file name. That's logical. So create a file-name preset for use when exporting.
With a preset, you can simply use the original file name again, or a completely different one. That way, you won't be bothered by all those additions. At the same time, you keep all the useful information in your photo database.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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