Affinity Photo changing files names and does keep a filename once renamed ?

[LaR]

Hi everyone,  

I am a definitely a newbie to Affinity. My experience has been with Apple Photos for the last several years, but I have used Adobe Creative Suite years ago. However I did not expect a photos file name to be totally changed bringing into Affinity and again exporting back out.   Here is how the scenario played out:

1.  Clicked 'open' in Affinity, went to Apple Photos and selected a photo w/ file name: R0000562.JPG

2.  once Affinity had the photo up on the workspace the file name changed to:  62317C20-DAF2-4...1C7.jpeg

3.  I renamed the photo file name to:  GRiii_06272024.jpg

4.  Once I completed editing I transferred back to Apple Photo via the "share" tab as Apple Photos does not show up as an option under "export to" -

     via "share" my photo did make it back to Apple Photos only now it changed again under file name:  image 8-5-24 @4:56PM.jpg

Note:  I did this twice with two different photos,  same thing happened.

QUESTION:  How do I make this stop ?  How do I keep the file name I give it?  How the bleep do I keep my photos organized and with proper file names and use Affinity ??  

I may be missing something very simple and not one to shy away from admitting a failure on my part.  That stated any help would be greatly appreciated.

cheers,

LaR

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Affinity forums. 

As it may make a difference, what release of Affinity Photo are you using, and what release of macOS?

[LaR]

I realize I ought to add a few logistical details to my previous post:   Affinity changing file names importing and exporting

Computer:  MacBook Pro w/M1. with os Monterey 12.2.1 

Computer is new to me.  

Previous setup is a MacBook Air 2014 w/ High Sierra 10.13.6. (yes, I live with technology for long periods)

Affinity ver 2.5.3  downloaded two days ago.

I am on a fix budget so the desire for a stand alone program like Affinity is preferred option.

thank you,

LaR

[LaR]

Hi Walt Ferrell,

release:  2.5.3. downloaded two days ago

MacBook Pro M1 -  os Monterey 12.2.3

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, LaR said:

1.  Clicked 'open' in Affinity, went to Apple Photos and selected a photo w/ file name: R0000562.JPG

Where exactly (the complete file path) did you go in Apple Photos to select a photo with that file name? 

[LaR]

Hi R C-R,

I tried this morning again to actually export photo file from inside Apple Photos again - this cannot be achieved a) Affinity Photo app appears as a possible destination but is shadowed and unable to select b) also tried with selecting 'unmodified original' and get the message 'original file is read only'.

my equipment:  MacBook Pro w/ M1 (2021, but I only just got it)      OS is Monterey 12.2.1.         Affinity Photo Ver. 2.5.3

This Mornings example:

* From inside Affinity Photo ~  click FILE > OPEN > media: Photos > and selected a photo from thumbnails (filename R0000504.JPG ) 

this brings photo file into Affinity from Apple Photo and this is when the filename changes (new filename:  3B9C7E25-D523-41AC-B7BC-8624BB149A6A.jpg )

* I do my edit go to FILE > SAVE   (filename does not change )

* To get edited photo back to Apple Photos I have to use FILE > SHARE > add to photos      

photo file goes back to Apple Photo with yet another filename change  (third filename change and no metadata included:  image 8-6-24 @7.58 AM.jpg )

** I also tried to FILE> 'save as' > renamed back to original filename with a PNG vs JPG before going to FILE > SHARE > add to photo.  

 In Apple Photo it was renamed back to ( image 8-6-24 @8.21 AM.jpg ) this time.

*** Thoughtful stirrings this morning has me suspicious that all these newer OS and their proprietary programs may be only geared towards Cloud and Internet storage, thus on export a really long filename is generated due to the Cloud having such massive data to keep track of????     Perhaps I am attempting something with Apple Photo that really needs to be done in another program?   Any recommendations of an easy to use organizer w/ Import, Culling, Catalog and variety of viewing options that is not subscription based?

OR

Am I missing something really basic ??    I admit I am neither tech nor software savvy. But I can learn.  It is my love of photography that has me with a new computer and wanting to learn digital darkroom software.   Please keep in mind this novice is migrating from a 2014 MacBook Air w/ High Sierra 10.13.6 to a 2021 unit. 

[h_d]

Apple Photos has its own internal database of images, thumbnails, originals, edited versions, dates, more.

Without going into a lot of detail, if you go through the route you describe, making edits and trying to save it back into Photos, you risk at least creating duplicates (as you've found) or at worst knackering your Apple Photos database. 

