# Photo & Video Importer A lightweight, cross-platform media importer that automatically organizes photos and videos by capture date. Similar to Sony PlayMemories, but simpler and faster. ## Features - ✅ **Automatic Organization** - Sorts media by date into `M-D-YYYY` folders (e.g., `11-14-2025`) - ✅ **EXIF Support** - Uses actual capture dates from photo metadata (requires Pillow) - ✅ **Duplicate Prevention** - Tracks imported files to avoid re-importing - ✅ **Progress Tracking** - Real-time transfer speed (MB/s, Mbps) and ETA - ✅ **Disk Space Checking** - Verifies sufficient space before importing - ✅ **Safe & Copy-Only** - Never deletes or modifies source files - ✅ **Multiple File Formats** - JPG, RAW (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RW2, DNG), MOV, MP4, and more - ✅ **Library Indexing** - Index existing files to prevent duplicates ## Installation ### Requirements - Python 3.6 or higher - `tkinter` (included with most Python installations) - `Pillow` (optional, but recommended for EXIF support) ### Install Pillow (Recommended) ```bash pip install Pillow ``` Without Pillow, the script uses file modification dates instead of actual capture dates. ## Quick Start ### Method 1: Quick Launch (Easiest) Double-click `run_importer.bat` or run: ```bash python run_importer.py ``` This opens folder picker dialogs - no command line needed! ### Method 2: Command Line **First Time Setup - Index Your Existing Library:** ```bash python import_media.py --index-destination --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` **Import from SD Card/Camera:** ```bash python import_media.py ``` ## Command Reference ### Indexing (First Time Only) Before your first import, index your existing camera footage library to prevent duplicates: ```bash # Index with folder picker dialog python import_media.py --index-destination # Index with specific path python import_media.py --index-destination --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` **What indexing does:** - Scans all media files in your existing library - Adds them to the import log - Prevents re-importing files you already have - **Does NOT copy, move, or modify any files** ### Normal Import ```bash # Interactive mode (dialogs for both source and destination) python import_media.py # Specify destination, choose source via dialog python import_media.py --dest "E:\Camera Footage" # Full CLI mode (no dialogs) python import_media.py --source "D:\DCIM" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` ### Dry Run (Preview) See what would be imported without actually copying: ```bash # Dry run with dialogs python import_media.py --dry-run # Dry run with specific paths python import_media.py --source "D:\DCIM" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" --dry-run ``` **What dry run shows:** - Which files would be imported - Where they would be organized (by date) - Total size and disk space requirements - **Does NOT copy any files or modify the log** ## Folder Structure Media files are organized by capture date: ``` E:\Camera Footage\ ├── import_log.json # Tracks all imported files ├── 1-12-2025\ # January 12, 2025 │ ├── IMG_1234.JPG │ ├── IMG_1234.CR2 │ └── VID_5678.MOV ├── 11-14-2025\ # November 14, 2025 │ ├── DSC_9876.JPG │ └── DSC_9876.ARW └── 2-3-2024\ # February 3, 2024 └── P1303000.RW2 ``` ## Supported File Formats ### Photos - **Common**: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WEBP - **RAW Formats**: CR2, CR3 (Canon), NEF (Nikon), ARW (Sony), RW2 (Panasonic), DNG, ORF (Olympus) - **Modern**: HEIC, HEIF ### Videos - **Common**: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV - **Camera Formats**: M2TS, MTS, 3GP, FLV - **Modern**: WEBM ## How It Works 1. **Scan** - Finds all media files in the source folder 2. **Analyze** - Reads capture dates from EXIF data (or file dates) 3. **Check** - Verifies files aren't already imported (via log) 4. **Verify** - Checks sufficient disk space 5. **Copy** - Copies files to date-organized folders 6. **Log** - Updates import log with new files ## Import Log The script maintains `import_log.json` in your destination folder: ```json { "version": "1.0", "created": "2025-11-19T12:34:56", "total_files_imported": 1523, "total_bytes_imported": 85432198765, "files": { "abc123...": { "filename": "IMG_1234.JPG", "original_path": "D:\\DCIM\\IMG_1234.JPG", "dest_path": "E:\\Camera Footage\\11-14-2025\\IMG_1234.JPG", "size": 4523456, "import_date": "2025-11-19T12:35:01" } } } ``` ## Common Workflows ### First Time Setup ```bash # 1. Index your existing library python import_media.py --index-destination --dest "E:\Camera Footage" # 2. Import from camera/SD card python import_media.py --source "D:" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` ### Regular