> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://allmycameras.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A Photo and Video Folder Structure for Multiple Cameras (That Never Overwrites Anything) - URL: https://allmycameras.com/photo-folder-structure-multiple-cameras/ - Published: 2026-10-10T05:33:38.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-10T05:33:38.000Z - Description: Drones, action cameras, 360 cameras, mirrorless bodies and phones all reuse file names, and they all mean something different by them. Here is a plain folder scheme, year then trip then camera, that keeps every card separate, needs no special software and still makes sense in ten years. - Author: All My Cameras - Tags: Workflow, Guides Use three levels: year, then date and trip, then one folder per camera, with each card copied into its camera folder exactly as it came off the card. `Footage/2026/2026-10-10_Lisbon/MINI4PRO/`. Never merge two cards into one folder, never rename on the card, and keep edits and exports outside this tree. That is the whole system. The rest of this page explains why each rule is there. ## Why multiple cameras need a scheme Almost every camera reuses file names, and different cameras reuse the same ones: | Camera | Typical name | Clash risk | | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | GoPro HERO | GX010001.MP4 | High: every GoPro uses the same pattern. See [GoPro file names](https://allmycameras.com/gopro-file-names-explained/) | | Older DJI drones | DJI\_0001.MP4 | High: a short counter. See [DJI file names](https://allmycameras.com/dji-drone-file-names-explained/) | | Newer DJI drones | DJI\_20261010093015\_0001\_D.MP4 | Low: date and time in the name | | Sony mirrorless (video) | C0001.MP4 | High by default. See [Sony XAVC files](https://allmycameras.com/sony-xavc-files-explained/) | | Most stills cameras | DSC00001.JPG, IMG\_0001.JPG | High: short counters | | Insta360 X series | VID\_20261010\_093015\_00\_001.insv | Low: date and time. See [Insta360 file types](https://allmycameras.com/insta360-file-types-insv-insp/) | | iPhone | IMG\_1234.HEIC | Medium: the counter wraps around | Put two GoPro cards, or a GoPro and an old DJI card from two trips, into one folder and your file manager will offer to replace files. Click Replace once and footage is gone with no further warning. Folders per camera and per card make that impossible. ## The structure ``` Footage/ 2026/ 2026-10-10_Lisbon/ A7CII/ DCIM/... PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP/... HERO13/ DCIM/100GOPRO/... MINI4PRO/ DCIM/... X5/ DCIM/Camera01/... IPHONE/ IMG_1234.HEIC ... 2026-10-12_Sintra/ ... Exports/ 2026/ 2026-10_Lisbon_edit_v3.mp4 Projects/ 2026-10_Lisbon/ (editor project files, caches, proxies you made) ``` ### Level 1: year Purely to keep any one folder from growing to hundreds of entries. Use the year the trip started. ### Level 2: date and trip Start with the date in `YYYY-MM-DD` form so folders sort in time order by name on any system, then a short place or event name. For a multi-day trip you have two good options: - **One folder per day** (`2026-10-10_Lisbon`, `2026-10-11_Lisbon`). Best if you offload every evening. - **One folder per trip** (`2026-10-10_Lisbon`), with a dated subfolder per offload inside each camera folder. Best if you only offload when a card fills. Pick one and stick to it. ### Level 3: camera One folder per camera body, with a short fixed tag you always use: `A7CII`, `HERO13`, `MINI4PRO`, `X5`, `IPHONE`, `RAYBAN`. If you have two of the same camera, tag them apart (`HERO13_A`, `HERO13_B`). If one camera fills two cards in a day, add a level: `HERO13/card1`, `HERO13/card2`. ### Inside the camera folder: the card, unchanged Copy the whole card as it is, folders and all. This sounds untidy, but it pays off: - Sidecar files stay next to their clips. DJI's `.LRF` and `.SRT`, GoPro's `.LRV` and `.THM`, Sony's `.XML`, Insta360's `.lrv`. - Maker software that expects the card layout, such as Sony's Catalyst Browse with `PRIVATE/M4ROOT`, can still read it. - Checking the copy against the card is a straight comparison, folder for folder. See [verified copy vs drag and drop](https://allmycameras.com/verified-copy-vs-drag-and-drop/). ## Five rules that keep it working 1. **Always copy into a new, empty folder.** Never drag a card onto a folder that already has files in it. 2. **Never rename or delete on the card.** Work on the copy. Format the card in the camera when you are done. 3. **Verify before you format.** A finished progress bar is not proof. 4. **Raw footage is read-only.** Edits, exports, LUT tests and project files live in `Exports` and `Projects`, never inside `Footage`. You can then back up `Footage` once and only add to it. 5. **Same tree on every drive.** Your backup drive has exactly the same folders. That makes it obvious if a copy is missing, and lets one checksum list check both drives. ## Set every clock before the trip Sorting by date across cameras only works if the cameras agree on the time. Phones set themselves; cameras, drones and 360 cameras often do not, and some reset when the battery is out. Before you leave, and when you change time zones, set every camera to local time, to the minute. It takes two minutes and saves hours of matching clips later. Some cameras also let you put your name or the body in file names: Sony's file name settings, for example, can add a title and date to every clip. ## Optional: rename for a flat, sortable view Some people prefer every file to carry its date and camera in its own name, so a clip makes sense even when copied out of its folder. Do this on the verified copy only. With exiftool, this renames everything in one camera folder to date, time, camera tag and the original name: ``` exiftool -r -d '%Y%m%d_%H%M%S' \ '-FileName<${CreateDate}_HERO13_%f.%e' \ "$HOME/Footage/2026/2026-10-10_Lisbon/HERO13" ``` Keeping `%f`, the original name, at the end means you can always trace a file back to the card. Change `HERO13` per folder. Sidecar files without a date of their own will be left alone, which is what you want: they keep their original names next to the clip they belong to. If you rename, sidecars like DJI's `.SRT` no longer share a name with their clip, and apps that pair them by name will stop doing so. If you rely on those pairings, leave names alone and let the folders do the work. ## Phones, glasses and cloud libraries Phone photos usually live in a cloud library (iCloud, Google Photos, Amazon Photos), and that is fine as a viewing layer. For the archive, export or copy them into the same tree as an `IPHONE` or `PIXEL` folder per trip, so the trip is complete in one place. Our guides cover [iPhone](https://allmycameras.com/back-up-iphone-photos-to-external-drive/), [Android](https://allmycameras.com/back-up-android-photos-to-computer/) and [Ray-Ban Meta glasses](https://allmycameras.com/ray-ban-meta-export-photos-videos/). ## Finding things later This structure answers "where are the drone shots from Lisbon" by browsing alone. For "every sunset I have ever shot", put a catalogue on top: Lightroom, Photos, Immich or similar, pointed at the tree without moving files. If the app ever goes away, the folders still make sense on their own. If you already have a messy archive with copies everywhere, start with [finding duplicate photos safely](https://allmycameras.com/find-duplicate-photos/). ## Related - [Verified copy vs drag and drop](https://allmycameras.com/verified-copy-vs-drag-and-drop/) - [Import an SD card on a Mac without Photos](https://allmycameras.com/import-sd-card-mac-without-photos/) - [Find duplicate photos safely](https://allmycameras.com/find-duplicate-photos/) - [Travel camera kit checklist](https://allmycameras.com/travel-camera-kit-checklist/) - [DJI drone file names explained](https://allmycameras.com/dji-drone-file-names-explained/)