BowerStudios.com

If you are going to manage photos on your hard disk without something like shotwell, f-spot, or picassa, you might want to consider a file naming scheme.

I like:
YearMonthDay_Time_Second_OriginalFilename.type
which looks like:
20110211_1939_IMG_0757.JPG
from my Canon.

So, how do we get photos named as such? Here are two methods: Looking at Exif data when available, or rearranging what the camera manufacturer has named the photo.

Here is a script for canon digital cameras. It looks at the Exif data provided by the camera - just make sure your cameras date is actually set.

Here is a script for a Droid X - written in groovy. It simply rearranges the structure of the filename already present.

I would love to add a line this script to add a line of exif data to the photo... maybe another time.

My process (use case):
Drop new photos in a new directory.
Add this script to the directory.
Run the script.
Review photos (ensure nothing went wrong) and manually sort movie files.
Copy newly renamed files to their permanent location.