Import media from cameras and card readers with Elements Organizer

Importing media from cameras and card readers

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Elements Organizer User Guide

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Applies to: Elements Organizer

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Follow these directions to import media from cameras and card readers with Adobe Elements Organizer.

You can import media files from your camera or card reader using the From Cameras and Card Readers option. This method opens the Adobe Photo Downloader. This method lets you organize your media files while importing them.

To know about the supported media files, see Supported media file types.

Note:

If your camera or card requires any driver to work with your system, install it before you start importing media files.

Get media files from a digital camera or card reader

  1. Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. (See the documentation that came with your device if necessary.)

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Import > From Camera or Card Reader.
    • Choose File > Get Photos and Videos > From Camera or Card Reader.
    • Press Ctrl+G on Windows or Command+G on Mac OS.
    Import-files-from-cameras-and-card-readers
    Import drop-down options (Windows OS)

    Note:

    The From Scanner option is not available for Mac OS.

  3. In the Adobe Photo Downloader dialog box under Source, select the source of the media files to import from using the Get Photos From drop-down list.

    Note:

    To refresh the list of available cameras or card readers, select the Refresh List option from the drop-down list.

  4. In the Import Settings area, set the following options:

    Location

    Specifies the folder where the media files are downloaded. To specify a different location, click Browse (Windows)/Choose (Mac OS) and choose a folder. Alternatively, click New Folder to create a folder and name it.

    Create Subfolder(s)

    Creates a subfolder using the naming scheme chosen from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom Name, type a subfolder name in the box.

    Tip: (Windows only) If you are using keyboard shortcuts to create subfolders (Alt+C) or rename files (Alt+R), press the spacebar to expand the menu. Then, use the arrow keys to select an option.

    Rename Files

    Changes the filenames using the naming scheme selected from the pop-up menu. If you want to specify a custom name, type a base filename and a starting number for assigning sequentially numbered filenames to the media files.

    Note:

    If the name you entered exists, the copied image filename is appended with “-1”, or another appropriately numbered designator.

    Preserve Current Filename in XMP

    Uses the current filename as the filename stored in the metadata of the media file.

    Delete Options

    Specifies whether to leave the media files on your camera or card, verify and delete the files, or delete the files after they are copied. Deleting the files automatically avoids having to delete the media files by using your camera. Media files that you do not import into Elements Organizer are not deleted from the device.

    Automatic Download (Windows only)

    Imports your media files instantly the next time Elements Organizer is selected in the Windows AutoPlay dialog box. This option uses the Automatic Download values specified in the Camera or Card Reader preferences.

    Note:

    This option is not available in the Windows Application Store version of Elements Organizer.

  5. For more download options, click the Advanced Dialog button.

  6. Click Get Media.

    The media files are copied to your hard drive. If the media files you copied contain keyword metadata, the Import Attached Tags dialog box appears; specify whether to copy the tags. For more information, see Tag your media.

  7. Click OK in the Files Successfully Copied dialog box. You can choose to show only the new files in the Media Browser.

Note:

You can change the settings specified here later. In Elements Organizer, for Windows, select Edit > Preferences > Camera or Card Reader. In Mac OS, select Adobe Elements Organizer > Preferences > Camera or Card Reader.

Set advanced photo downloading options

The Advanced dialog box of the Adobe Photo Downloader offers all the options in the Standard dialog box and some more options. For example, you can view all media files stored on a device or preview videos before importing them. You can also add copyright metadata, specify an album for the imported photos, and automatically fix red eye as the images are imported. The settings you specify in this dialog box retain their values until you reset them.

  1. In the Standard dialog box of Adobe Photo Downloader, click Advanced Dialog.

    Thumbnail images of every file on your device appear.

  2. To show or hide different file types, click the Image , Video , or Audio  buttons. If the device contains duplicate files, the Duplicate button  is also available.

    Note:

    Duplicate files are files that are already in the Elements Organizer or have already been copied to your hard disk. If you download duplicate files, they are copied to your hard drive, but are not added to Elements Organizer.

  3. Select media files (photos or videos) to download by doing any of the following:

    • To select individual media files, click the boxes below each thumbnail.
    • To select multiple media files, drag a rectangle around their thumbnails. Then right-click (Windows)/Control+click (Mac OS) and select Check Selected, or click a box below one of the selected media files to check them all.
    • To select all media files, click Check All. To deselect all images, click UnCheck All.

  4. (Optional) To rotate one or more media files, select them by clicking the media files (not the check boxes). Then, click the Rotate Left button or the Rotate Right button .

  5. In the Save Options section, do any of the following:

    • To copy the media files, specify a destination. To specify a different location, click Browse (Windows)/Choose (Mac OS) and choose a folder. 

    Note:

    If you switch to the Standard dialog box, Custom Groups settings are lost. 

    • Choose an option for naming subfolders from the Create Subfolder(s) drop-down. 

