There are several ways to import images into your Bibble 5 Catalog.
File -> Import Photos from Folder...
The fastest way to import images is to select "File -> Import Photos from Folder..." from the top Bibble menu bar. That will prompt you to select an existing folder that contains the images you want to import, then will proceed with Step 3 shown below.
Right-Click a folder in the Bibble 5 Browser File System Panel
To import from the File System Panel:
| 1. | Select the File System tab in the Browser Panel, and find the folder you would like to import. |
| 2. | Right-click (or Command Click on a Mac) to open the Context Menu shown below. |
| 3. | Select Import Folder option from the Context Menu, which will open the Import Folder dialog shown below. |
Import Dialog
You have the following options when importing. Some of these options are disabled when importing using Refer to Original Folder.
Import Action
| • | Move files into Library |
| • | Copy files into Library |
| • | Refer to Original Location |
| • | Refer to Original File (Advanced) Pro only |
Library Location: This is the Container in your Library that the images will be imported into. Click the 
button to select a different location, which will reveal the window below:
You may select an existing Catalog or Catalog folder, or you can Open an existing Catalog, or you can create a New Catalog.
Organize by:
| • | Original Folders: Rebuild the same folder structure in your Catalog as in your File System |
| • | Single Folder (flat): Import all images into the Library Location |
| • | Metadata folders (custom): Build a custom Container structure based on the Folder Template (below) |
Folder Template: This sets the folder creation pattern that will be built when importing images using the 'Metadata folders' option. Any of the Rename Variables may be used, and include a slash "/" to make multi-level folders.
Rename Files: Rename the files according to the pattern given
Jobname and Jobseq: If you include a jobname renaming variable in the Rename Files or Folder Template, then you can use these boxes to enter or adjust the jobname and starting jobseq. See the topic on renaming for additional details.
Keywords: Enter Keywords to be added to all images being imported
Apply Presets: Select Presets to apply to the images while they are being imported. See the section on Presets for more information.
Include Images from sub-folders: Check this option to allow Bibble to import all images in the folder you selected AND in and folders and sub-folders that are contained in the selected folder.
Perhaps you don't want to copy or import all the images from a camera, memory card, or folder into your Catalog. With Bibble 5, that's no problem:
| 1. | Select the folder in the Browser Panel that you want to import from. This will show all images in that folder in the Thumbnail Panel. |
| 2. | Select the Thumbnails you want to import |
| 3. | Chose File -> Import Selected Files from the main menu. |
| 4. | The Import Dialog shown above will appear, and you can proceed from there. |
The options above are all similar in that they either move or copy the Master Files into the Catalog that they are being imported to, or they leave the Master Files in their original location. There is another option that allows you to copy images from one location to another and then automatically import those images into a Catalog of your choice. This is ideal for copying images off a memory card into your Pictures folder on your computer, and then importing into a Catalog by Refer to Original Locations.
The pre-built Download batch is an example of this, and is shown above. Sending images to this Batch will:
| 1. | Ask you where to copy the files to |
| 2. | Ask for a Job Name to rename the files |
| 3. | Ask what Catalog to import to |
After gathering this information, all the images you sent to this batch will be copied to the location you specified, renamed according to the format you selected, and then will be imported into the Catalog using the import options you chose. More information on Copy Batches can be found in the chapter on Copy Batches.