How To Archive on filename characters (Underscores vs. Hyphens)
This short video from How To Archive is more of a personal convention note than a technical breakdown. Photographer Michael Grecco briefly explains when he chooses underscores or hyphens in filenames. The main focus is making files compatible and readable across systems, with a nod to SEO practices when putting images online.
Steps to follow
- Use underscores instead of spaces when naming files for internal storage
- Use hyphens when naming files for web publishing or SEO
Advice
- Avoid spaces in filenames to ensure compatibility across systems
- Use SEO-friendly naming (e.g.
actor-steve-martin-by-photographer-michael-grecco.jpg) when putting files on the web - For internal use, choose one convention and stick with it—underscores in this case
- There’s a difference between what’s readable for a system and what’s searchable online
You can watch the original video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xrGIc0zu6Y. It’s not very in-depth, but still a helpful reminder to be intentional about naming conventions based on use case.