Learn how
to import
photos into
Lightroom
Import the
RAW images
Lightroom requires you to import your RAW
images before you can start processing them.
This is to help you organise your shots easily,
build bespoke collections of a group of images
and also simplify trivial tasks like renaming a
batch of images. As most people want to dive
straight into the editing, the Import dialogue
is often glanced over, but I’m going to showInside the Import dialogue What you need to know to bring your RAWs into Lightroom
1
Use the Source panel
This is the first thing you
want to turn your attention
to, as you’ll use this panel to
navigate your way through
the various folders on your
hard drive to find the images
you want to edit. Click on the
folder and choose Include
Subfolders if there are folders
within it that have photos you
want to import.2
Key importing options There
are four headings at the top of the
interface. ‘Copy’ will copy your pictures
to a new location and add them to
the Catalog, while ‘Copy as DNG’ will
do the same but convert your files to
Adobe’s DNG format. ‘Move’ will move
the photos from your source to the
chosen location, while ‘Add’ won’t copy
or move your RAWs, it will simply add
them to the Lightroom Catalog.4
Build Smart Previews
Also in the File Handling
panel you have the option to
Build Smart Previews. These
enable you to work offline when
the hard drive isn’t connected.
They also increase Lightroom’s
efficiency, as it’s easier to work
on the smaller files – though
this will extend the time it takes
to finish the import as it has to
create the extra files.5
Rename images Use the File Renaming
panel on the right to change the file names
to something you prefer. You can choose to put
the date in the file name, or add a numbered
sequence to the batch of images. You can also
rename your exported images at the end of
the process when you’ve finished your edit.TECHNIQUES
Learnhow
toimport
photosinto
Lightroom
Import the
RAW images
Lightroom requires you to import your RAW
images before you can start processing them.
This is to help you organise your shots easily,
build bespoke collections of a group of images
and also simplify trivial tasks like renaming a
batch of images. As most people want to dive
straight into the editing, the Import dialogue
is often glanced over, but I’m going to showInside the Import dialogue What you need to know to bring your RAWs into Lightroom
1
Use the Source panel
This is the first thing you
want to turn your attention
to, as you’ll use this panel to
navigate your way through
the various folders on your
hard drive to find the images
you want to edit. Click on the
folder and choose Include
Subfolders if there are folders
within it that have photos you
want to import.2
Key importing options There
are four headings at the top of the
interface. ‘Copy’ will copy your pictures
to a new location and add them to
the Catalog, while ‘Copy as DNG’ will
do the same but convert your files to
Adobe’s DNG format. ‘Move’ will move
the photos from your source to the
chosen location, while ‘Add’ won’t copy
or move your RAWs, it will simply add
them to the Lightroom Catalog.4
Build Smart Previews
Also in the File Handling
panel you have the option to
Build Smart Previews. These
enable you to work offline when
the hard drive isn’t connected.
They also increase Lightroom’s
efficiency, as it’s easier to work
on the smaller files – though
this will extend the time it takes
to finish the import as it has to
create the extra files.5
Rename images Use the File Renaming
panel on the right to change the file names
to something you prefer. You can choose to put
the date in the file name, or add a numbered
sequence to the batch of images. You can also
rename your exported images at the end of
the process when you’ve finished your edit.TECHNIQUES