Importing
Getting footage into a library: drag, paste or import, the import sheet, duplicates, and what happens to the files.
Three ways in
| Way | How |
|---|---|
| Drag | Drop video files or folders from Finder onto the grid. Folders are scanned all the way down. Hidden files and the insides of packages are skipped. |
| Paste | Copy files in Finder and press ⌘V in the grid. |
| Import | File › Import Files… (⌘I), or the Import… button on an empty shelf. The panel takes files and folders. |
Only video counts. Any format macOS plays imports, including HEVC, HDR and ProRes, with no transcoding. Images, audio and other files are skipped and counted as such.
From the terminal, betterlibrary import <files or folders> does the same. See The command line.
The import sheet
The sheet opens before the batch whenever the library has properties or you are signed in. It asks two things.
Properties for the whole batch. A manual property such as Location or Client is set once here and lands on every imported clip. The sheet starts from what the last import set. Type a tag name that does not exist yet and it is created.
Tag with AI after import. On by default. Every imported clip is named, described, tagged in your AI properties, and gets its highlights drafted. Under the toggle the sheet shows the price: "About N credits · you have M", worked out from the files' lengths and your account's rate.
- Over half your balance, the line turns orange and suggests a smaller batch first.
- Over your balance, it names the shortfall and says what happens: tagging stops when credits run out, and the rest stay New in In Progress.
Skip imports without setting properties. Import runs the batch. The toggle's choice is remembered in the library's settings as autoTag.
Duplicates
Files are fingerprinted before anything is copied. If some are already in the library, one prompt asks about all of them, Finder-style:
| Button | Result |
|---|---|
| Skip Duplicates | The known files are left out. The rest import. |
| Keep Duplicates | Every file imports, as a separate clip. |
| Cancel Import | Nothing happens. |
What happens to each file
- The file is copied into
originals/<year>/<month>/by its capture date, or the import date when the file has none. The copy gets a unique name; the clip keeps your filename for display. - Dimensions, duration, capture date, camera and lens, codec, frame rate, HDR and the audio layout are read from the copy.
- A thumbnail is made from the first frame, so hover playback starts where the still is.
- On a QuickTime file with several audio tracks, the track named by Preferred audio track in Settings becomes the default. Only the file header changes. See Settings.
- The clip lands as New in In Progress.
Your source file is not touched. Once the count at the bottom of the window looks right, you can delete it.
Progress and failures
One batch runs at a time. A bar at the bottom of the window shows the count and offers Cancel. When the batch ends it reads, for example, "Imported 12 · 1 dup · 2 skipped". Files that failed are listed in a sheet with the reason.
Rebuild Metadata
Library › Rebuild Metadata re-reads every clip's file and refreshes its technical facts and thumbnail. Names, descriptions, properties and highlights are not touched. Use it after a BetterLibrary update that reads more from a file, or when thumbnails look wrong.