A Simple Bash Script to Download and Organize Photos

Productivity Sauce
When it comes to dowloading photos from a storage card and organizing them in the process, Rapid Photo Downloader is just the ticket. But if you prefer to do that from the command line, here is a simple Bash script cobbled together by yours truly.
#!/bin/bash SOURCE_DIR="/media/NIKOND5000/DCIM/100D5000" WORK_DIR=TMP TARGET_DIR=Photos cp -R $SOURCE_DIR $WORK_DIR cd $WORK_DIR exiftool -r -d ../$TARGET_DIR/%Y%m%d/%Y%m%d-%H%M%S- '-FileName<$dateTimeOriginal$MyShutterCount.NEF' -ext NEF ../$WORK_DIR rm -rf ../TMP
The script copies photos from a mounted storage device like an SD card to the TMP folder, organizes the photos into folders by date, and then renames each photo using the data pulled from the photo's metadata. Photos are renamed using the YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS-ShutterCount.EXT format, so the resulting file name looks something like this: 20102019-135547-3375.NEF.
There are two things required for this script to work. First of all, you need to install the exiftool package which the script uses to extract relevant metadata, arrange photos, and rename them. exiftool is available in the software repositories of many mainstream Linux distributions, so you can install it using your distro's package manager. On Ubuntu, you can do this by executing the command below:
sudo apt-get install libimage-exiftool-perl
You also need to create the .ExifTool_config file in your home directory, and put the following function in it:
%Image::ExifTool::UserDefined = ( 'Image::ExifTool::Composite' => { MyShutterCount => { Require => 'ShutterCount', ValueConv => 'substr("$val", 0)', }, }, ); 1; #end
Adding the .ExifTool_config file is required only if you want to include the shutter count value in the file names. In case you use another renaming rule, you can skip this step.
Before you start using the script, specify the correct SOURCE_DIR value and the file format (e.g., RAW, CR2, or JPG).
That's all there is to it. Insert the card with photos, run the script, and it will download the photos, arrange them into folders, and rename them.
Sources:
http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/exiftool/forum/index.php/topic,2320.0.html
http://owl.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/config.html
comments powered by DisqusIssue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.