Importing photos from a fixed hard disk

Hi,
I have a large number of photos that are in a "random" folder structure.  I plan to start a-fresh with PSE8 and therefore want to import then into the application.  Obviously I can simply do this via "Files" / "Get Photos and Videos" / "From Files and Folders" or "By Searching" but the problem with this is the actual files are not copied so my messy folder structure remains.
What I want to do is use the "Files" / "Get Photos and Videos" / "From Camera or Card Reader" because this has the option to copy the files and place them in a new directory structure based on the date information in each photo.
My problem is that this option doesn't let me use a hard disk location as the source for the import.  The only way I can think of doing it is to copy all of my photos to an external hard disk and import them from that.
Any ideas appreciated.
Cheers Ian

I don't think there is a way around this, unless you want to copy your photos to a camera memory card. This will be very slow. (Copying to an external hard disk doesn't work, PSE considers EHDs to be the same as internal hard disks)
But ... let me suggest a change in your thinking ... PSE works best when you use tags and captions and other metadata to help you find your photo. Properly tagged, and with supporting metadata, you never have to know what folder your photos are in. PSE knows what folders they are in so you don't have to. Rearranging your folders for the purpose of organizing your photos is not an efficient use of your time ... assigning tags and captions and other metadata is a much more efficient and powerful use of your time. I have about 15K photos, I have no idea what folder they are in, and I can find them in a snap in PSE and make use of them.

Similar Messages

  • How can I import the photos from dvd or hard disk?

    Hi!
    How can I import/export my photos from dvd or hard disk??!

    To what?    Are you having trouble with a DVD made by a particular device, or a hard disk that was on a particular computer, or is still in that computer, and communicating to your computer?  We don't have enough details to answer the question.    Are you trying to get photos into an iPhoto certain version, Photoshop certain version, just the Finder of a  certain version, or specific operating system on your Mac?    We need more details.  Is the DVD a standard DVD, such as is indicated on http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2446 or something non-standard?

  • Can't get LR3 to import photos from one external hard drive to another?

    I'm wanting to move thousands of raw photos from a folder in one external hard drive to another folder in a different external hard drive so all my photos are in one photo folder instead of two.  I've gone through the importing routine inside of lightroom to move the folder over to the new hard drive.  However, the photos don't move because they still show up on the old hard drive and not the new one.  What's weird is when I try to import it again, the grid view shows all the photos I'm wanting to import and when I move my cursor over any of the photos they are faded out and it says the photos are already imported.  However, if this is true why aren't they showing up in the new folder on my new external hard drive?  I know the new external hard drive works fine because I've successfully been putting all my newer photos there since I started using LR about one year ago.  The one's I'm trying to move over are older photos I shot try to using LR.
    I'm stumped and need some help.  Thanks in advance.

    You wrote
    "Are you saying while I'm in LR just grab the folder I want to move and drop it into the new hard drive"
    Yes, that's the way to move photos & folders from within LR.
    LR will then update its catalog with the new location and everything should be fine.
    Importing is not a good way for moving photos / folders. Since the photos are already in the catalog you had to uncheck <Don't import suspected duplicates> or all the photos will be greyed-out in the import dialog. If you did that LR would import the photos from drive A and put it on drive B. But they would still be on drive A, so you'd have the photos on both drives and would have to delete them on drive A.
    But more important: By default LR saves all edits in the catalog, they are not saved with the images themselves. That means by doing an import instead of a drag-and-drop move you'd lose your edits.
    You can save your edits to xmp, a side-car file that is stored together with the image file, and the xmps would be imported. But LR does not store everything as xmp. For instance Virtual Copies, Collections, Stacking are saved only in the catalog, so by doing an import you'd lose these things.
    Unless you know LR very well, it's best to use the Import Feature only for images that are NOT yet in LR.
    And another thing: Before doing major operations like moving big amounts of photos, it's best to backup your catalog first.
    WW

  • Importing songs from an external Hard Disk

    As I am using a laptop, with a small amount of hard disk space and due to my excessive amount ofmusic I wish to hold my music on a external hard disk (there for is not anywhere on the c:). However when I tried to import this music into my i-tunes libary previously the itunes program could not find the information for any of my external hard disks. I was hoping someone could help me, as I cannot store all that music on a 50bd hard disk with all my other data.
    This is info on the Hard Disk it may help:
    Make: Lacie
    Connection: USB 2.0
    Plug and Play: No, drivers have to be installed off the lacie disk that came with that product.
    ANy help would be appreciated so much!!!

