Importing images into a Catalog

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General information about importing images into a Catalog

File formats you can import

Importing images from external media

Excluding duplicate files on import

Importing images stored on your computer

Importing images inside a Catalog (managed file option)

Creating a folder structure on import

Adding images to a Collection on import

Backing up images on import

Naming images on import

Adding description and copyright information on import

Adding adjustments on import

Sorting images prior to import

Additional import options

General information about importing images into a Catalog

Depending on your workflow, there are various options available to import images into a Catalog in Capture One:

1. Import from a memory card, connected camera, or folder on a computer or external disk drive. Press the import icon (downwards-pointing arrow icon in the middle or the top-left corner of the user interface) or go to File -> Import Images… Learn more about importing images from external media.
   
   
2. Shoot from a supported tethered DSLR or a digital back. Images will be imported into the active Catalog by default or you can choose another location.
   
   
3. Import a Media Pro Catalog, a Lightroom Catalog, or an Aperture Library. Note that there are certain limitations to what Capture One is able to import from third-party applications.
   
   
4. Import a Capture One Catalog.

File formats you can import

Capture One supports a range of still-image formats and is compatible with QuickTime Player/Windows Media Player (macOS/Windows) for playback of supported movie formats and codecs. The following file types can be imported:

• RAW (from a range of supported digital cameras)
• DNG (from a range of supported digital cameras)
• JPEG
• TIFF
• PNG
• PSD (read-only)
• HEIF/HEIC
• QuickTime/Windows Media Player (macOS/Windows) compatible movies and codecs (depending on OS)

NOTE: DNG files are supported in Capture One Pro but not in brand versions Capture One for Fujifilm / (for Sony) / for Nikon.

Selecting images from external media

Capture One’s importer dialog allows you to import all the images from a memory card, connected camera, flash disk or portable external drive, or you can import selected images instead.

Note that you can also import images from a connected camera if it supports the Mass storage protocol. Not all cameras support this feature, but some Nikon models do.

You can choose to store source images on your computer or, preferably, store them on a dedicated external drive. In any case, Capture One copies the images to the chosen destination folder and references them. If you want to move the source files at a later date, move the folder from the Library. Afterwards, the Library tool will update the references to the images in their new location.

1. Open the importer by choosing one of the following options:
   • In the main menu, choose File -> Import Images...
   • Click on the Import icon in the toolbar.
   • Drag a volume or folder of images into the Capture One image browser.
   • Click on the Import icon in the browser of a new Catalog.
   • Connect your card reader to your computer.
     
     
     
     
2. The Import Images dialog (i.e., the importer) opens. When a card reader is connected or when a folder has been dragged into the Capture One image browser, the contents of that folder are displayed as thumbnails in the importer’s browser.
   
   
3. If the importer’s browser is not displaying your images, go to the Import From tool, click on the fly-out menu, select Choose Folder..., and navigate to the relevant folder you want to import the images from. The images will then be shown in the browser. Also, make sure that the Include Subfolders checkbox is selected in the Import From tool. This option is useful for locating all the images on a memory card.
   
   
4. Starting from Capture One 21 (14.1.0), the Importer has the option of displaying images in an import Viewer  as addition to the standard thumbnail grid view. This can be enabled in one of the following ways:
   Using keyboard shortcut G
   b. Clicking on the Viewer icon at the top
   c. Double-click on any image
5. Enable Exclude Duplicates to prevent duplication of images already imported by your current Catalog.
   
   
6. By default, all the images will be selected for import in the Importer window. If you want to import all the images, make sure that the Pick All checkbox is checkmarked and all the images are checkmarked as well. When you need to select specific images to import, you might want to uncheck the Pick All checkbox first. Then click on the particular image or hold Cmd/Ctrl to make a selection of images manually or Shift to select a range of images. Use keyboard shortcut S to checkmark all the selected images. The keyboard shortcut A will do the opposite - the selected collection of images will be unchecked (you might want to use this option when you need to import all but these particular images into a Catalog). Please use Spacebar for toggling between picked and unpicked.
   
7. When using a multi-bay card reader with two or more cards inserted, each card appears at the top of the fly-out menu of the Import From panel. After downloading from the first card, select the next from the fly-out menu.
   
   
8. In the Import To tool, make sure the Copy to folder option is chosen and navigate to an existing system folder or create and name a new folder as desired on the local computer or an external disk, and click Set as Import Folder. Note that the importer remembers the last selection and, therefore, the current setting may not be suitable for your intended storage location.
   
