Build a small index, not a complicated archive
After a climbing session, a camera roll can contain warm-ups, several tries on one problem, and clips from different walls. The useful question is simple: can you find a particular attempt next session without watching every recording?
A note on your phone and a session album are enough to start. This workflow does not require a particular editing app, automatic route recognition, or a paid storage service. Use the tools you already have, and keep the system small enough to update while you still remember the session.
Give each session a date and location
Create one album or folder named with a sortable date and a short location label, such as 2026-10-31 Gym-West. Use your actual session date, not the date you eventually edit or upload the video. If you visit two locations in a day, keep their labels different.
Albums in photo libraries may group existing items rather than create independent copies. Check how your own library works before treating an album as a backup or deleting the original recording. Moving or removing a file in a file manager may behave differently from removing an item from an album.
Use a problem identifier that will still make sense later
A hold color alone can be ambiguous when several problems use the same color. Write a short identifier using the wall area and a recognizable feature: West-cave blue volume-start, for example. Add the grade only if you want it; a grade is not a unique identifier.
For outdoor routes, use the established route or problem name when known. Avoid publishing sensitive locations or access details. Indoors, problems change after a reset, so retain the session date instead of assuming a label will always refer to the same climb.
A reference photo can help when the gym permits photography. Frame the holds you need, avoid recording people unnecessarily, and do not step into a landing zone to get a better catalog image.
Number attempts in recording order
Within each problem, use A01, A02, and A03 in the order you recorded them. These are recording labels, not necessarily a count of every try you made: some attempts may not have been filmed. Note that distinction if it matters to your training log.
If your photo app does not let you rename the original video, do not export a new copy just to create a filename. Put the label in a caption if supported, or use a note that points to the recording time shown in your library. Check that the timestamp identifies the right clip before relying on it.
Example session note
- Session: 2026-10-31, Gym-West
- Problem: West-cave blue volume-start
- A01: recording starts 18:42; first filmed try
- A02: recording starts 18:47; different right-foot sequence
- A03: recording starts 18:53; complete filmed attempt
This is an illustrative naming example, not a real user result or a CruxCut-generated log.
Separate what the file is from what happened
Keep a brief outcome note only when it is useful: complete attempt, fall before the last move, or camera missed the start. Avoid making the filename a long critique. Save a movement question in the note rather than assigning a confident cause to a fall.
For example, “A02: left foot not visible” is more useful than guessing that the foot slipped. To compare visible movement after locating the files, follow our climbing video beta-review guide. Organizing the library helps you retrieve evidence; it does not make the camera angle more informative.
Keep originals, review clips, and sharing edits distinct
The full source recording, a shorter review clip, and a vertical social edit serve different purposes. Give derivatives clear labels such as A02-review or A02-social-v1. If you export another version, increment the version label rather than confusing it with a new climbing attempt.
Keep a pointer back to the original. A social crop can remove the feet, surrounding holds, or the setup before the crux. A useful review clip may deliberately be longer. For the editing step, see the climbing highlights workflow; for the next session's camera placement, see filming and editing basics.
This naming system is a manual library workflow. It does not claim that CruxCut automatically names, catalogs, backs up, or synchronizes your attempts.
Make deletion a separate decision
Do not delete a source just because an exported clip appears in the library. First open the export and check its beginning, ending, picture, and any audio you intended to keep. Confirm that the file is available where you expect it, rather than relying on a thumbnail alone.
If you need a backup, verify an independent copy through your chosen storage method. A cloud-synced library is not automatically a separate backup: check the service's deletion and recovery behavior. Keep the originals you may need for later reframing or beta review; delete accidental or unwanted recordings only after reviewing them.
Finish with a two-minute retrieval check
- Open the session note and pick one problem.
- Find A02 without replaying unrelated videos.
- Find its original and tell it apart from the social edit.
- Check that the next-session question is still understandable.
If that takes too much searching, simplify the labels or add the missing wall detail. You do not need a perfect archive. You need a reliable way to find the next clip worth reviewing.
Before sharing another person's attempt, ask permission and check the background for people who should not be included. Keep private notes and personal details out of public filenames or captions.