01
Connect and choose
Select your cards and destinations. Choose an import preset in Settings, then enable Create catalog and Build previews in Lightroom Connect.
FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS & VIDEOGRAPHERS · PHOTOS & VIDEO
HOOTIO SMART IMPORT
Photos imported. Catalogs created. Presets applied. Previews ready.
Built for photographers and videographers, Smart Import safely copies photos, RAW files, video, audio and related files from your cards to your hard drive, with automatic organisation and backup. Enable Lightroom Connect to create catalogs for new photo date folders after import, apply your selected preset, then build Standard and Smart Previews in Lightroom Classic. Video projects can also continue into VideoBot.
Read the complete user guide- Photo import finishes before catalog creation begins
- Your selected preset is applied before Standard and Smart Previews are built
LIGHTROOM CONNECT
Smart Import · Photo workflow
01 · Photo import complete
1,248 photos copied into the shoot folder.
02 · Lightroom Catalog created
Saved in this date folder’s Lightroom Catalog subfolder, with all photos in the date folder added to the catalog.
03 · Selected preset applied
Your chosen import preset is applied to every photo in the catalog before previews are built.
04 · Previews built in Lightroom
Standard and Smart Previews are built automatically for all photos after the preset is applied.
- Standard Previews
- 1,248 / 1,248
- Smart Previews
- 1,248 / 1,248
FROM CARD TO LIGHTROOM
All at once or in rounds—your photos come together.
02
Complete photo import
Copy photos and RAW files into shooting-date folders, with your chosen backups. Review any reported import failures.
03
Create Lightroom Catalogs
After import, Hootio creates a catalog for each new photo date folder. Existing catalogs are preserved.
04
Apply your selected preset
Your chosen import preset is applied to the photos in the new catalog before preview generation. None keeps default develop settings.
05
Build both preview types
Lightroom Classic builds Standard and Smart Previews for each new catalog. Follow the queue and review completion before editing.
DESIGNED FOR THE MESSY REAL WORLD
Fewer manual checks. Fewer misplaced files.
Smart Import understands the details that make professional ingest tedious: overnight shoots, existing date folders, camera subfolders, sidecars, duplicate names and backup drives that are not always connected.
Lightroom Connect · catalogs after import
Enable Create catalog to create a Lightroom Catalog inside each new photo date folder after import. Photos stay in their date folders and existing catalogs are preserved.
Your preset, before previews
Choose an installed import preset in Settings or browse for a supported .xmp preset. Hootio applies it to photos in the new catalog before Lightroom builds previews. Choose None to keep the default develop settings.
Standard & Smart Previews
Enable Build previews and Lightroom Classic opens each new catalog to generate both preview types with your selected preset applied. Requires Lightroom Classic 15+ and the Hootio Previews plugin.
Find media across card folders
Smart Import searches the selected cards for supported photos, RAW files, video, audio and companion files, bringing media from different camera folders into one import workflow.
Import several selected cards
Connect multiple cards through separate readers, select the sources you want and start them together. Process the selected devices in one workflow, with media routed to your configured destinations.
Skip existing-file matches
Smart Import uses file name, size and capture date to recognise existing media and skip repeat copies. Review the import summary; content verification is available separately for configured backups.
Check that your import is complete
See which files were copied successfully, which already existed and which need attention. A clear completion summary helps you check what reached your hard drive and spot any reported failures.
One-click path into VideoBot
For video projects, choose Smart Import + VideoBot. After your cards are copied to your hard drive and organised, VideoBot automatically builds chapters, classifies events, designs the Highlight Story and intelligently edits the footage, and can generate editable timelines.
Automatic date-folder setup
Smart Import identifies each day’s files from EXIF or QuickTime capture time, then creates or reuses the matching date folder and copies everything into place—no manual selection, folder creation or drag-and-drop.
Photo & RAW routing
Keep photos and RAW files directly in the matching workspace date folder.
Video folder preservation
Group video inside a child folder named after its source folder, keeping camera structure familiar.
Companion files included
Bring sidecars and other non-media companions along with the related photo or video folder.
Verified backup copies
Compare backup content against the source with SHA-256 and replenish a missing copy on a later import.
Local & network workspaces
Work with internal storage, removable media and configured network folders on Windows or macOS.
SUPPORTED MEDIA
Photo & RAW
JPEG, HEIC, PNG, TIFF, DNG, CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF and more.
Video
MP4, MOV, M4V, MTS, MXF, MKV, INSV, WebM and more.
Audio & related files
Bring recorded audio and the files that accompany your shoot onto your hard drive alongside your photos and video.
NOT JUST ANOTHER COPY WINDOW
Check that your import is complete.
Smart Import recognises files already copied and avoids copying them again. Its completion report separates newly copied files, existing files and failed copies, helping you check that the shoot has been transferred and see what needs attention.
- Existing matching files are skipped automatically
- Copied and already-existing files are reported separately
- Failed copies are clearly flagged for your attention
- Original files remain on the cards