PROBLEM
I cannot import my files.
My files do not appear after being imported.
I cannot edit my files and the tools are greyed out.
SOLUTION
There is a couple of reasons indicating why a file cannot be imported into Capture One or edited with the help of the tools available in Capture One. Check the typical cases and solutions to them in order to import and edit images successfully.
Case 1. Files are greyed out or cannot be selected when importing into Capture One.
At this stage of import, you just have to select or highlight the folder the images are in, then click Open. The images should appear in the import dialogue so that you can name and save them to whatever folder or album you want.
Case 2. Selected files do not appear in the Import Dialogue
Capture One is designed to read the files that come straight from the camera. As we state, RAW (from a range of supported digital cameras). Please note if the file has been changed by another application, it might not be recognized as a RAW from the supported camera.
Case 3. Files from the selected folders do not appear in the Import Dialogue after pressing Open.
If the files are located in a subfolder within the selected folder you have chosen to import from, be sure to tick the Include Subfolders checkbox in the Import From section. Afterwards, the images located in subfolders should then appear in Capture One.
If this does not happen and the images are still not visible in Capture One, check whether the file type is supported by the version of Capture One you are using. You can check that in the release notes available for each version of Capture One on our website.
Also, you need to check the Global Filter in the View -> Global Filters to verify whether any option in enabled there. For instance, if there is a tick next to the Always Hide JPEG Files option, any JPEG files from the import dialogue will be always hidden. That is why you should untick those options so that the files of specific formats would be displayed onwards.
Case 4. Unable to edit RAW files and the tools are greyed out after import is done
If such things happen, Capture One is most likely running in the wrong activation mode. It is probably activated in the DB (Digital Back only) mode. In that case, images are displayed with an eye icon on them. This could be a problem when working with DSLR files. The solution is to activate Capture One with a Pro or another license. In that case, go to Capture One -> License and deactivate DB mode.
Learn how to switch to another product variant.
Case 5. Capture One cannot properly read the file due to improper permission.
This often occurs when reading or capturing images on an external drive. Therefore, we highly suggest working from a local drive if this is the case.
A crossed-over pencil will appear in the bottom-right corner of an image in case a file is not supported or if you don’t have the access rights to edit it. You might see the read-only icon if you try to edit image files located on the external drive.
NOTE: JPEG files will have a read-only icon if the Enable JPEG Editing option is unchecked inside the Capture One Preferences.
Case 6. The tools are greyed out after upgrading a session or catalog database file.
If you have recently upgraded a session or catalog database file in a new release of Capture One but cannot access new tools or features, you have to upgrade the Rendering Engine for each of your variants. To test this, create a new variant of the image and then upgrade the Engine for the new variant inside the Color tool tab under the Base Characteristics section. You will then have access to the new tools and features.
Case 7. The files cannot be edited because those are read-only in Capture One.
TIF/JPG/PSD/PNG files that are not in RGB color space cannot be adjusted within Capture One and will be read-only.
Layered Tiff: Capture One 9.1 onward can support Tiff files with alpha channels or layers saved in the file (from other apps like Adobe Photoshop) but for viewing purposes only. Reprocessing the image will result in a new flattened image.
PSD: Capture 10.1 onward can support PSD files in the Viewer. The PSD can contain any adjustments, layers, text or smart objects but must be saved in Photoshop with “maximize compatibility” enabled. Reprocessing the image from Capture One will result in a new flattened image.
Case 8. Check the editing settings in Preferences
1. Open the Preferences window by going to the main menu and selecting Capture One -> Preferences (macOS) / Edit -> Preferences (Windows).
2. Navigate to the Image tab.
3. Make sure that the options for editing JPEG, TIGG, and PNG file formats are marked under the Editing section.
Case 9. Thumbnails have eye icons on them
In cases, when you see that a thumbnail has an eye icon, it means that this file can't be edited in the current product variant of Capture One. For instance, if you are running Capture One for Fujifilm, it would not be possible to edit files from Canon cameras, for example, and also DNGs. Meanwhile, you can still work with other supported file formats such as JPG/TIFF/PSD/PNG.
Example: Capture One Fujifilm run mode supports .RAF files but does not support RAW files from other cameras, so an eye-icon appears.
Case 10. The file is too small or too big
- The smallest supported file for viewing: minimum side of 16px.
- The smallest supported file for editing: minimum side of 512px.
- The maximum image size (64bit) is 40000 px x 20000 px. It means that the image width multiplied by height has to be less than or equal to the results of 40000 px x 20000 px.
Case 11. You are trying to edit the images located in the Trash collection
When you are viewing the images in the Trash collection, their thumbnails will have a crossed pencil icon.
To restore the images from the Trash, simply drag those to the All Images folder in the Library tool.