   
   
   
9. In the optional Sub Folder field, add a folder or a series of sub-folders. Select this only if you want to segregate a group of images from an existing folder of images on import or adopt a multiple-folder structure.
   
   
10. From the Sample Path field, verify the path is pointing to the chosen folder for import.
    
    
11. Verify the Collection textbox is set to Recent Imports Only. If already set up, you can use the other settings to sort images into existing User Collections (i.e., existing albums, or albums based on templates).
    
    
    
    
12. In the Space Left field, verify that there is enough space to store the new images on the drive.
    
    
13. Select options for backup, naming images, copyright, and adjustments as desired.
    
    
    
    
14.  Press Import All or Import X Images for selected images if no further options are required.

Excluding duplicate files on import

Capture One can determine if a source image or a movie file is a duplicate of another already referenced or managed by the current Catalog. You can specify the importer to ignore image duplicates when importing from folders that are already on your computer or an external drive (for example, when importing your existing image library into a Catalog or when importing images from a memory card to your local computer or an external drive). This feature is particularly useful when importing from memory cards that haven’t been erased or formatted between use. Previously imported images remaining on the card can now be excluded from the import process, thereby preventing unnecessary duplication.

After enabling the feature in the importer dialog window, images are individually scanned in the importer’s browser prior to import. Images that match key metadata in the Catalog’s database are removed from the importer’s browser and excluded from the import. When importing a previously adjusted image with the settings file (e.g., when referencing images a second time from a folder on your computer) and the Include Existing Adjustments option is enabled in the importer, the image is considered a duplicate.

NOTE: The import dialog can’t identify duplicate images when files have been saved in a different format.

 1. Open the Import dialog window (in the main menu, File -> Import Images).



 2. In the Import From panel, select Exclude Duplicates. This option can be left enabled for future use.

Importing images stored on your computer

To view and edit source images that are already stored on your computer, you must first import them into Capture One’s database. When importing like this, Capture One is not duplicating or copying the source files but referencing them in their existing location. This procedure also applies when you’re referencing source images stored on an external drive.

NOTE: If you’re importing a large library of images, the rendering of individual previews for every image may take some time.

1. Open the importer by choosing one of the following options:
   • In the main menu, choose File -> Import Images...
   • Click on the Import icon in the toolbar.
   • Drag a volume or folder of images into the Capture One image browser.
   • Click on the Import icon in the browser of a new Catalog
     
     
     
     
2. The Import Images dialog (i.e., the importer) opens. When a folder has been dragged into the Capture One image browser, the contents of that folder are displayed as thumbnails in the importer’s browser.
   
   
3. When searching for images to import, click on the fly-out menu in the Import From panel and select Choose Folder. Navigate to the relevant folder you want to refer to. The images will then be shown as thumbnails in the importer’s browser.
   
   
4. Make sure that the Include Subfolders checkbox is selected in the Import From tool. Note that this option should be used when maintaining a previously organised folder of images (i.e., an existing image library).  
   
   
5. Enable Exclude Duplicates to prevent duplication of images already imported by your current Catalog.
   
   
6. By default, when you select a folder, all the images will be selected for import in the Importer window. When you want to select specific images for import, press the X key on the keyboard or remove the checkmark from the Pick All box at the bottom of the Import window to reset that image selection and select individual images by putting a checkmark on each correspondingly. When you want to select all images again, press the P key or tick the Pick All box.
   
   
7. In the Import To tool, select or verify the Add to Catalog option listed in the fly-out menu. This is intended for referencing image files located elsewhere on your computer. Note that the importer remembers the last selection and, therefore, the current setting may not be suitable for your intended storage location.
   
   
   
   
8. Verify the Collection text box is set to Recent Imports Only. If it is already set up, you can use the other settings to sort images into existing User Collections (i.e., existing albums, or albums based on templates).
   
   
   
   
9. Select options for backing-up, captioning, and adjustments as desired. Copyright and renaming options will be disabled when referencing images in their current location.
   
   
   
   
10. Press Import All or Import XX Images for selected images if no further options are required.
    
    

Importing images inside a Catalog (managed files option)

Although a Catalog is typically chosen to reference the folders of images either when importing from external media or when importing folders stored on your computer or external drive, Capture One can store the original image files physically inside a Catalog. This managed file option can be used when you want a temporary or portable Catalog to distribute or share with colleagues. You can import images from a folder on any external media or already on your computer. Original image files are duplicated even if they are already located on your computer.

