How do you import raw and jpg files separately into Mac?

blackstar

Senior Member
Hi,

I have been using both dropbox and Photos app to import Nikon image files into my mac machine (with card reader). Up to now, both methods hit rock: Photos actually bump from the beginning as it imports raw and jpg as a combo (j) instead of two separate files (nef and jpg); dropbox did well for a while before my last practice shooting (landscape, the Milky Way, and multi-exposure star trails) totaling about 200 files which hit the limit of downloading size. So I am wondering if any of you met a similar issue and how to resolve, and what is your best way of importing both files separately (many and big size batch)? Thanks for your input.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I create a descriptive folder on my desktop and copy the files into that folder. I don't shoot jpgs, ever, RAW only. I then Import those files using Lightroom. My Lightroom is setup to copy the files into a new folder with the dates. In LR, this is automatic. folder 2020/folder 07/24 for today as an example. These folders reside on a separate USB drive... <-- this process now leaves me with 2 completely separate folders on different drives with the NEF files. After processing and letting everything sit for a week or two... I'll MOVE the folder on my desktop (freeing up space) to a 3rd USB drive. <-- that gives me 2 complete sets of the files NOT on my main Mac drive. <-- I use BackBlaze as a cloud backup to copy one of those USB drives to the cloud... That gives me 3 complete sets of files, one off-site in a cloud.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
@FredKingston When you 'move' the files, you don't just get a copy? it actually removes it from the Mac? What am I doing wrong?

Essential, that's correct. My main drive to my Mac is a 500G SSD drive... I basically copy the folder on the desktop to a 3T thunderbolt drive, and then delete it from the SSD drive's desktop... effectively moving it... I only keep it on the SSD drive for post processing because of the speed... once processing is complete... I move it all to the separate USB and eSata/thunderbolt drives...
 

blackstar

Senior Member
Ah, OK. Three places to store files: on mac, back up drive, and back up cloud (off-site). I may pass the cloud storage for trust reason. My current back up drive only has 1T capacity and it already mostly filled with Time Machine backup stuff. So adding a new one is needed. Any brand and capacity recommended?
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
I have a G-technologies G drive that I purchased at an Apple store. Easy to drag and drop files into it. I don't have enough computer knowledge to make a recommendation.
 

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
I have a G-technologies G drive that I purchased at an Apple store. Easy to drag and drop files into it. I don't have enough computer knowledge to make a recommendation.

I have three 4TB drives that I use for main storage. Two of them are G Technologies drives and one is a Western Digital My Book for Mac. The Western Digital (WD) was the first one I bought and there is a reason that I don't own any more of them. (I do have several Western Digital 1 TB portable drives that have not caused me trouble.) I've owned one of the G Tech drives for several years now and just added another two months ago because I was able to get one on sale and I felt that I needed another. I now have all of my important files from the My Book copied to each of the G Tech drives, and have pretty much stopped any new photo storage on the WD. (However, a lot of people have never had any issues with WD drives.) After I back up my files to the second G Tech drive, I eject that drive, power it down and disconnect it from all connections in case I have a lightning stike at or near the house.

I typically shoot NEF and jpeg fine files and download both together into a folder hierarchy with the date and subject or location in the lowest level folders. I always store my files in a folder heirarchy with the highest level folder titled as the year in which the photos were taken.

For instance, I'll have a folder titled with the year, say 2020; the next level down is going to be named the month of the shots creation, after that, the folder is likely named for the day of the files creation, followed by the location of the files creation in the next folder. If I want to pull photos out of these folders, I'm likely to move into the next higher folder and create a new folder with the name of the subject, especially if the photos are primarily of one person.

They are left there until I look at them in Lightroom and are deleted only if the image is a bad shot, for whatever reason. (Take enough photos and there end up being a lot of reasons to delete photos!) After Lightroom processing, I move them into a folder within the heretofore lowest level folder named "Processed." That is the typical end of my file storage process.

I haven't always used this file nomenclature, so I sometimes have a difficult time finding older photo files. When that is the case, it just takes me longer to find the files that I'm looking for. My way also presents limitations when trying to find files in Lightroom.

I suggest that you work on a naming and filing convention that works for you and stick with it to a point when it becomes evident that you should change it to improve its utility and performance.

WM
 
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Dawg Pics

Senior Member
@blackstar. Sorry for hijacking your thread. I think the digital storage issue tends to be ongoing and with changes in technology, this topic tends to get discussed a lot. I don't have an answer to your original question.

