When using the software, you can add media directly from your computer to the system by clicking the Add Files button within the Project Files panel. To make the process as seamless as possible, it’s helpful to pre-organize your files before you add them.
Organizing your media files in folders
We advise that you organize your media files into helpfully named folders before you begin redacting or enhancing them within the software, as this will save you time later when you are looking to access these files on your own PC.
Depending on the objects or personal information you are looking to edit, you may have multiple media files (audio, video, pdf, etc). For this reason, setting up a logical directory structure that includes information like your project title, a date, and some type of unique identifier is a great place to start.
Naming best practices
You can select any data information that will allow you to distinguish your files from one another, but in general, we recommend the following naming best practices:
- Always use dashes as opposed to periods, spaces, or slashes. Some software doesn’t recognize file names with spaces.
- Any file names you assign to your work should be done so consistently.
- File names should be short but descriptive (<25 characters).
- We recommend a date format ISO 8601: YYYYMMDD.
- Avoid special characters or spaces in a file name
- If using a sequential numbering system, use leading zeros for clarity and make sure files sort in sequential order. For example, use 001, 002, …010, 011 … 100, 101, etc. instead of 1, 2, …10, 11 … 100, 101, etc.
- Avoid including the words redact or redacted in your file. After your files are processed, CaseGuard adds _Redacted to the end of your file by default. You can change this in settings.
Before you upload, please be aware that your original files can’t be renamed once they’re uploaded. Make sure you use the appropriate name before uploading them. However, the version you end up exporting can be renamed.