Organizing Media Files: Combining Pictures and Videos from Multiple Folders

Many of us have accumulated a large number of pictures and videos across various folders over time. This redundancy makes it difficult to find specific files or access them quickly. Fortunately, with the help of tools like Total Commander, organizing these files into a single, well-structured folder based on their creation date can be a simple process. This article will guide you through the steps to achieve this using Total Commander, and discuss alternatives for other operating systems.

Using Total Commander

Total Commander is a powerful file-manager that offers a wide range of features for organizing files and directories. Below are detailed steps to combine all images and videos from multiple folders into one folder based on the date they were created, without including other file types like documents.

Brief Overview of the Process

1. Launch Total Commander.
2. Navigate to the main folder containing all the files you want to organize.
3. Use the search feature to find all the image and video files.
4. Move or copy these files to a single folder containing only media files.
5. Optionally rename or sort the files by date.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Launch Total Commander and browse to the main folder containing all the files you want to organize.

Step 2: Open the search box by pressing ALT F7.
Step 3: Input the following file extensions in the search box and press Enter: .mp4 .avi .flv .mov .divx .m4v .mpg .mpeg .asf .jpg .jpeg .png .gif .bmp .tif. Customize this list based on the file types you have.
Step 4: Click the Feed to listbox button. All the matching files will now be listed in the left pane.
Step 5: Select all the files by pressing Ctrl A.
Step 6: Sort the files by date using the Date button in the tab header at the top of the window.
Step 7: If needed, rename the files to a desired format or remove unwanted characters.
Step 8: Move the files to a different folder using Ctrl C and Ctrl V (copy and paste).
Step 9: Organize the files as needed (renaming, sorting, etc).

Automated Solutions for Other Operating Systems

If you find yourself performing this task frequently, you might consider using a custom script. Below are a few options for different operating systems:

Linux and macOS

For these systems, you can write a bash script or Python script to accomplish the same task. Bash is a popular scripting language on Linux and macOS, and Python can be used for more complex tasks. Here’s a simple bash script example:

#!/bin/bashfind /path/to/main/folder -type f ( -name "*.mp4" -o -name "*.avi" -o -name "*.flv" -o -name "*.mov" -o -name "*.divx" -o -name "*.m4v" -o -name "*.mpg" -o -name "*.mpeg" -o -name "*.asf" -o -name "*.jpg" -o -name "*.jpeg" -o -name "*.png" -o -name "*.gif" -o -name "*.bmp" -o -name "*.tif" ) -print | while read f; do mv "$f" /path/to/destination/folder; done

This script searches for files with specific extensions in the specified folder and moves them to a destination folder.

Windows

For Windows, you can create a PowerShell script. While I don’t know the specifics of PowerShell, here’s a basic example:

Get-ChildItem -Path C:pathtomainfolder -Include *.mp4,*.avi -Recurse | Move-Item -Destination C:pathtodestinationfolder

This script finds all .mp4 and .avi files in the specified folder and its subfolders, then moves them to a destination folder.

Alternatives to Total Commander

For those who find Total Commander too expensive, there are many free alternatives that offer similar functionality. Some popular ones include:

Double Commander Everything SxExplore

These tools can help you manage your files more efficiently, even without the paid features of Total Commander.

Conclusion

Using Total Commander or a combination of scripts can significantly streamline the process of organizing your media files. This not only improves the organization of your file system but also makes it easier to find and access your pictures and videos quickly. Whether you prefer a user-friendly interface or a more automated solution, there are plenty of tools available to meet your needs.