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Import Dialogue Box setup

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Robin Page

Active Member
Premium Classic Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
106
Location
Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
Classic
Lightroom Version Number
15.0.1
Operating System
  1. macOS 26 Tahoe
I had my MacBook Pro go rogue on me and import an entire and large import into the catalog but saving the files back on to the source Express card. Quite destroyed my evening and my tasks of downloading, editing and despatching an entire day of motorsport work. I managed to sort it out in the end and get the files Ito the correct folder on my attached 8Tb SSD drive. But too late to edit, despatch etc.
I now need to import about 15Gb of files from day 2 of the event. The RH dialogue box needing information like source, destination folder, etc is missing. My screenshot shows the current state of the import setup, how do I have the other info boxes display please?
LRC. Import screen 2026-06-01 at 4.50.25 pm.png
 
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LRC is recognising your Cf Express card as a disk.. and is providing you with the option to Add the images to your catalog. This approach is valid if you have your images already on your target disk drive but not if you need to Move or Copy images from card to disk.

Use Copy or Move option (center of the top panel) instead of Add to get options on where to copy / move images to.

You should also drill down on the left panel to be sure from what folders you are importing images, in case you previously copied images to your cf Express card.

With such high volumes it is critical to get these setting and approach correct.
 
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Your card is seen, but no source has been selected yet. That is why you do not see any images to import. And indeed ‘Add’ would only add them to the catalog, not copy or move them, so Lightroom does not offer a destination or an option to rename them.
 
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Gnits said:
LRC is recognising your Cf Express card as a disk.. and is providing you with the option to Add the images to your catalog. This approach is valid if you have your images already on your target disk drive but not if you need to Move or Copy images from card to disk.

Use Copy or Move option (center of the top panel) instead of Add to get options on where to copy / move images to.

You should also drill down on the left panel to be sure from what folders you are importing images, in case you previously copied images to your cf Express card.

With such high volumes it is critical to get these setting and approach correct.
Click to expand...
Thanks Gnits. I have been using CFE cards for several years and they have behaved like normal SD cards. Also, you will see that the Copy and Move options are not in my screenshot. It seems to me that the default import screen has gone walkabout. All the guidance on the Adobe site and with the LRQ seem to take it as a given that the default screen always displays. The screenshots I am taking are too large for this site and I am not sure how to downsize them.
 
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Pls do a screen shot which includes the full top panel.

When you see Add in the top panel.. it is a clue that LrC is treating the source as a disk drive rather than a card.

Put in an Sd card with a few test images just to see the behaviour and see if that enables options.

Aside.
I have an app which copies my images to the folder of my choice, with the image naming of my choice… so I always use the Add feature to add images from their current location (ie their final destination on my main library disk) but if I was using cards and the standard LrC import module I would never use Add.

Also.. there is an option to select source.. which should be placed above where you see your disk drives. Use this to drill down to select your Cf Express card and it may reveal the Move / Copy options.
 
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Johan Elzenga said:
Your card is seen, but no source has been selected yet. That is why you do not see any images to import. And indeed ‘Add’ would only add them to the catalog, not copy or move them, so Lightroom does not offer a destination or an option to rename them.
Click to expand...
Hi Johan,
Gnits said:
Pls do a screen shot which includes the full top panel.

When you see Add in the top panel.. it is a clue that LrC is treating the source as a disk drive rather than a card.

Put in an Sd card with a few test images just to see the behaviour and see if that enables options.

Aside.
I have an app which copies my images to the folder of my choice, with the image naming of my choice… so I always use the Add feature to add images from their current location (ie their final destination on my main library disk) but if I was using cards and the standard LrC import module I would never use Add.

Also.. there is an option to select source.. which should be placed above where you see your disk drives. Use this to drill down to select your Cf Express card and it may reveal the Move / Copy options.
Click to expand...
Gnits said:
Pls do a screen shot which includes the full top panel.

When you see Add in the top panel.. it is a clue that LrC is treating the source as a disk drive rather than a card.

Put in an Sd card with a few test images just to see the behaviour and see if that enables options.

Aside.
I have an app which copies my images to the folder of my choice, with the image naming of my choice… so I always use the Add feature to add images from their current location (ie their final destination on my main library disk) but if I was using cards and the standard LrC import module I would never use Add.

Also.. there is an option to select source.. which should be placed above where you see your disk drives. Use this to drill down to select your Cf Express card and it may reveal the Move / Copy options.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input also Gnits. see below.
Cheers
Robin

I have selected Source and it makes no difference. I have been importing trouble free for aeons and this really has me buffaloed. It is getting late here and I need to get some shut eye as I have a big drive home tomorrow, and rain is thundering of my motorhome roof with predicted storms tomorrow. I am also needing to provide an explanation for blowing a deadline. Thanks for trying to assist.
 
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Where it says 'Add,' it's (now) a drop-down selection box - you can then select Move, Copy, etc. It changed when Assisted Culling got its own spot on the top Import bar.

It's in your Classic FAQ:

Import Basics​

 
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Ah... it moved.. never use Assisted Culling...

but my dna raises an internal alert when I see 'Add'. Good to get a good steer.
 
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The indicator for the pop-up menu is almost too subtle to see, but it’s there in your screen shot: It’s the tiny double-triangle pop-up indicator that lights up when you hover the pointer over the menu area. Click there and the menu pops up. Like Paul said, when they added Assisted Culling the middle section started to run out of room on narrow window sizes, so they put the options in that new pop-up menu.

Lightroom Classic Import pop-up.gif
 
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Paul McFarlane said:
Where it says 'Add,' it's (now) a drop-down selection box - you can then select Move, Copy, etc. It changed when Assisted Culling got its own spot on the top Import bar.

It's in your Classic FAQ:

Import Basics​

Click to expand...
Like, read the book dumkopf. . Did that, thanks Teach, and it is very clear and comprehensive. It all came together when I imported from an SD card and voila, all the import info was there on the Right waiting to be filled in. But I am still uncertain as to how I get that info from a CFE card into a catalog imported via a bulk file copy to a folder on my 8Tb SSD, but I should be able to work it out. It now strikes me as a bit clumsy. I need to investigate how I change the file names to fit my convention of having the file name start with the YearMonthCamera. Also not sure how I tell Adobe that they should accept CFE cards as such at Import.
 
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Conrad Chavez said:
The indicator for the pop-up menu is almost too subtle to see, but it’s there in your screen shot: It’s the tiny double-triangle pop-up indicator that lights up when you hover the pointer over the menu area. Click there and the menu pops up. Like Paul said, when they added Assisted Culling the middle section started to run out of room on narrow window sizes, so they put the options in that new pop-up menu.

View attachment 29216
Click to expand...
Many thanks Conrad.
Robin
 
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