1. In the Import From tool, click on the fly-out menu and select the folder you want to import the images from.
   
   
   
   
2. Enable Exclude Duplicates to prevent duplication of images already imported by your current Catalog.
   
   
3. In the Import To tool, verify the option Copy into Catalog is selected. Note the importer remembers the last selection and, therefore, the current setting may not be suitable for your intended storage location. Image files are copied and stored physically inside the Catalog itself (this option is not recommended when hard disk capacity is limited). Note that the storage location can be changed when creating and setting up the catalog.
   
   
   
   
4. Continue to verify or make selections for importing into albums, file naming, backing-up, copyright, and adjustments as desired.
   
   
5. Click OK to start the import process.

Creating a folder structure on import

When downloading images from external media you can use the importer to organize those images into subfolders. This feature can be used in a number of different ways.

Firstly, it allows you to adopt an existing storage strategy if you have one, but you can use it to simply segregate a group of images from the existing folder of images or create just any hierarchical folder structure. You can also save these folder structures as user presets and switch between them when necessary.

In addition, you can combine this with Capture One’s dynamic locations feature. By leveraging Capture One’s database access to the image metadata, the Location Sub Folder Tokens enable the importer to automatically create, organize, and name folders of images when downloading. The Location Sub Folder Tokens are also available in the Export dialog, so you can semi-automate the organizing of folders when it is time to share a selection of images.

1. Open the importer by selecting File -> Import Images from the main menu.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the images you want to import from the fly-out menu in the Import From tool.
   
   
   
   
3. In the Import To tool, click on the fly-out menu and select Copy to folder to set where to store the source files. Navigate to either an existing system folder or create and name a new folder on the local computer or an external disk and click Set as Import Folder. Recently used folders appear as shortcuts. When selected, the Sub Folder field is revealed. This option is unavailable when selecting Inside Catalog or Current Location.
   
   
4. To create a single subfolder, add a descriptive name in the Sub Folder text field, and move to Step 9.
   
   
5. To create and organise images in multiple sub-folders based on metadata, click on the (…) icon next to the Sub Folder text field to open the Location Sub Folder Tokens dialog and select the appropriate tokens available in the list.
   
   
6. Text and tokens may be used together in the Sub Folder text field or the dialog’s Format text box. 
   
   
7. When creating hierarchical sub-folders, add a forward/backward slash (Mac/Windows) without spaces in between each new folder name or token used. Each forward/backward slash adds a subfolder to the preceding text entry or token. (Folder structures created in the Location Sub Folder Tokens dialog can be saved as a user preset. Click on Save User Preset…, add a name and select Save).
   
   
8. When using the Location Sub Folder Tokens dialog, remember to click OK to accept the naming/folder-structure format.
   
   
9. In the Sample Path field, verify the path is pointing to the chosen folder for import.
   
   
10. Continue with options for backing-up, file-naming, copyright, and adjustments.

Adding images to a Collection on import

You can choose to have Capture One import images into a previously created Album or Capture Collection (an Album set up as a Capture Collection) in your Catalog. Albums are a useful option when you want to organise images in a different way without disrupting your existing storage strategy. As Albums are virtual folders, images aren’t copied or moved but merely referenced in their destination folder. Therefore, this option is available when importing from external media, when referencing images already stored on your computer or external drive, or when importing images inside a Catalog as managed files.

1. Before importing, head to the Library and select the appropriate Capture Collection or Album. The chosen album will be highlighted in orange initially and in silver-gray onwards.
   
   
2. Open the importer and select the options in the Import From and Import To tools as appropriate to your intended workflow.
   
   
3. From the Collection fly-out menu, select one of the following options:
   
   
   • Capture Collection - select this to add imported images to the current capture collection (i.e., an album previously set up as a capture collection, denoted by a small camera icon).
     
     
   • Selected Album - choose this to add imported images to an existing album. This option only works with albums (i.e., not projects or smart albums).

The Recent Imports Only option should be selected when you no longer want to use this feature.

Backing up images on import

A simultaneous copy of the imported images can be chosen from the Backup To tool in the importer. For example, importing images from a memory card can be downloaded (i.e. copied) to the Pictures/My Pictures (Mac/Windows) folder on your laptop and simultaneously backed up (i.e., copied again) to a connected portable external drive.

While this is a useful option for a temporary backup, it should not replace your principal backup strategy.

1. From the main menu, select File -> Import Images.
   
   
   
   
2. In the Backup To dialog, select the Backup Enabled option.
   
   
   
   
3. From the Location fly-out menu, choose Select folder… and navigate to your chosen location, such as an external drive, and select either an existing folder or create and name a new folder from the dialog.
   
