Capture One allows you to import Lightroom Classic Catalogs with adjustments, offering a familiar non-destructive workflow. Since Capture One 20 (13.1.0), the import experience has improved with better accuracy.
Contents
- Preparation Steps
- Importing a Lightroom Catalog
- Import Summary and Outcome
- What Gets Imported
- Get Acquainted with Capture One
- FAQ
Preparation Steps
- The import is non-destructive and read-only. Your Lightroom Catalog remains unchanged.
- Optimize your Lightroom Catalog, remove unsupported files, and export selected folders as a new Catalog.
- Use Latin characters only in the Lightroom Catalog name to avoid import issues.
- Create a Catalog in Capture One (File → New Catalog). Lightroom Catalogs can’t be imported into Sessions.
Note: Color tags must be in English to be recognized by Capture One.
Importing a Lightroom Catalog
Watch this tutorial:
- Open or create a new Catalog in Capture One (File → New Catalog).
- Go to File → Import Catalog.
- Click “Select Catalog…” in the dialog window.
- Navigate to and select the .lrcat file.
- Review the pre-import summary and click “Import.”
- The import progress appears in the Activities window.
Note: Import time depends on catalog size and system performance.
Import Summary and Outcome
Successful Import
Once complete, a success message appears. Click “OK.”
Import Issues
If some items weren’t imported, click “Show unimported files…” to open a .txt list of skipped files.
Access the Event Log via Window → Event Log for more info.
What Gets Imported
The following elements are migrated:
- Collections → Albums
- Collection Sets → Groups (empty sets not imported)
- Orientation, Rotation, Crop, WB, Saturation, Contrast, Exposure
- Metadata: Star ratings, color labels, flat keywords, IPTC fields
Not Imported: Smart Collections, red-eye corrections, and spot removal. Some can be manually recreated using Capture One tools.
See the table in the original article for detailed feature mapping.
Get Acquainted with Capture One
Switching from Lightroom? Use Window → Workspace → Migration for a Lightroom-like layout.
More tutorials and livestreams
Read the Lightroom Migration FAQ
FAQ
Can I keep using my Lightroom Catalog after import?
Yes, the import is read-only and does not affect your Lightroom data.
Why aren't all my files imported?
Unsupported formats or special characters in filenames may block import. Check the .txt summary file and Event Log for details.
Can I import a Lightroom Catalog into a Session?
No, Lightroom Catalogs can only be imported into Capture One Catalogs, not Sessions.
Will my Smart Collections from Lightroom be available?
No, Smart Collections are not imported. Convert them to regular Collections before export if needed.
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Comments
2 comments
I have 500,000 images in my LR6 catalog.
I know C1 cannot have such a large catalog and I'd like to import by year into multiple C1 catalogs. My single LR6 catalog is setup with folders by year with subfolders by date.
I don't see how I can migrate partial catalogs (single year parent folders) from LR6 to C1 21.
I have been using C1 21 for a year on my laptop so am familiar with C1 catalogs, etc.
Can I migrate LR6 folders by year, currently in one single catalog) into multiple C1 21 catalogs by year? Thanks Nancy
Nancy: did you ever get an answer?
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