Footage Import: From Memory Card to Library
After a shoot, footage lives across three devices with names like DSC_0234 and IMG_6688. Finding one shot three months later becomes an archaeology project unless import is done right.
Import timing and a verified copy
Rule one: copy first, format later. Until at least one verified full copy exists, do not touch anything on the card. Use plain file copy rather than importers that may transcode or rename, leaving originals unfindable.
Phone footage should travel over cable or system-native transfer, never chat apps, which compress. Right after import, spot-check: file sizes match the card, files play, durations are intact.
Naming that explains itself
A four-part template: date, project, camera, index, like 20260917_launch_drone_001. Eight-digit dates sort correctly; camera IDs separate multi-cam material; keep the camera’s original index at the end so files trace back to cards.
Skip Chinese characters and special symbols: spaces and brackets break in some toolchains. Underscores have the best cross-tool compatibility.
Folders and the first pass
Three layers per project: raw (read-only originals), select (approved shots), output (renders and intermediates). On import day, do a coarse pass: move unusable clips into a trash subfolder under raw rather than deleting them. Storage is cheap; reshoots are not.
Fast triage: sort by duration, since accidental recordings are usually seconds long; cluster by capture time so same-scene shots sit together; skim thumbnails and copy keepers into select. A library’s value is measured by how fast you find things, not how much you store.
Routine checks after import
Three things: verify encoding and duration match the source, confirming nothing broke in transfer; scrub privacy metadata like GPS and device info on anything headed for publication; and back up immediately, because footage only counts as imported once a cold copy exists.