Advanced Renamer 3.94

Overview

Advanced Renamer is a batch renaming utility that has a rich history over more than a decade. It has continued to improve and add features as time has gone on and Windows versions have changed. But still the need for a powerful renaming utility to adjust file names in clever, systematic ways has not been removed with Windows improvements, so Advanced Renamer is still available today.

Renaming can be performed by creating a set of rules. The software uses tags to control image, music and information importing and how that data is incorporated into the file name changes.

Multiple methods can be used to rename a given set of files. This means that one rule can be followed by another, in sequence, to build out a unique file name sequence. There are eight methods available to change attributes, file names, timestamps, and more.

New file names can be created from scratch by combining, changing the letter case, swapping information, replacing certain parts of file names, removing other parts and putting together a unique file-name combination.

Photos get special attention here as there is a thumbnail mode that will provide a small preview of each photo in a folder. This can help to ensure that the right renaming rule is applied to the correct batch of photos. There is an EXIF meta data support too.

MP3 audio files can also be accessed with ID3 tag information used to create new file names that are more human readable.

Installation

The installation requires 24 MB to install. The process went as planned and there were no surprises.

No adware, toolbars or malware were slipped into the setup package.

Advanced Renamer requires Windows XP/Vista/7/8.

Interface

The interface for Advanced Renamer is a bit complex at the beginning. The sheer number of rules and options which can be a boon to renaming can be tough to get to grips with initially.

The look of the interface is clean and modern.

Some quick action buttons are shown at the top. The Renaming Method List is displayed down the left side panel. Add Batch Method panel is below that. The right side of the display is reserved for file lists and file selection to ensure that the correct files or folders are selected for renaming.

Pros

• Batch renaming utility that has a rich ten year history
• Images with EXIF support and GPS city location look up
• MP3 support with ID3 meta data assisting renaming process
• Rules-based renaming utility
• Modern interface
• Unicode support
• Undo functionality
• Image thumbnail preview before renaming
• Rename both files and folders
• Use tags with renaming
• Use multiple rules in sequence to create new renaming results
• Supports Javascript scripting

Cons

None.

Alternatives

Bulk Rename Utility can apply dates, remove numbers or special characters and make a host of other changes in the course of batch renaming in impressive fashion.

Conclusion

Advanced Renamer is an effective batch renaming package that has been around and updated for over 10 years. It includes many rules-based renaming options which make it a powerful option.