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Screenshot Organizer

Organize thousands of screenshots by analyzing their visual content. Claude reads text in images to create meaningful names and categories.

5 minutes
By communitySource
#screenshots#images#organization#cleanup#photos#productivity
CLAUDE.md Template

Download this file and place it in your project folder to get started.

# Screenshot Organizer

## Your Role
You organize and rename screenshots by analyzing their visual content. You read text in images, identify apps and websites, and create meaningful names and categories.

## Naming Convention

Rename all screenshots to: `YYYY-MM-DD - [Category] - [Brief Description].png`

Examples:
- `2025-01-15 - Work - Slack conversation about Q1 planning.png`
- `2025-01-12 - Receipts - Amazon order $47.99 headphones.png`
- `2025-01-10 - Reference - VS Code keyboard shortcuts.png`
- `2025-01-08 - Social Media - Twitter thread on AI tools.png`

## Category Folders

Organize into these folders:

```
Screenshots/
├── Work/           # Work-related: Slack, email, documents, meetings
├── Receipts/       # Invoices, order confirmations, payment screens
├── Social Media/   # Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc.
├── Reference/      # Tutorials, documentation, how-tos
├── Personal/       # Personal messages, photos, non-work
└── Other/          # Anything that doesn't fit above
```

## Analysis Process

For each screenshot:
1. **Read visible text** - Capture any text shown in the image
2. **Identify the app/website** - Browser tabs, app UI, logos
3. **Understand the context** - What is this a screenshot of?
4. **Extract key details** - For receipts: vendor and amount
5. **Assign category** - Based on content, not filename
6. **Create descriptive name** - Brief but searchable

## Special Handling

### Receipts & Invoices
Extract and include in filename:
- Vendor/store name
- Total amount
- What was purchased (if clear)

Example: `2025-01-15 - Receipts - Amazon $127.43 office supplies.png`

### Error Messages
Include the error type:
Example: `2025-01-14 - Reference - Python TypeError list index.png`

### Code Screenshots
Note the language and topic:
Example: `2025-01-13 - Reference - React useEffect cleanup pattern.png`

## Index File

After organizing, create `screenshots-index.md`:

```markdown
# Screenshot Index

## Work (47 files)
- 2025-01-15 - Slack Q1 planning discussion
- 2025-01-14 - Figma dashboard mockup v2
...

## Receipts (23 files)
- 2025-01-15 - Amazon $127.43 office supplies
- 2025-01-12 - Uber $24.50 airport trip
...

[Continue for all categories]
```

## Batch Processing

Process in batches of 50 files to manage memory:
1. List all files first
2. Process batch 1 (files 1-50)
3. Report progress
4. Continue with batch 2
5. Repeat until complete

## Instructions

1. Scan the screenshots folder
2. Count total files and estimate time
3. Process in batches of 50
4. For each file: analyze → rename → move to category folder
5. Create the index file
6. Report summary when complete

## Safety Rules

- NEVER delete any files
- ASK before starting large batches (100+ files)
- PRESERVE original file dates when possible
- Report any files that couldn't be analyzed
- Create backup of original filenames in index

## Performance Notes

- Analyzing images takes time (~2-3 seconds per image)
- Large batches (1000+) may take 30+ minutes
- Consider running overnight for very large folders
- Progress updates every 50 files
README.md

What This Does

Screenshots pile up with useless names like "Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 3.42.17 PM.png". Claude analyzes the visual content of each image - reading text, identifying apps - and renames them meaningfully.

"Organized 1,400 screenshots. Fair warning: batch renaming images was surprisingly slow (20+ seconds for 8-10 images). But still faster than doing it manually." — Wondering About AI


Quick Start

Step 1: Download the Template

Click Download above to get the CLAUDE.md file.

Step 2: Place in Screenshots Folder

mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Pictures/Screenshots/

Step 3: Run Claude Code

cd ~/Pictures/Screenshots
claude

Step 4: Start Organizing

Say: "Organize my screenshots folder"

For large folders, add the count: "Organize my screenshots folder (1,400 files)"


Naming Convention

Before:

Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 3.42.17 PM.png
IMG_4521.png
Screen Shot 2024-01-12.png

After:

2025-01-15 - Work - Slack conversation Q1 planning.png
2025-01-15 - Receipts - Amazon $127.43 office supplies.png
2025-01-12 - Reference - VS Code keyboard shortcuts.png

Category Folders

Folder What Goes Here
Work/ Slack, email, documents, meetings
Receipts/ Invoices, orders, payment confirmations
Social Media/ Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit posts
Reference/ Tutorials, docs, how-tos, code snippets
Personal/ Personal messages, non-work items
Other/ Anything that doesn't fit

Index File

Claude creates a searchable screenshots-index.md:

# Screenshot Index

## Work (47 files)
- 2025-01-15 - Slack Q1 planning discussion
- 2025-01-14 - Figma dashboard mockup v2

## Receipts (23 files)
- 2025-01-15 - Amazon $127.43 office supplies
- 2025-01-12 - Uber $24.50 airport trip

Now you can search with grep or your editor!


Performance Tips

File Count Expected Time Recommendation
< 100 5-10 minutes Run anytime
100-500 20-45 minutes Take a break
500-1000 1-2 hours Run during lunch
1000+ 2+ hours Run overnight

Why slow? Claude analyzes each image's visual content, which takes ~2-3 seconds per file.


Tips

  • Process in batches: Claude handles 50 files at a time to manage memory
  • Run overnight: For 1000+ screenshots, start before bed
  • Check the index: Use screenshots-index.md to search later
  • Receipt extraction: Claude pulls vendor names and amounts automatically

Special Handling

Receipts & Invoices

Claude extracts vendor and amount:

2025-01-15 - Receipts - Amazon $127.43 office supplies.png

Code Screenshots

Notes the language and topic:

2025-01-13 - Reference - React useEffect cleanup pattern.png

Error Messages

Captures the error type:

2025-01-14 - Reference - Python TypeError list index.png

Troubleshooting

Too slow Process smaller batches: "Organize just the screenshots from January"

Some files not analyzed Low-quality or very small images may not be readable. Claude reports these.

Wrong category assigned Say: "Move [filename] to [correct category]"

Want different categories Edit the CLAUDE.md template to add your own folder structure

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