Batch import: upload a whole shoot, let your folder names be the context
Drop one main folder with a subfolder for each place, event or subject. PhotoTager turns every subfolder into its own project and uses the folder name as that project's context, the facts an AI can't see in the pixels. Name your folders once, and a 600-photo shoot needs a handful of context lines instead of one per photo.
How it works
The AI sees pixels, not facts. It can tell there is a lake with a church on an island, but not that it's Lake Bled. Buyers search for exactly those facts, and one line of context supplies them (see the same photo with and without context). The problem with a big shoot is that writing that line for every photo takes forever. Your folders already hold it.
- Drop the main folder into PhotoTager's upload screen (or choose it with the folder button).
- PhotoTager reads the folders. Each subfolder that contains photos becomes its own project, and its name becomes that project's context.
- You check the list. Every project shows its folder name, how many files it holds and its context. Change any context before you start.
- Every photo is described with its own folder's context, then you review and export CSVs for each agency as usual.
How to organise your folders
Two levels is all it takes: one main folder for the shoot, one subfolder for each thing that has different facts.
Do and don't
Do
- One subfolder per place, event or subject. The context applies to every file in it, so only put photos together if the same facts are true for all of them.
- Name folders with facts, not file jargon: "Lakhon khol dance, Cambodia" beats "Shoot 3".
- Who, what, where, when in the name if it fits: "Lake Bled, sunrise in October".
- Any language is fine. The AI translates it to English.
Don't
- Don't mix places or events in one folder. A wrong fact on half the photos is worse than none.
- Don't use names like "Final", "Edited", "Export 2" or "IMG_2026". They add nothing the AI can use. Rename them in the context box before you start.
- Don't nest deeper than two levels. Folders inside a subfolder are not separate projects: their photos are merged into the first-level subfolder.
- Don't put the main folder's name to work for you. In a batch, only the subfolder names are used as context. If the main folder holds the key fact (the country, say), repeat it in the subfolder names or in the context box.
Same shoot, two ways
Sorted by camera or date
Folder names carry no facts, so the context is just "Card 1". You'd retype every one.
Sorted by what's in the photo
Each folder name is already a good context line. Nothing to retype.
The numbers: a worked example
This is an example with stated assumptions, not a measured result. Say you come home with 600 photos from 8 places, and writing one context line takes you about 20 seconds.
| Photo by photo | Batch import | |
|---|---|---|
| Context lines to write | 600 | 8 at most |
| Time at 20 seconds each | 3 h 20 min | about 2 min 40 s |
| Cost of metadata | Same: 600 × $0.04 = $24 for full metadata (title, description and keywords). Batch import doesn't change the price. | |
Your numbers will differ: change the 600, the 8 and the 20 seconds to match your own shoot. The other option, one context line for the whole shoot, takes seconds but gives the AI one set of facts for every place, which is wrong for most of the photos.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a batch?
A batch is one upload that holds several projects. When you drop a main folder that contains more than one subfolder with photos, each subfolder becomes its own project, and all of them are processed together.
Can I change the context PhotoTager takes from the folder name?
Yes. After you drop the folder, every project is listed with its name, its file count and its context. Edit any of them before you start. If you leave one empty, the folder name is used.
What if my folders are inside other folders?
Only the first level under the main folder counts. Photos in folders nested deeper are added to their first-level subfolder instead of becoming separate projects.
Is the main folder's name used as context too?
Not when you upload several subfolders: each project gets its own subfolder name. If the main folder holds an important fact such as the country, repeat it in the subfolder names or edit the context.
Does batch import cost more?
No. You pay the same per image or video as in any other upload. Batch import only saves you the typing.
Can I write folder names in my own language?
Yes. The AI translates context written in another language to English first.
Name your folders once, tag the whole shoot
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