    OK just so were clear, theres 2 features in iTunes. One is File>Import which will COPY the song from its current location (Be it on an external drive or CD) to the "iTunes Music" folder on the C drive by default.
    The Other feature is File>Add File (Or Folder) to Library which does not move or copy the song, it just "Points" iTunes to where the song(s) are located on the system. If you don't want these files on your laptops harddrive, you need to use this.
    Now anything you buy on the iTunes Music Store are, by default put in
    C;//........My Music/iTUnes/iTUnes Music folder
    If you buy things from the store on this laptop, you may want to go thru iTUnes (Not Windows Explorer) to move this folder to the external. Goto Edit>preferences>advanced tab>General Sub Tab and here is where you can change the location of this file tothe external by hitting the "Change" button

  • I can't import photos from an external hard drive to aperture

    . Nothing shows up after I select the hard drive in aperture. I can however import photos to iPhoto with this same hard drive. Why is this happening. I have been importing from this hard drive to aperture for a long time now and only had this issue today. I have restarted computer, unplugged harddrive. Any thoughts?

    Don't touch that one !
    I was hoping that in addition to that there should be another device listed, namely the USB External HD you've got plugged into the USB port. It should show up something like this:

  • How do I stop iphoto from creating events automatically when I import photos from an external hard drive?

    IPhoto is creating events automatically when I import photos and when I merge events and then go to finder>all images, I see iphoto has created several copies of each picture....I try to delete the extra copies but then the albums or events also get affected, even if there is one copy of each photo left in all images...have someone had this problem?

    You don't have a problem at all.
    IPhoto is creating events automatically when I import photos
    This is how iPhoto works. Every photo is in an Event. Events are the basic organisation of the Library. Every import means at least one new Event. Yes you can merge Events after import and so on, but there is at least one Event created at each import.
    I see iphoto has created several copies of each picture....
    No it hasn't. It hs created versions of the photos, not copies. There will be a couple of thumbnails  for viewing in the iPhoto Window plus the Master and then a edited version for pics that are modified. The icons for each of these may be similar but they are not copies - for a start they are different sizes - and all are required for iPhoto to work.
    go to finder>all images
    Don't. This is simply a list of all the images on your computer. It makes no account or allowance for the purpose of these images. Really, if you're using iPhoto ignore this because if you
    I try to delete the extra copies
    Then you are trashing your Library.
    So, this is how iPhoto works, there is no problem and stay away from All Images.
    Regards
    TD

  • Importing photos from an external hard drive

    Here's the situtation:  Copied all photo files from C drive
    to an external drive...deleted photo files from C drive...needed to free up space on C drive.
    want elements to read the files now on the external drive...we uninstalled elements and reinstalled
    elements shows the C drive files with pics as if they are still there but they were deleted...(these files show as gray not as active yellow files)???
    only some of the photos from the external drive are there???
    and the "generating thumnails" hourglass continues to circle round and round but no new thumbnails appear???

    adding to the above comment to try the PSE Organizer Reconnect command--
    I suggest that you read the following hints about using the Reconnect function
    http://www.johnrellis.com/psedbtool/photoshop-elements-faq.htm#_Quickly_reconnecting_large

  • How do I import photos from an external hard drive to my iMac please?

    I have hundred of photos on a hard drive and want to transfer them onto my new imac. How do I do this please? I am totally new to apple operating system, used windows for 15 years.....
    Thank you for any help received...

    Don't touch that one !
    I was hoping that in addition to that there should be another device listed, namely the USB External HD you've got plugged into the USB port. It should show up something like this:

  • Importing photos from an external hard drive to Photos app as albums

    it is driving me nut. I have spent hours searching for an answer, but they are all about iphoto or aperture, which I dont have on my newly bought (April 2015) macbook pro.
    I have 5GB photos on an external drive; they are in different folders named after events (2005.4.13bday, 2006.3.3hiking..etc).
    How do I import them to Photos as albums that have the same names as folders?
    I tried dragging them directly into the app, but they are not imported as albums; I won't have any clue what these photos are, only dates.
    I tried File/import, but it doesn't allow me to as it can never finishing loading the photos (stops at 5000 photos).
    Please help. much appreciated.

