Quick Transfer and Rename

Use these tools when you want a one-off file operation without creating a saved workflow.

Quick Transfer handles copy, move, or export operations with templates and filters
Quick Rename renames filesystem items in place using template variables

Need one-off processing steps too? Use Tools > Quick Workflow… when selected items need workflow-style steps such as RAW conversion, resize, watermark, framing, metadata stripping, crop application, or IPTC template application without saving a workflow.

Open the Tools

From the photo context menu:

Copy/Move Item(s) for Quick Transfer
Rename Item(s) for Quick Rename

Keyboard shortcuts:

Cmd + Y — open Copy/Move Items…
Cmd + Shift + M — open Rename Items…

Quick Rename is available for filesystem items only. Apple Photos selections use Quick Transfer export behavior instead.

Quick Transfer

Quick Transfer is designed for one-off delivery jobs from the current selection.

Source-Type Behavior

Filesystem selection — supports Copy and Move
Apple Photos selection — exports by copy only
Mixed Apple Photos and filesystem selections are not combined in one Quick Transfer run

Destination and Naming

Quick Transfer lets you configure:

Location — choose the destination folder
Subfolder — optional folder structure under the chosen destination
Filename — rename exported files during transfer
Sequence starts at — appears when your templates use {Sequence}
Preview — shows the resolved destination path for the first selected item

If your templates use session variables, PhotoCuller shows the required fields before you can run the transfer. You can save those values as a session preset and reuse or update the preset in future Quick Transfer runs.

PhotoCuller replaces characters that cannot be used in filenames.

Options

Existing File Handling — Skip, Overwrite, Append Number, or Append Timestamp
Finder Tag — apply a macOS Finder color tag to delivered files
File Type — All, RAW Only, Non-RAW Images, Image Only, or Video Only

Additional options depend on the source and operation:

Export — for Apple Photos selections, choose All Files, Originals, Original JPEG Only, RAW Only, or Edited Only
Include XMP sidecars — for filesystem copy/move operations when you want rating, flag, and color-label sidecars exported too

Recognized editing-app files (.dop, .pp3, .on1, .aae) can travel with their matching media. To keep all of them with a RAW+JPEG pair, choose File Type > All; transferring only part of the pair can leave some behind. Include XMP sidecars controls .xmp files, not these editing-app files.

For filesystem transfers, Move + Skip can remove the selected source files even when the destination already exists and no new copy is made. This can include selected sidecars missing from the destination. Skip does not compare photo contents. Use Copy first if you need to retain the sources, and inspect the destination before removing anything yourself.

Overwrite replaces conflicting destination files; Append Number and Append Timestamp use adjusted names instead. A move is not a backup or a promise of Trash recovery. Quick Transfer currently leaves empty source folders in place. See workflow collision and deletion safety for saved workflows, Quick Workflow, and sidebar transfers.

Apple Photos Export Options

When the source is Apple Photos:

All Files exports RAW files, original non-RAW files, and edited versions when available
Originals exports RAW files and original non-RAW files
Original JPEG Only exports the original non-RAW version only
RAW Only exports RAW files only
Edited Only exports the rendered edited version when one exists, otherwise falls back to the original

Remembered Settings and Progress

Quick Transfer remembers its last-used settings between runs
Reset restores the sheet defaults
Running the transfer opens the execution window so you can follow successes, skips, and failures

Quick Rename

Quick Rename is for filesystem-backed items only.

It renames the selected item(s) in place
Matching media, XMP, and recognized editing-app files are renamed together. A file such as IMG_0001.CR3.dop keeps its .CR3.dop ending, subject to the extension-case setting
The file extension casing follows your Settings > General > Rename & Export > File extension case preference

Rename Options

Filename — required; uses the same template variables as workflows and ingest
Add Sequence # — quickly inserts {Sequence} into the filename template
Sequence starts at — appears when the template contains {Sequence}
Preview — shows the resolved filename for the first selected item
Existing File Handling — Skip, Overwrite, Append Number, or Append Timestamp

If your rename template requires session variables, PhotoCuller prompts for them in the sheet. Saved session presets can be reused or updated from the session variable controls.

To match filenames to the image numbers shown in the grid, use {ImageNumber} in the filename template, for example Photo_{ImageNumber}. Use {Sequence} instead when you want a new incrementing sequence for the rename operation. See Template Variables.

Important Rename Rules

PhotoCuller replaces characters that cannot be used in filenames
Apple Photos items cannot be renamed from PhotoCuller
Locked filesystem items are skipped until you unlock them
Skip leaves a conflicting item’s current name unchanged; unlike Move + Skip during transfer, it does not remove the source item

When to Use These vs Workflows

Use Quick Transfer or Quick Rename when:

You are doing a one-off delivery or rename
You do not need saved destinations or reusable step chains
You want to act only on the current selection

Use Quick Workflow when:

You still want to act only on the current selection
You need processing steps before delivery
You want Folder, Apple Photos, or NAS output without saving a workflow

Use Workflows when:

You want reusable connected steps, branches, or multiple destinations
You want source Rename or metadata-editing actions, with or without an export destination
You need processing steps like resize, watermark, or metadata stripping
You regularly deliver to the same destinations with the same naming rules