14 DAY TRIAL // The tons of downloads on my computer are asking for a cleanup. I have millions of audio files ripped from original CDs, most of which are still named "Track01", "Track02" etc. It is frustrating to listen to a song and not to know at least the name of the artist. The millions of pictures gathered from this or that vacation are organized only because the container folders have specific names. Other than that, there is absolutely nothing to say where they were taken. If I accidentally mix them, I'd really have a hard time judging which belonged to what folder.
And yet, renaming solutions can be found anywhere on the Internet. The only effort from your part is finding the right one and learn how it works. And as everything is getting simpler and simpler I imagine there will be no sweat when doing this. Just think of IrfanView, a simple and free tool that can be efficiently used not only in batch renaming but also in batch converting images to another format. It can also be employed for other file types but it is quite slow on the job.
Flash Renamer instead deserves its name as it is specially designed to rename the files to whatever your needs are. The interface is nifty looking and comprehensive regarding the renaming needs and more. In fact it resembles very much a regular file manager as it allows you to set and remove file attributes, browse unhindered between the files and it even lets you rename entire folders.
The file browser is located in the right hand side of the application window and the thumbnail view combined only makes items easier to view. The instant previewer available shows in a jiffy the way the renamed file will look like the moment you make the renaming settings. If everything is cool, then all there is left to do is press the "Rename" button.
You will notice that besides the browser, there are two different options available: Free Select and Preset Manager. Free Select option allows you to add files from multiple locations of your hard disk and rename them as you want in an instant. If you want different files to be renamed differently, there's no problem. Just press the mouse wheel and set the desired name. In this case, the operation is executed as soon as you shift focus to another file or application window. There are no warnings and no alerts for this procedure.
Preset Manager is a flexible little tool specially designed to complete routine work quicker. As the name suggests, you can set a rename preset function and then apply it with a single click. The application already has a set of routines for you to try. But these are not personalized and they are general and maybe not to your liking. So customizing them is mandatory.
For this to happen all you have to do is add a new routine and then append the modifications you want the file names to suffer. That can be done by simply fiddling with the settings in the Common Options window (left hand side of the application window).
There are quite a few alternatives in this part of the window and they include "find and replace" tool (regular expressions can be used for finding patterns in text), casing of the filename or file extensions (you can add exceptions, too), add & remove characters instrument (you can add patterns between the letters of the file name or remove characters from the name).
Numbering all your files in folders is no sweat for File Renamer as you can change the expressions available any way you want and it is all visible in the preview section. When renaming a file, the software can be configured to start with a certain number and the order can be the normal one or random.
The developer of the application thought of all the MP3 files lying on your computer just waiting to benefit from some sort of ordering. You can automatically include information like the file size, current date and time, random letters, user defined name or a mix of all these options. It is all a matter of tags which can be used under any circumstance, regardless of whether you are in MP3 or Numbers tab of the Common Options.
Editor section allows you to manually rename the files in File Browser. This way, different names can be given to different songs, according to your needs.
Space trimming, letter case changing, inserting different characters after X letter of the name, creating a standard file name format by means of tags, creating presets for routine jobs, find and replace characters, adding numbers to the file name, these can all be done with File Renamer. And the actual renaming operation does not take more than a few seconds (I renamed 20 files in a little more than a second).
The Good
File Renamer can be used to change the name of any file or folder on your computer. The flexibility in giving new names to the files is amazing. And for routine jobs you can create name presets to make your work easier.
To err is human and Flash Renamer knows this. That is why you can undo your changes as many times as you want.
The Bad
The online help file should be a little more explicit and if it had been incorporated in the application, it would definitely have been better.
If by any chance you want to rename the files and save the changed ones in a different folder than the original, you will have to move them to the desired location and make the renaming there. You cannot save the renamed files elsewhere than in the original location.
Another baddie would be the price. But when you see what this marvel can do, you simply forget about it.
The Truth
A very good, reliable application and a trustful helper in renaming large amounts of files. The operation is fast and on the spot. Highly flexible, Flash Renamer successfully renames all the files in a jiffy. And the preview and name preset options are real candies in the features of the application.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
