Import photos and videos using Picasa or Windows File Explorer

Import photos and videos from external devices

Importing is the process of acquiring photos and videos from sources and/or devices external to your computer hard drives and copying them into folders on your computer so Picasa can find and index them.

NOTE: Do not import folders that are already on your computer hard drive. Importing will cause duplicates.

Picasa is a photo management and editing program. It scans your computer in the folders you select and builds an INDEX of the locations of your photos in the original locations it finds them. This index is called the Database, and it contains information on and a thumbnail of all photos it finds. When you browse around in folders or albums or do searches, Picasa uses this database so it can show you any information instantly without having to access the real photo at all unless you want to edit or change it. This characteristic makes Picasa very fast even with large sets of photos.

Important Picasa characteristics:

• Picasa is simply finding your photos.

• Picasa is not making copies of photos.

• Picasa is not uploading the photos to any web sites.

• Picasa is not moving the photos anywhere.

• Picasa is not deleting any photos.

• Picasa is not modifying or changing the photos in any way.

• Picasa is simply finding the photos and building a small database of info about your photos.

After Picasa is done with its scan of the computer, your photos will be right where they were before, and they'll still be completely accessible to any and all programs on the computer. Of course, not all your photos reside on your computer, so the two methods below outline using the Picasa Import Tool, and using Windows Explorer.

Method A - Using the Picasa Import Tool

Using the Picasa Import tool, you can import photos into Picasa from many sources, including cameras, CDs, memory cards, scanners, webcams, and more. Photos you import are saved on your computer and displayed automatically in Picasa.

Start tool and Select Import Source

• In Picasa, click the Import button in the upper left of the Picasa screen.

• Select the source of your new photos (such as your camera) from the 'Import from' drop-down menu ( #1 in the screenshot below) at the top left.

• Picasa will be "Not Responding" until the selected source device becomes ready.

Select Import Destination Folder(s)

• Select the destination folder on your computer for your new photos, from the 'Import to' drop-down menu (#2) at the bottom left. This will usually be My Pictures unless it has been changed in the Tools menu > Options > General tab.

• Select the specific folder in "Folder Title" to Import the photos into (#3). You can select to create folders by the date the photo was taken, to create a folder with Today's Date, or you can name the folder.

NOTE: In some cases it is required that the folder name not already exist in Picasa. If you must import into an existing folder:

• • In the folder title box (#3), pull down the down arrow and select "Enter Folder Title" then leave the folder title: box Blank.

  • In the import To: (#2) box select "Choose"

  • In the Select Folder box that comes up, browse to and select the folder in which you want the import to reside.

  • If you can import into that folder, the Import All and Import Selected buttons will be visible and you can Import.

Set Options

• If you don't want to include photos that have already been imported, select the "Exclude Duplicates" Check box in the upper left.

• Select an action in the After Copying: box in the bottom center. You can choose to leave the camera or memory card alone or delete photos after copying. It is recommended that you select Leave the Card Alone to avoid the possibility of losing photos if the import process is interrupted.

Select Photos and Start Importing

• Select the specific photos you'd like to import and click Import Selected, or click Import All to import all the photos displayed.

Method B - Using Windows File Explorer

Using Windows File Explorer, you can also import photos into Picasa from any source that can be accessed as a disk drive or network drive.

Many cameras (including almost all modern cameras) automatically appear as a drive letter on your computer, and of course memory cards connected to card readers and USB or flash drives show up as drives too. Photos you import are saved on your computer and displayed automatically in Picasa when they are saved to "Watched" folders or if their folders are set to "Scan Always" in Picasa's Folder Manager (found under the Tools menu).

Open Windows Explorer

• Hold down the Windows key and tap the E key on the keyboard

• Browse to "This PC" (or "My Computer") so you can see all the drives and devices.

Connect Your Camera or Memory Card / USB Drive

• Connect your camera to a USB port and turn it on, or:

• Insert the memory card into the proper slot on the card reader, or:

• Connect the USB or Flash drive to a USB port.

• After a little while, the camera or memory device should show up as a drive letter in This PC / My Computer.

• Double-click on the new drive letter to open it and view its folders.

Find the Photos and / or Videos on your Device

• Look through the subfolders. One of them (maybe more depending on camera) should be full of picture files with probably the JPG extension. In many cameras, the folder containing photos is called DCIM.

• Videos may be either in the same folder or a different one depending on the camera.

Select the Photos or Videos you want to Import

• Browse into the photos folder found above.

• Using the standard Windows selection tools, select all the photos you want to import.

• Right-click on one of the selected photos or videos, and select "Copy"

Create a Folder to Import them Into

• Hold down the Windows key and tap the E key on the keyboard

• Browse to "This PC" (or "My Computer"), and if necessary, create the new subfolder you want to import the photos into.

Copy the Photos or Videos Into the Folder

• Right-Click on the subfolder you want to import into and select "Paste".

• The photos will be imported into the selected subfolder and will be indexed and shown by Picasa if the folder is being watched by Picasa.

Ensure that Picasa is Watching the Imported Photos

• In the Folders Collection in the left column of Picasa check to make sure the new folder has been indexed and is shown in Picasa.

• If by some chance you put the folder somewhere that Picasa doesn't scan, you have 2 choices (at least). You can either move that folder to somewhere that Picasa is scanning, or you can go to the Picasa Tools menu > Folder Manager, find the folder you created above, and set it to Scan Always .