How do I import images from external media into a Session?

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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. 

Although you can choose to store source images on a dedicated external drive when working in a Session, it is better to store them on your local disk first and then move them off when you have finished with all of the adjustments and edits.

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.
   • 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 is 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 does not display your images, go to the Import From tool, click on the Source fly-out menu, select Choose Folder..., and navigate to the relevant folder you want to import. 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 an addition to the standard thumbnail grid view. This can be enabled in one of the following ways:
   a. 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 into your current Session.
   
   
6. Starting from Capture One 22 (15.0.0), the Pick All checkbox in the Importer is disabled by default, enabling a faster culling experience using the Import Viewer. 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. Please use Spacebar for toggling between picked and unpicked.
   

   Please note that the Import Viewer utilizes the built-in preview of RAW files. The resolution and colors of this preview are dependent on the individual camera model and settings and do not necessarily reflect how the file will look once imported.
   
   

7. From the Destination fly-out menu, select the Capture Folder. This option is the standard folder to import files when using Sessions. It maintains the standard Sessions structure of Capture, Selects, Output, and Trash subfolders.
   
   
8. In the optional Sub Folder field, add a subfolder or a series of hierarchical subfolders. Select this only if you want to organize the imported images into subfolders within the parent Capture Folder.
   
   
9. From the Sample Path field, verify that the path is pointing to the chosen folder for import.        
10. In the Space Left field, verify that the capacity left on the volume or drive is enough to store the new images.
    
    
11. Select options for backing up, naming, copyright, and adjustments of images.
    
    
12. Press Import All or Import X Images for selected images if no further options are required.