Import and rename photos via Automator and ExifTool

Hiya,
Just finished my work on a Automator workflow in order to import and rename photos from a portable hard disk.
I had the problem that my portable hard disk (with integrated card-reader) was not recognised by Image Capture or Aperture. Therefore I couldn't import my photos straight away into Aperture.
Another problem I had was that Aperture doesn't rename photos while importing. Whereas other Automator actions offer this feature, they all didn't fulfill my requirements - yeah, I can be very fussy
That's why I started initially to write a Perl script based on ExifTool in order to copy and rename photos to my liking. Once this was done and very much in use, I started to put it into an Automator action with a little AppleScript around it.
Eventually, I initiated the entire Automator workflow with the Check For Disk action.
More information and the files needed can be found on my website http://photography.stephanjaeger.eu/2007/03/improve-your-digital-photography-wor kflow.html.
The only drawback of this script is that only one camera is supported. At the moment, I work on a solution to support several cameras.
The Perl script can used by itself, if you feel comfortable in using the Terminal.
I hope you find the information and the Automator action helpful.
Any feedback appreciated.
Best regards,
Stephan Jaeger
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2.66 GHz, 4 GB RAM

Brian,
Thanks for giving it a try. Let me know how you get on!
If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to contact me.
By the way, you don't have to use an external hard disk. You could replace easily the first step in that workflow with an other action, such as defining a folder that should be monitored, or selecting manually a folder that contains photos.
I hope that I find some time over the week-end to make some changes to the script. I will set up as well a page on my web site with more details.
All the best,
Stephan

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http://idisk.mac.com/phildame/Public/Pictures/Skitch/iPhoto-20080308-111415.jpg
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Phil
Two issues there:
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Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
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FWIW-
 It's something I'll never use, as I disllike the idea of backing up photos I've no use for. Mileage varies, tho, and it's a good system in some instances.
 
 
John "McPhotoman"
 color="#800000" size="2">~~ John McWilliams
 
 
 
 MacBookPro 2 Ghz Intel Core Duo, G-5 Dual 1.8;
 Canon DSLRs

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Import and rename photos via Automator and ExifTool

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