Kettlemark v1.4.0
Contents

Getting started

This takes about five minutes. You'll install Kettlemark, see what it would do to a folder of photos, apply the new names, and learn how to undo them.

Install

With Homebrew on macOS or Linux:

brew install kettlemark

With npm on any system (needs Node.js 20 or newer):

npm install --global kettlemark

Check that it works:

kettlemark --version

It prints kettlemark 1.4.0.

Preview a folder

Pick a folder of photos. Start with a copy if you'd like to be careful. Then run:

kettlemark preview ~/Pictures/Goa

Kettlemark lists each file and the name it would get. Nothing changes yet:

IMG_4021.HEIC   ->  2026-03-14_091522.heic
IMG_4022.HEIC   ->  2026-03-14_091547.heic
DSC00118.JPG    ->  2026-03-14_101003.jpg
screenshot.png  ->  (skipped: no date taken)

3 files will be renamed, 1 skipped.

Files without a date are skipped by default. The guide on photos without a date explains your options.

Apply the new names

When the preview looks right:

kettlemark rename ~/Pictures/Goa

Kettlemark renames the files and writes .kettlemark-log.json in the same folder. Keep that file if you might want to undo.

Undo

kettlemark undo ~/Pictures/Goa

Every file goes back to its original name, and the log is removed.

Next steps