Imports (After Initial Setup) ```bash # Quick mode - just double-click run_importer.bat # Or use command line: python import_media.py --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` ### Preview Before Importing ```bash # See what would be imported python import_media.py --source "D:" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" --dry-run ``` ## Troubleshooting ### "PIL/Pillow not installed" Warning **Solution**: Install Pillow for better date detection ```bash pip install Pillow ``` Without Pillow, the script uses file modification dates (still works fine!). ### Files Already Imported If the script says files were skipped because they're already imported, this is normal - it prevents duplicates. To re-import anyway: 1. Delete or rename `import_log.json` in your destination folder 2. Run import again ### Duplicate Files with Different Names The script uses filename + size for duplicate detection. If you have the same photo with different filenames, both will be imported. ### Transfer Speed Issues Slow transfers are usually due to: - USB 2.0 instead of USB 3.0 - SD card reader speed - Network drives - Disk fragmentation ### Filename Conflicts If a file already exists in the destination with the same name, the script appends a number: - `IMG_1234.JPG` → `IMG_1234_1.JPG` ## Safety Features - ✅ **Copy-only operation** - Source files are never modified or deleted - ✅ **Pre-flight checks** - Verifies disk space before copying - ✅ **Error handling** - Continues on errors, reports at end - ✅ **Dry run mode** - Preview without making changes - ✅ **Duplicate protection** - Tracks imported files in log ## Performance - **Fast scanning** - Efficient file system traversal - **Quick duplicate checks** - Hash-based lookups (filename + size) - **Real-time progress** - Speed and ETA updates every 2 seconds - **Batch processing** - Handles thousands of files efficiently Typical performance: - **Small files** (JPG): 500-1000 files/min - **RAW files** (20-40MB): 50-100 files/min - **Videos** (100MB+): 10-50 files/min *Performance depends on disk speed, USB connection, and file sizes.* ## Command Line Options ``` usage: import_media.py [-h] [--source SOURCE] [--dest DEST] [--dry-run] [--index-destination] options: --source SOURCE Source folder (SD card/camera) --dest DEST Destination folder (main library) --dry-run Preview without copying --index-destination Index existing library (first time only) -h, --help Show help message ``` ## Examples ### Example 1: First Time User ```bash # Step 1: Index existing library python import_media.py --index-destination --dest "E:\Camera Footage" # Step 2: Import from SD card python import_media.py # (Select D:\ as source, E:\Camera Footage as destination in dialogs) ``` ### Example 2: Regular User ```bash # Just run the quick launcher python run_importer.py ``` ### Example 3: Power User (CLI) ```bash # Import with specific paths, no dialogs python import_media.py --source "F:\DCIM" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" ``` ### Example 4: Testing/Preview ```bash # Preview what would be imported python import_media.py --source "D:" --dest "E:\Camera Footage" --dry-run ``` ## Tips & Best Practices 1. **Always index first** - Run `--index-destination` on your existing library before the first import 2. **Use EXIF dates** - Install Pillow for accurate capture dates instead of file dates 3. **Keep the log file** - Don't delete `import_log.json` unless you want to re-import everything 4. **Regular backups** - Keep backups of your camera footage library 5. **Verify imports** - Check a few folders after importing to ensure files copied correctly 6. **Use dry run** - Test with `--dry-run` before importing large batches ## Technical Details ### Duplicate Detection Files are identified by: `MD5(filename + filesize)` This provides a good balance of: - **Speed** - No need to read entire file contents - **Accuracy** - Catches most duplicates - **Efficiency** - Fast lookups in the log ### Date Detection Priority 1. **EXIF DateTimeOriginal** (most accurate - actual capture time) 2. **EXIF DateTime** (camera date/time) 3. **File modification time** (fallback if no EXIF) ### Log File Location The log is stored in the destination root: `/import_log.json` This ensures: - Each library has its own log - Portable across drives - Survives source media changes ## License This script is provided as-is for personal use. Feel free to modify and distribute. ## Support For issues or questions: 1. Check the **Troubleshooting** section above 2. Verify Python and Pillow are installed correctly 3. Try with `--dry-run` to preview behavior 4. Check the import log for details on skipped files # photoimporter