Lightroom > Importing >
3 - Importing Situations
We'll look at importing from:
• Your camera or card reader.
• Folders on your computer.
• CDs and DVDs.
Did You Create Import Folders?
This section assumes you created the import folders described in the last section.
My Pictures or Pictures
Your First Import
Your first import should be from your camera.
That's easier than importing from folders, CDs, and DVDs.
You may want to take twenty photographs of anything.
Then, only import these "practice" photographs.
Experiment with Lightroom before you import everything on your computer.
Import from Camera
Do the following.
1) Turn your camera off.
2) Connect your camera to your computer.
3) Turn your camera on.
You can use a card reader instead of your camera.
4) By default, Lightroom will open the Import window.
If it does, jump ahead.
If Lightroom doesn't open the Import window, do the following.
a) Open Lightroom.
b) Press g to make sure you're in the Library module.
c) Click Import in the lower-left corner.
Change the Memory Card Setting
Do the following.
a) Press Ctrl + , to open Preferences.
b) Click the General tab.
c) In the Import Options section, select or deselect Show import dialog when a memory card is detected.
Import Window
We'll work across the Import window from left-to-right.
Left Side
5) Click on the tab for your camera if it isn't already selected.
Middle
The photographs on the memory card appear in the work area.
Middle, Bottom
6) If this is the first time you're importing, click the Uncheck All button.
The previews will turn gray.
Middle
7) If this is the first time you're importing, click the boxes in the upper-left corners of about twenty of the previews.
As you do so, the previews will go from gray to normal.
Top, in the Middle
8) Select Copy.
Upper-right Corner
9) Click the upper-right corner.
10) Select Other Destination.
11) Navigate to the _In_LR folder.
Windows users should use this path.
C: > Users > Your Name > Pictures > _In_LR
Mac users should use this path.
Finder > MacIntoshHD > Users > Pictures > _In_LR
Lower-right Corner
12) Click Import.
A bar appears in the upper-right corner showing the progress of the import.
When the import is done, the previews will appear in the work area in the Library module.
Import from Folders
This section assumes that you've done an import from your camera.
You probably have lots of folders waiting to be imported into Lightroom.
Don't try to import all of your folders at once.
Import just one folder, to start.
The folder shouldn't have any subfolders in it.
Let's say you want to import a folder called 2010-12-20.
The folder doesn't contain any subfolders.
Do the following.
My Pictures or Pictures
1) Go to My Pictures or Pictures.
2) Drag the 2010-12-20 folder into the _In_Lightroom folder.
BTW
Because your dragged the 2010-12-20 folder into _In_Lightroom folder . . .
. . . you'll know which folders are in Lightroom . . .
. . . and which ones are not.
Lightroom
3) Open Lightroom.
4) Press g to make sure you're in the Library module.
5) Click Import in the lower-left corner.
Left Side
6) Navigate to the _In_Lightroom folder.
7) Select the 2010-12-20 folder.
Top, in the Middle
8) Select Add.
Lower-right Corner
9) Click Import.
Are There Subfolders?
If a folder has subfolders, Lightroom won't import them, by default.
If you want to import the subfolders, do the following.
a) Go to the left side of the Import window.
b) Right click on the folder containing the subfolders.
c) Select Include Subfolders.
Once designated, all subfolders will be imported.
If you don't want to import subfolders, right click a folder and deselect Include Subfolders.
Import from CDs & DVDs
This section assumes that you've done imports from:
• Your camera.
• From a folder on your computer.
Let's say you're going to import a folder called Birthdays from a CD or DVD.
Do the following.
1) Insert a CD or DVD.
2) Open Lightroom.
4) Press g to make sure you're in the Library module.
5) Click Import in the lower-left corner.
Left Side
6) Click the gray triangle to open the CD/DVD drive.
7) Select the Birthdays folder.
Top, in the Middle
8) Select Move.
Upper-right Corner
9) Click the upper-right corner.
10) Select Other Destination.
11) Navigate to the _In_LR folder.
Right Side
12) Open the Destination panel.
13) Select Into Subfolder.
14) Enter the name of the folder that you're importing from the CD or DVD.
Here, the name is Birthdays.
Lower-right Corner
15) Click Import.
Caution
Unfortunately, you can't delete the selection of Into Subfolder > Birthdays until you do another import.
Put a sticky note on your monitor—to deselect Into Subfolder—or to change the destination to a new subfolder.
If you don't remember, your next import will go into the selected subfolder, Birthdays.
Folders with the Same Name
Let's say you import a folder called Birthdays.
A month later, you're importing old photographs from CDs.
You try to import another folder called Birthdays.
Lightroom won't let you.
You'll have to rename the Birthdays folder that's been imported already.
Be sure to do the renaming in Lightroom.
Do the following.
1) Go to the Library module.
2) Open the Folders panel on the left side.
3) Right click the Birthdays folder, and select Rename.
Dock Folder
By default, Lightroom displays folders and all of their sub-folders.
To remove the clutter, do one of the following.
• Right click on a folder, and select Dock Folder.
• Double click on a folder.
When you do so, the other folders are hidden.
More
For more about importing, go to Importing.
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