   
   
   
4. Images will be duplicated to the selected backup folder on import.

Renaming images on import into a Catalog

When left to the default setting, with the Image Name token in the Format field of the Naming tool, Capture One keeps the original file names unchanged. However, you can rename the images using text or tokens, or any combination of the two. There is a wide range of naming tokens available, organized by type for easy reference. There is a number of built-in presets for commonly used naming conventions. You can easily create your own presets as well. When importing images already stored on your computer or external drive and referencing them in their original location (i.e., not moving them), the Naming dialog is disabled. For more information on naming and renaming, see File Naming.

1. Go to the Naming tool in the Import Images dialog.
   
   
   
   
2. In the Format field, verify previous image naming entries (Capture One adopts the last used, and this may not be relevant this time). To maintain the original image file names only, verify that the Image Name token is in place.
   
   
   
   
3. To rename images, add text or combination of text and tokens in the Format field (if you know the token names already, start typing in the Format field to reveal a list and select the relevant name). Alternatively, click on the adjacent Action menu (...) button to choose from the range of tokens. The Naming Format dialog window opens.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Select the desired naming choice by dragging or double-clicking on the tokens in the flat list or select from the organised Group list, or a built-in combination from the Presets fly-out menu. Any combination of text and tokens can be saved as a user preset.
   
   
   
   
5. When the Job Name token is selected, the Job Name field in the Naming tool becomes active. Use this option to add a relevant name, such as the job's name, your name, or the company name, for example.
   
   
   
   
6. Click OK to accept the changes. The Naming Format dialog closes and adds the chosen combination to the Format field in the Naming tool.
   
   
7. Add text in the Job Name field, see Step 5.
   
   
8. In the Sample field, verify that the name is in the desired format.
   
   
   
   
9. After pressing Import or Import All, any changes will be applied to the images as those are imported.
   
   

Adding description and copyright information on import

Use the Metadata tool to fill in the description and copyright information into the imported images if desired. The tool remembers data, so adding copyright information doesn’t have to be re-entered for each import. You can leave both fields blank if you are unsure how the images will be used. Consider that copyright information and image description can be added after import.

Adding adjustments on import

You can add image adjustments when importing from the external media. It is limited to the automatic adjustments found in the main toolbar, but you can also apply Styles and Presets which can be extensive. You can also use this to apply certain keywords if those have been saved as a user preset previously. When referencing images that have been worked on previously in Capture One, the Include Existing Adjustments option should be selected so that any previously made adjustments and settings can be applied.

1. In the Adjustments tool, checkmark the Auto Adjust option to apply on import the automatic adjustments selected from the Toolbar (this option may slow down the import process).
   
   
   
   
2. Presets and/or Styles can also be applied to images during import. Select the relevant options from the Styles fly-out menu.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the Include Existing Adjustments checkbox if you are importing RAW files that have already been worked on in Capture One. This option imports and applies all adjustments and settings (i.e., ratings, keywords, copyright info, and any other metadata) associated with each image file.
   
   
   
   
4. Selected adjustments will be applied on import.

Sorting images prior to import

Images can be sorted by a variety of criteria, and selected individually.

1. Click on the sort-menu field located in the top-left corner of the Browser window and choose an option from the fly-out menu.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the arrow to change the sorting orientation.
   
   
   
   
3. Thumbnails can be resized using the slider opposite the sort-menu field located in the top-right corner.
   
   
   
   
4. When you want to choose individual images to import, Shift-click to select adjacent images. To select non-adjacent images, Cmd+click (macOS) or Ctrl+click (Windows) (clicking on single images will reveal data in the File Info panel, after clicking on the disclosure button).
   
   
5. When you want to reset the image selection, click on the background between the thumbnails. 

Additional import options

As Capture One allows you to continue working while images are imported in the background, the importer offers some useful additional options. This includes notifications during the importing process, as well as erasing the images from the card after copying and ejecting the card from the Finder/Explorer.

Starting from Capture One 21 (14.1.0), all these options are presented in a separate After import tool of the Importer window. In previous versions of Capture One, all these options were available at the bottom of the Importer window.

From the fly-out menu, you can choose one of the following options:

• Notify When Done if you want to be notified when the import is completed
• Open Collection When Import Starts to start working on the imported files after those are imported
• Never Open Import Collection if you want to continue working without any distraction even after the import is completed
  
  

In the  tool, there are also 2 checkboxes:

• Eject Card - when you checkmark this option, the card will be ejected after the import is completed
• Erase Images After Copying - the images on the card will be erased after being copied to the selected location

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