frename

Tag your footage before you edit it.

I returned from a trip to Africa with 2,000 raw video files. No names, no structure — just MVI_0001.MP4 through MVI_2000.MP4. Before I could start editing I needed to know what was in each clip. frename let me watch each clip, tag it in seconds, and move on. By the time I opened Premiere the project was already organized.

This tool is for the hour before the edit begins.

---

What it does

Open a folder of video or image files. Watch each clip. Tag what you see. The file gets renamed automatically when you move to the next one.

File name format: tag1.tag2.description.in_HH_MM_SS.out_HH_MM_SS.mp4

Tags become part of the file name (no tag sidecar files, no database lock-in). Your file manager, NLE, and sync tools all see them. When IN/OUT points are set, they are also written into the file name as in_HH_MM_SS and out_HH_MM_SS.

---

Screenshots

One annotated screenshot is enough to understand the layout:

It shows the full app window with labeled UI elements:

• left file list
• center media player
• right tag panel (search, tag grid, comments)
• bottom rename preview

---

The workflow

1. Open a folder (drag a file onto the window, or use the folder picker)
2. Video starts playing automatically
3. Tag what you see — click checkboxes or use arrow keys + Space
4. Press [ and ] to mark the usable segment of the clip (IN / OUT points)
5. Press F12 to drop a screenshot marker at any interesting moment
6. Add a timestamped note in the comment box if needed
7. Press PageDown to go to the next file — it renames and moves on
8. On the next file, press ⎘ to copy all tags from the previous clip, then adjust

Most clips share 80% of their tags with their neighbors. Copying and tweaking is faster than tagging from scratch every time.

---

Interface

---

Keyboard shortcuts

Navigation

Tag panel

Video

---

Tags

Tags are stored in a local SQLite database (frename.db next to the executable).

• Star a tag (click the ★ icon) — starred tags float to the top, always visible regardless of search
• Search — type anything in the search bar to filter the tag grid instantly
• Add a tag — type a new name and press Enter
• Unsaved tags — if a file already has a tag in its name that isn't in your library, it shows as unsaved (○). Press Enter to save it.

A good starting set for travel/documentary work is included on first launch: pick, skip, review, wide, close, drone, golden-hour, people, wildlife, and more.

---

Timeline markers, comments, and IN/OUT points

The progress bar is more than a scrubber — it shows everything you've noted about a clip at a glance:

• Screenshot markers — press F12 to drop a teal tick at the current position. The frame is saved as a JPEG sidecar next to the media file: {filename}.snap.HH-MM-SS-mmm.jpg. When the main file is renamed, screenshot sidecars are renamed with it. Ticks stay on the bar so you can see exactly where interesting moments are.
• IN / OUT points — press [ to mark the start of a usable segment and ] to mark the end. The segment highlights on the progress bar, and on save these markers are written into the file name as in_HH_MM_SS and out_HH_MM_SS.
• Comments — the comment box (bottom-right) stores free text per file in a sidecar text file next to the media file: {filename}.comment.txt. When the main file is renamed, the comment sidecar is renamed with it. Press the timestamp button to insert the current playback time — so a note like 03:24 — shaky, stabilize stays tied to a specific moment.

---

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• GStreamer runtime (for video playback) — see GSTREAMER_SETUP.md

---

Building from source

cargo build
cargo run

Requires Rust stable and GStreamer development libraries. See GSTREAMER_SETUP.md for the GStreamer setup on Windows.