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- [Instructor] Let's take a look at the riveting

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world of naming conventions.

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If you are sometimes mystified by your file names

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or your project folder is beginning to look

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like a junk drawer, a standard naming convention

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can help tame the clutter.

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A file like this one could be anything.

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Not only that, but it's totally plausible

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that I have multiple files on my computer

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with the exact same file name.

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This can create some real problems in production.

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I like to name all my files in a given project

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using something like this.

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At a glance, I know that this file belongs

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with the Camtasia 2020 advanced project.

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It's my demo video, and for me, final means final.

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If I dig this up three years from now,

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I know that this video was the final output

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for this project.

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This is all, of course, just a guideline.

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You can make your naming convention as simple

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or as detailed as you need it to be.

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I also highly recommend naming your files

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before you import them into your media bin.

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Currently, there's no way to rename files

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here in the media bin, and if I rename this file

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in the Windows browser after it's been imported

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into Camtasia, either Windows just won't let me do it

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or I'll break the link and create

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the highly annoying missing file error.

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Now, if a client or colleague sends me files

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that don't fit my naming convention, I usually invest

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a few minutes to rename things before I begin production.

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I just right-click the file, choose rename,

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name it something that works for me,

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and now I can import it to the media bin

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without any problems.

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All that said, I don't always rename

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all the files in a project.

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It's just not always feasible.

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Things like a folder full of images or media downloaded

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from a site like TechSmith Assets, I just leave be,

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but I always rename the main files in a given project.

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Don't overthink it.

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The objective is to make your life easier

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and production smoother.

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Just create and use a file naming convention

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that works for you.