I would strongly advise you not to continue with that way of working.

The simplest and safest workflow if you want to edit Apple Photos images in Affinity Photos is to start in Apple Photos itself.

Find the image you want to edit in the Apple Photos browser, click once on it to select it, then press the Enter key to switch to Apple Photos' editing environment. 

Now click on the three dots in the top right corner of the editing screen and choose Edit in Affinity Photo:

 

Make your edits in Affinity Photo, save and close. No need to flatten the image or anything - Affinity Photo knows it's an Apple Photos image and will do that in the background.

You'll now be taken to a screen in which you are asked if you want to save back into Apple Photos:

 

Click the Save Changes  button in the top right and this will take you back to the Apple Photos editing environment. Click Done and your changes will be saved as the edited version in Apple Photos. You can revert it to the original in Apple Photos by clicking the Revert to Original button in Apple Photos' editing environment:

 

ADD: Another word of warning: don't be tempted to right-click on images in Apple Photos browser window and choose "Edit with Affinity Photo". Again, it will cause you more trouble than it's worth. Reasons here.

 

[R C-R]

18 minutes ago, h_d said:

Without going into a lot of detail, if you go through the route you describe, making edits and trying to save it back into Photos, you risk at least creating duplicates (as you've found) or at worst knackering your Apple Photos database. 

I don't think there is any risk to the Photos database with that workflow itself. It does not, as the OP assumed, change the name of any photos --  the Share step just creates duplicates in Apple Photos with those long names.

That said, there is a significant risk to the database if in AP one then uses Open Recent after doing an open from Media > Photo because it will expose a part of the Photos library that is normally hidden & should never be accessed or edited outside of Apple Photos.

I have complained about this almost since the first version of AP was released but nothing has ever been done about it.

[h_d]

A couple of side-thoughts on this.

1) Your problems are not connected with your machine, or your OS, or iCloud, or the length of the filename.

2) I've used the workflow outlined above almost every day for the years over different versions of macOS and different machines and apart from a few teething problems many years back it's always worked really well.

3) The Media>Photos option in the macOS Open dialog works if you want to embed images in another application (for example Apple Pages). But using it to open images for direct editing is going to lead to the problems you have experienced.

4) The name you're seeing in Apple Photos (R0000504.JPG) is the Image Display Name, not the file name. It is the same as name of the original file you imported from your camera/memory card (unless you change it to something more descriptive in Apple Photos). But the actual permanent file name (in the Apple Photos database) is 3B9C7E25-D523-41AC-B7BC-8624BB149A6A.jpg. As @R C-R says, "Sharing" back to Apple Photos will create a new image file with a new file name, generated by Affinity Photo and based on the current date and time, which will be used by Apple Photos as the display name of the image. This will be a duplicate of the original.

5) Images edited in Affinity Photo using the workflow I've described retain their original display name and underlying database file name. They have the added bonus that in the Apple Photos' browser window they display a little icon that looks like three sliders:

 

to indicate that they've been edited. The fact that you can't see it if there's sky or any sort of light background at the top of the image is one of the less impressive elements of Apple's UI design. (The other icon indicates that the image has an associated GPS position.)

[h_d]

15 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I don't think there is any risk to the Photos database with that workflow itself. It does not, as the OP assumed, change the name of any photos --  the Share step just creates duplicates in Apple Photos with those long names.

The 'long names' are the filenames in the Apple Photos database structure:

 

(Not to be messed with under any circs...)

18 minutes ago, R C-R said:

there is a significant risk to the database if in AP one then uses Open Recent after doing an open from Media > Photo because it will expose a part of the Photos library that is normally hidden & should never be accessed or edited outside of Apple Photos

100% agree with this.

[R C-R]

1 minute ago, h_d said:

The 'long names' are the filenames in the Apple Photos database structure:

True, but my point is the Share > Photos step in the OP's workflow will not overwrite the original; it will just create a duplicate file. So that workflow itself does not put the DB at risk.

[LaR]

Oh my !  h_d  &  R C-R

Thank you both for your input.  I will put steps into action this evening and let you know how things flow.

And so good to know about the actual filenames in Apple Photo. Phew, that is a relief.

Do either of you have any suggestions for other photo management software that plays well with Affinity Photo, Designer & Publisher combined?

 

[h_d]

3 hours ago, LaR said:

Do either of you have any suggestions for other photo management software that plays well with Affinity Photo, Designer & Publisher combined?

Not personally, but search these forums for Digital Asset Management (or DAM) and you'll find some suggestions.