Case 12. The files are locked
Some camera models write some RAW files on the SD cards with a file property “locked". That is why, Capture One cannot read the files and add them to the Catalog/Session.
The workaround for this issue is to copy the RAW files to the computer manually and unlock the images by removing the checkmark from the checkbox in the Properties window. Then you will be able to import images to Capture One.
Comments
12 comments
Capture one express fuji trying to import.
I selected one photo jpeg and raw same image. and did the following...
Import all - import into catalog - 2 images have been imported to internal catalog, no errors - take me there - no images selected!
I have spent hours trying different images, images from my computer, images from the memory card. I deleted the whole program and reinstalled (two times now!) it and i am still having this issue.
The worst thing is i just want to edit and store how i want on my external hard drive, not use the catalog system, or use as little as possible.
Can someone please help me at least import so i can edit, which must be easy compared to this.
I have tried both add to catalog and copy to catalog with both files stored in my computer and direct from the memory card.
From computer memory: add to catalog - import all - import into the catalog.
A box pops up with "two images have been imported to internal catalog - no errors occurred during import. - "take me there" When i click that, "no images selected come on screen"
I don't know where to go from here, Picasa maybe :)
Well i have deleted and reinstalled the program again and i have exactly the same issue. Maybe somehow it is remembering previous setting, but i can't see how. Extremely disappointed that a catalog problem can cause so much time wasted and failure to be able to learn to edit. If i had paid for this i would be demanding my money returned.
I have again deleted the program and all files i could find. Then reinstalled in the hope of whatever bug is causing my issues is gone. Even when deleting everything when i reinstall there are still an old photo there.
I need to totally, one hundred percent remove all files and the program.
Can someone please explain. If i delete the program all files should be removed, why are they not?
Hi Chris,
Are there any filters set in the Filters tool in the Library tool tab?
Please, also verify if there are any options set in the Global Filters.
Hi, well slowly i am getting there, i managed to to actually import an image.
I have the photo ready to edit in the Q menu, but i can't adjust any of the tools there. The only thing that does happen is the histogram shows up when the curser is on the photo.
Hi Chris,
Please indicate which product variant of Capture One do you have.
Files of which format are you importing into Capture One?
Hi Lily,
Capture one express, latest.
I was just practicing and jpeg.
When i have reinstalled the program, it seems as i am on record through my email address it's reinstalled with the same issues.
Is it not possible to delete me from your data base there, then i just start from scratch, which was easy before.
Hi Chris,
The issues you described above might be related to different things.
In case you have imported the same images before, and the 'exlude duplicates' option is enabled on import, then only new photos will be imported.
Also, click on "All Images" in the Library tool to see all the imported images.
If that does not help, please try to creating another user on your computer and make a clean install of Capture One there.
Once you open Capture One Express for Fujiiflm, it will create a new default Catalog (there could be only 1 Catalog in Capture One Express). Then import your images into Catalog with one of the possible import options.
can`t get RAW images from Canon R5 to show when importing...only jepg. Tried and tried
regards
Paul
Raw images from Sony a6000 and a6500 work ok, but raw images from a6600 don't open and they are ignored. theres nothing i can do to fix it!
This solution is just useless if you post only how to do it on MacOS. I am a Windows user who is not interested in Mac and I would like to know how it works on Windows. Thank you.
At this point I cannot use Capture One 21. I have tried several times, last time an hour ago (21.14.2.0) and as soon as I select ANY image the computer just shuts down! This never happens in version 20 (20.13.1.4 is the latest 20 version which works). I use Fujifilm version.
Please post how to do the things you explained on Windows. Thank you
What I did so far:
- create a new session
- tried to import files from a directory. No files are shown (I have only RAF files there)
- tried to import from a directory with some jpg files. Only jpg files are shown, no RAF files.
It worked fine before I updated to version 21. I had to uninstall the version 21, and now it doesn't work any more with version 20
I can understand why C1 doesn't want to edit small jpegs. However I certainly wish it can still manage those in the catalog with the DAM features, including setting ratings, color labels, keywords etc. As a hobbyist, I do have some photos from ages ago with one edge falling below the cut line. Having to upscale and reorganize the catalog is tedious. Is it possible to separate photo content editing from metadata editing / DAM?
Hello! I've been trying to figure out how to fix this problem for two days now. Guys, can someone come across this? I tried everything: installed different versions of the program, reset the settings, and so on. In short, when importing the RAW format from Canon (CR2), the program itself corrects the equals. It seems to add contrast with curves, the photo looks like a very contrasting one from the very beginning. And for example, Captchur 23 does not allow editing raves at all. By the way, everything is in order with Nikon's raves. I hope the problem is solved by reinstalling Windows.Please sign in to leave a comment.