    The Custom Groups (Advanced) option in the Create Subfolder(s) drop-down creates a subfolder with the group name format you select in the Group Name box. The group tag name helps you find and distinguish photos within a category.

    • Choose a naming scheme from the Rename Files drop-down if you want to rename the media files during import. The Advanced Rename option in the drop-down lets you rename files based on a criterion. If you want to specify a custom name, type a base filename and a starting number for assigning sequentially numbered filenames to the media files.

    Note:

    If the name you entered exists, the copied image filename is appended with “-1” or another appropriately numbered designator.

  6. In the Advanced Options section, select any of the following:

    Automatically Fix Red Eyes

    Applies the Fix Red Eye command to all selected photos.

    Note:

    Automatically removing red eye on multiple files increases the amount of time required to import your photos.

    Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks

    Combines selected photos into suggested photo stacks based on visual similarity.

    Note:

    When downloading media files from a camera, card reader, or mobile phone, it is recommended that you organize the media files into photo stacks during the import process.

    Automatically Stack Raw and JPEG

    Automatically stacks the RAW and JPEG files of the same image together.

    Import Into Album

    Lets you specify or create an album to import the photos. To select or create an album, click Settings and then click OK.

    Note:

    You can import into only one album in a (one) Photo Downloader session. However, you can add files to an existing album if you want.

    From the menu at the bottom of the Advanced Options section, choose an option to specify what Elements Organizer should do after copying photos: leave the original files alone, verify that the import was successful and then delete the original files, or immediately delete the original files.

  7. To add metadata, select a template to use and type in the following fields:

    Creator

    Specifies the file creator. Information typed into this field is appended to the creator metadata in the file.

    Copyright

    Specifies the date and other relevant information to protect your photos. Information typed into this field overwrites any data already in the copyright metadata in the file.

  8. (Optional) On Windows, to automatically download media files in Elements Organizer after a device is connected, select Automatic Download. Automatic download options are set in the Camera Or Card Reader preferences.

  9. Click Get Media.

Set camera and card reader preferences

Elements Organizer enables you to set preferences for a device. The preferences remain intact until you change them. 

  1. Do the following:

    • For Windows, select Edit > Preferences > Camera Or Card Reader. 
    • For Mac OS, select Adobe Elements Organizer > Preferences > Camera Or Card Reader.
  2. Set file-specific import options:

    Save Files In

    Specifies where the files are copied to on your hard drive. Click Browse to specify a new location.

    Automatically Fix Red Eyes

    Fixes red eye problems as the files are downloaded.

    Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks

    Suggests photo stacks for you according to date and visual similarity.

    Automatically stack JPEG and RAW

    Stacks JPEG and RAW files when you import media files from Camera/Card reader using Adobe Photo Downloader.

  3. (Windows only) To edit the options for a specific device, select the device profile, and click Edit.

    Choose a download option from the menu that appears, and click OK.

    To delete a device from this list, select it, and click Remove.

    Note:

    This option is not available in the Windows Application Store version of Elements Organizer.

  4. (Windows only) To specify default values for automatic downloads, set any of the following:

    Begin Download

    Specifies when a download begins after a device is connected.

    Create Subfolder(s) Using

    Specifies how to separate and name folders containing media files shot on different dates.

    Delete Options

    Specifies if and how to delete the original media files from your camera after copying them to your hard disk.

    Copy New Files Only (Ignore Already Imported Files)

    Causes the downloader to ignore files that are already on your hard disk.

    Note:

    • If you have changed the settings and are having trouble getting your media files, click Restore Default Settings to restore the original preferences.
    • These options are not available in the Windows Application Store version of Elements Organizer.

Importing from mobile phones

If you have a mobile phone with a built‑in camera, you can transfer the media files into your catalog. Make sure that your phone saves media files in a file format you can import into your catalog. To find out what file format your phone uses, see the instructions that came with the phone.

For phones that store media files on a removable flash or memory card, use Adobe Photo Downloader to import media files into Elements Organizer. To determine how your phone stores photos, see the instructions that came with your phone.

To get photos into your catalog, use one of the following methods.

Direct Transfer If your phone stores media files on a removable flash or memory card, you can bring media files from your phone directly into Element Organizer by using the Adobe Photo Downloader. Click File > Get Photos and Videos > From Camera or Card Reader. To check how your phone stores photos, see the instructions that came with your phone.

Cable or wireless Transfer You can transfer the images to your hard disk using cable or wireless transfer. To check how to transfer files via cable or wireless, see the instructions that came with your phone. After you transfer the photos to your computer, click File > Get Photos and Videos > From Files and Folders to import media files. 

Note:

  • On Mac OS, the downloader is not automatically launched.
  • Elements Organizer does not recognize some devices on Mac OS 10.11.x. To know more about the workaround for this issue, see Elements Organizer does not recognize some devices | Mac OS 10.11.x.
  • Not all phones and carriers allow you to transfer media files to your computer using the methods described above. Your carrier or phone manufacturer can tell you what options are available to you. You can also refer to the Adobe website for the latest information.