When it's done, you might get a list of files that were not imported, either because they were duplicates or because the file was damaged. All you can do here is scan through the list and click OK. If you've ever had pictures sent to you from another Photoshop Elements or Photoshop Album user, you might see a screen for importing attached tags. If you're just getting started with the Organizer, you can skip over this screen by making sure no boxes are checked and clicking OK. Importing tags can be useful, but when you're just starting out you'll want to establish your own tags first.
Finally, Elements will display a dialog box telling you that the files you just imported are the only ones being shown. At this point it may be all photos the in your catalog.
Importing by Drag & Drop
You can also drag and drop individual files or an entire folder of pictures from Windows Explorer onto the Photo Browser window. If you're ever browsing your photos outside of the Photo Browser and you come across photos you're not sure if you've added to your catalog, this is a quick way to add them. If the file already exists in the catalog, a screen will pop up to tell you so and the files won't be imported a second time. If the Photo Browser window is covered up by the window you are dragging from, you can pause on the Organizer button on the Windows taskbar in mid-drag and it will instantly pop forward.
Importing photos from CDs or DVDs
You probably also have digital photos stored on CDs and DVDs. At some point you might want to catalog these photos in the Organizer, too. You do this using the Get Photos > From Files and Folders command, but when you choose a folder from a CD or DVD, you have some additional options under the "Offline Media" section of the Get Photos dialog.Keep Original Photos Offline - With this option, only a small "proxy" photo is copied to the hard drive. This proxy is used when browsing your photos in the organizer, but whenever you want to work with those photos, you will need to insert the original disc. If you leave this box unchecked, the full-size original photos are copied to your hard disk, making them more accessible. If you have plenty of disc space, I suggest you leave the box unchecked, and store the CD as an archive in a safe place. The only time I use this option, is for photo CD that have been given to me by someone else, where I want to browse them, but not I'm not likely to print or edit them, or use them in projects.
If you do choose to keep the original offline, be sure to make a reference note regarding the disk. Here you will want to make a note about how the disk is labeled and where it is stored. If you have a lot of photo discs, you might want to come up with a coding system to label the disc and cross-reference the code in the reference note.
Later, you might change your mind about keeping photos offline. If so, check out my tip on how to replace proxy images with the originals in Photoshop Elements Organizer.
--> Back to the index of lessons
--> Get Help with this Lesson