When I first started taking images, I saved almost everything unless it was obviously blurred or exposure was way off. I am currently culling hundreds of old practice images. It isn't fun.
 

blackstar

Senior Member
Yeah, your right! Dawg. I am just a beginner and my mac HD already flooded (with many many big image files) which never happened b4 I started diligently shooting... Spent the last whole night (still unfinished now) to clean up and repartition my old 1T external HD for storing my photos. But I agree with you it's no fun to cull, not like few other old photos taken long ago with old cameras, very memorial.

BTW, since I seldom used the Photos app on Mac and never planned to use for my photo images, does anyone know how to stop it automatically import the unuseful combo (j) files every time I plugin disk reader with camera disk? Thanks
 
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Fred Kingston

Senior Member
@Dawg Pics I do the same... I can't tell you how many times I've gone back and edited photos with newly learned techniques after a few years and created new images. Although I've always shot RAW, every once in a while I run across a few early Jpgs and regret their lack of latitude and range...
 

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
Hi,

I have been using both dropbox and Photos app to import Nikon image files into my mac machine (with card reader). Up to now, both methods hit rock: Photos actually bump from the beginning as it imports raw and jpg as a combo (j) instead of two separate files (nef and jpg); dropbox did well for a while before my last practice shooting (landscape, the Milky Way, and multi-exposure star trails) totaling about 200 files which hit the limit of downloading size. So I am wondering if any of you met a similar issue and how to resolve, and what is your best way of importing both files separately (many and big size batch)? Thanks for your input.

I use a card reader with a USB connection and just use the iMac's Finder to mover the files from my XQD and SDHC cards to an external hard drive on the computer. Typically, I select and copy the folders containg the photos on the card from my camera, select a target folder where I want them to go on my Mac and paste the folder/files into the selected target folder. Only after I verify and am sure that all of the files have been saved at the new location will I reformat my card in the camera.

With only a 1 TB drive to hold your photos and other files, it is surely easy to fill it up. Can you purchase another drive? If so, were I you, I'd purchase a drive with at least 4 TB of capacity.

WM
 
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Dawg Pics

Senior Member
does anyone know how to stop it automatically import the unuseful combo (j) files every time I plugin disk reader with camera disk? Thanks

Open Photos: Open Photos menu at top: Open Preferences: General: Importing (uncheck Copy items to the Photos library).

I think that will do it.
 
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blackstar

Senior Member
Here comes a belated "Thank you" for Dawg and Fred. Some viewers of the video stated after putting the card back in the camera, it's formatted and Photos will recognize it as a new card and open again! I tried unchecking the option and close Photos without importing, then put my card back to camera and take it out again and connect to my mac. The Photos app does not open, but pop up a message "6 images already imported". ??? Will see what happens next time.

Thanks to Dawg's tip, I unchecked the "importing" option from Photos preference. Hope this 's a permanent solution. Thanks

Now I hit another import issue: I used to import photos from Dropbox when not so many image files in the card until I shot too many star trails images causing over the limit of downloading size. Now I feel no need to import from DB, but just move all files in the card to mac HD. Then the problem occurs: image file name! I get the file names with year-date-time from DB, but only DSCxxx directly from the disk! I need y-d-t info. So how do I import images file directly from the disk with file name showing y-d-t? Appreciate your help.
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I get the file names with year-date-time from DB, but only DSCxxx directly from the disk! I need y-d-t info.

You'll need to explain/explore this more carefully. It's almost impossible to move/copy computer files from one disk subsystem to another without the date/time stamps... Maybe explore the display options in Finder on your Mac???
 

blackstar

Senior Member
Hi Fred,

I wonder when you download (move) image files from memory disk to mac HD (e.g., some folder in Finder), what are their file names shown in Finder? Something like DSCxxx.jpg or 2020-07-19_ 21.39.33.jpg

I see the former in memory disk, but the latter in the imported folder from Dropbox. All I want is to download the files from memory card to HD in name of the latter form. I find out cloud service (DB) use program to extract Exif data in the file and change the file name to the y-d-t form. I just found a small app (exifrenamer for mac) that does the name change for me. The process is almost as same as moving files from disk to a folder in Finder: move files into exifrenamer (logo on desktop or the app in Applications); verify the name change; it automatically moves files to the destination folder you set. The only differences are: verify name change and further moving files to other specific folders. I think this problem resolved unless there exists a simpler and more straight forward (without using an app) way. Thanks

(Sorry Fred, found no display option in Finder: it just displays two different file names for the same files in the disk and DB folder!)
 
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