    Re-start the Import. When it comes to the first duplicate it will ask you if you want to import or ignore the duplicate. In the same dialogue you'll have the opportunity to apply that decision to all duplicates.
    Regards
    TD

  • I've just spent the last three hours importing photos from a portable hard drive.  Now I can't see any of the photos I imported instead there is a black/white photo of a palm tree, setting sun and water?  HELP!

    Help!

    Apply the two fixes below in order as needed: 
    Fix #1
    Launch iPhoto with the Command+Option keys held down and rebuild the library.
    Since only one option can be run at a time start with
    Option #3, followed by #4 and then #1 as needed.
    Fix #2
    Using iPhoto Library Manager  to Rebuild Your iPhoto Library
    1 - download iPhoto Library Manager and launch.
    2 - click on the Add Library button, navigate to your Home/Pictures folder and select your iPhoto Library folder.
    3 - Now that the library is listed in the left hand pane of iPLM, click on your library and go to the File ➙ Rebuild Library menu option.
    4 - In the next  window name the new library and select the location you want it to be placed.
    5 - Click on the Create button.
    Note: This creates a new library based on the LIbraryData.xml file in the library and will recover Events, Albums, keywords, titles and comments.  However, books, calendars, cards and slideshows will be lost. The original library will be left untouched for further attempts at fixing the problem or in case the rebuilt library is not satisfactory.
    OT

  • Trying to import photos from iPhone 5, windows explorer present many icons of local disks which cannot be deleted

    Trying to import photos from iPhone 5, windows explorer present many icons of local disks which cannot be deleted
    for some reason there are many folders in the iPhone for pictures

    I have been having the same issues with my devices (iphone4s & Ipad and Ipad mini) NOT importing photos to my PC via windows 7. Too be honest, i am sick and tired of looking for a fix. I have spent days on this and now realise via forums that this issue is widespread. (deja vu - remember notes vanishing?)
    I have tripled checked everything but the platform just simply does not work.
    So, i will get offered various 'hunches' as to how to fix this...but hold on..after paying over £1,000 for the equipment why should i have to go find a fix...basically ...yet again...Apple products not delivering what they promise and are flawed. Gather im pretty p**sed about this...you betya...will i buy Apple again...?? take a guess.

  • I'm a new Mac user. I imported photos from my PC they ended up in iphoto library on the hard drive, but when I open iphoto from my dock its empty. How do I import those photos to the dock file?

    I'm a new Mac user. I imported photos from my PC through a jump drive and they ended up in my iphoto library on the hard drive but when I open iphoto from the dock its empty. How do I import those photos to the dock file from the iphoto library?

    Paragon Software has the most reliable NTFS driver for Mac
    tips on importing and organizing, transferring from Windows etc
    http://www.apple.com/support/itunes
    http://www.ilounge.com

  • I've just upgraded to Iphoto v9.4.1 and cannot import photos from my hard drive

    I've just upgraded to Iphoto v9.4.1 and cannot import photos from my hard drive. no matter what method I use, either click and drag or through the File menu. All I get is a message 'Preparing to import' - file size is less than 300 kb

    As a Test:
    Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library'
    Import a few pics into this new, blank library. Is the Problem repeated there?

  • My hard drive needed to be replaced for my iMac. When I move the photos from my portable hard drive back into iPhoto, the pictures show up small and I can't adjust them. How do I fix the pictures so they are full size again?

    My hard drive needed to be replaced on my iMac. When I try to move the photos from my portable hard drive back onto the Mac, they are small and can't be edited or made any larger. How can I fix them?

    YOu restore your phone from your icloud backup.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

  • Is it possible to import photos from a disk and retain the same order?

    Is i possible to import photos from a disk and retain the same order they appear on the disk?  When I import them, the come out in random order.

    When first imported the photos will be sorted in the Event chronologically. On the disk they well be sorted by the Finder and that's usually alphanumerically by file name. So select the photos in the event and type Commnad+N.  That will create a new album at the left with the photos in it. Then go to the View ➙ Sort Photo menu and select "By Title".  That should give you the same order as you view the photos on the disk via the Finder.
    OT

Maybe you are looking for