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What Does Import Mean In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic?

    Divider LineWe covered the steps required to set-up Adobe Photoshop Lightroom in the previous Module. Now that we have everything properly prepared and configured it’s time to Import some photographs into our Lightroom Catalog.

Understanding the ‘Import’ Concept

The word Import has a very specific meaning inside of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Understanding exactly what this term means within the Lightroom lexicon will help you avoid some of the common pitfalls that snare so many new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom users. In this program, Import means to add new reference points into your Photoshop Lightroom Catalog. When we Import, we are asking Lightroom to keep track of a group of digital images.

Importing creates a one-to-one relationship between your Lightroom Catalog’s thumbnails/previews and the image files on your hard drive. It is absolutely essential for you to understand that your Lightroom Catalog is an index, a searchable database, of your photography. This database does not contain your actual image.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Library Module Gird View Thumbnails

When you Import images into your Catalog, Lightroom records the image’s filename, it’s metadata, and the exact path through your computer that leads to this particular file. Lightroom writes all of this information into your Catalog and it creates a thumbnail/preview for each image. The thumbnails and previews that Lightroom generates act as visual placeholders for your real files while you are browsing through your Lightroom Catalog.

Import Dialog

Pressing the Import button in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom brings up a dialog screen full of possibilities. The Import Dialog needs very specific instructions about where to find the new group of images that you would like to connect to your Catalog and some additional guidance every time this command is invoked. There are some fantastic time-saving workflow tools inside of the Import Dialog that can dramatically improve your productivity, but harnessing their full potential requires a bit of additional set-up.

Applying your copyright and contact information to all of the images that you add via Import using a Metadata Preset, for example, can be a great time-saver. As you will soon learn, having Lightroom copy or move your actual files from one place to another can also be a big help when you are trying to build a neat and tidy image storage system. The Import Dialog may be able to dramatically improve your productivity by automating tedious repetitive tasks, but this box cannot magically read your mind. You must give it precise instructions every time you use it.

We will cover all of these time saving features and the most important buttons in Photoshop Lightroom’s Import Dialog shortly. But first, please take the time to learn about some best practices for naming your files and folders in our next lesson.

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  • LIGHTROOM CLASSIC: GETTING STARTED
    • Module 1:IS ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM CLASSIC FOR YOU?
      • Lesson 1:Choosing The Right Photo Storage Program
      • Lesson 2:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Vs. Adobe Lightroom
      • Lesson 3:Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Right For You?
    • Module 2:LIGHTROOM CLASSIC INTRODUCTION
      • Lesson 1:What Is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic?
      • Lesson 2:The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Catalog Concept
      • Lesson 3:One Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Catalog Is All You Need
    • Module 3:GETTING STARTED
      • Lesson 1:How To Install Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For The Brand New User
      • Lesson 2:How To Upgrade To Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Version 11
      • Lesson 3:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Image & Catalog Storage Options
      • Lesson 4:How To Open The Right Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Catalog Every Time
      • Lesson 5:How To Save Your Work In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Lesson 6:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Presets Storage Options
      • Lesson 7:Backing Up Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic & Your Photography
      • Lesson 8:How To Move All Of Your Photos To A Larger Hard Drive Without Upsetting Lightroom Classic
    • Module 4:ADDING PHOTOS & VIDEOS
      • Lesson 1:What Does Import Mean In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic?
      • Lesson 2:How To Import New Photos Into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Using An Import Preset
      • Lesson 3:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic File And Folder Names Best Practices
      • Lesson 4:Four Ways To Get Images From Apple Photos Into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
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        The Most Powerful Way To Migrate From Apple Photos To Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Use The Folder Watch Plugin In Lightroom Classic
      • Unlock This Lesson
        How To Convert To Dng In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

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