How to Import a Large Photo Shoot From Dropbox or Google Drive Into One Gallery
How to Import a Large Photo Shoot From Dropbox or Google Drive Into One Gallery
You shot the whole event, culled it, and delivered the keepers to a Dropbox or Google Drive folder. Now the guests want to see their own photos, and a shared folder with 3,000 files in it is the worst way to let them. Nobody scrolls through that to find themselves.
You do not need to download the folder and upload it again. Pixeva can import a shared folder straight into an event gallery, where guests find their photos with a selfie. This guide covers how that works, how to handle a very large shoot, and what to do when something does not import.
When importing beats uploading again
Uploading from your computer is fine for a few hundred photos. Importing from a folder is better when:
- The photos already live in Dropbox or Drive. Your delivery folder is the source of truth, and you would rather not copy it by hand.
- The shoot is big. Thousands of photos over a home connection is slow. An import runs on our side, so you can close the tab.
- Several photographers deliver to one folder. Everyone drops files in the same place, and you bring them over in one go.
- The folder is still filling up. You can import what is there now and pick up the new files later.
What you need before you start
- A Pixeva event to import into. Create one and keep it open.
- A folder shared as "Anyone with the link can view". This is the most common stumbling block. If the folder is private, Pixeva cannot read it.
- A folder link, not a file link. The link should point at the folder that holds the photos.
Import from Dropbox
- In Dropbox, right-click the folder, choose Share, and create a link that anyone with the link can view.
- Copy the link. A folder link looks like
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/.... - In your event, open the Dropbox import, paste the link, and link the folder.
- Choose Check for new photos. Pixeva looks through the folder and shows you how many photos are new before anything is imported.
- Start the import.
Dropbox folders have no size limit on our side. The only limit is the photo allowance on your plan. A very large folder is brought in step by step, and the import carries on where it left off rather than starting over.
Import from Google Drive
- In Google Drive, share the folder as Anyone with the link can view.
- Paste the folder link into the Google Drive import in your event.
- Check for new photos, then start the import.
Three things are specific to Drive. Subfolders are included, which suits shoots organised by date, by camera or by photographer. You can pick which top-level folders to bring in, so a folder of rejects or behind-the-scenes shots can stay out. And if you connect your Google account, imports run faster and avoid the rate limits that public links run into.
For the full Drive setup, see Google Drive sync and the Drive checklist for event photographers.
What happens during the import
You do not have to babysit it, but it helps to know what Pixeva does with each file:
- Only new photos come in. Running the import twice does not duplicate anything. Photos that are already in the event are skipped.
- Matching is by content, not by name. Two different photos that happen to share a filename are both kept. Phones and cameras that restart their numbering often produce exactly that.
- iPhone HEIC photos are converted to JPEG, so every guest can open them.
- Files Pixeva will not import are listed. Photos over 50 MB each, and files that are not photos, are reported in the check so you know what was left out.
Once a photo is in, it is processed like any other upload: thumbnails are made and faces are found, so selfie search works.
Handling a very large shoot
A few things make a big import smoother.
Check your plan allowance first. The check tells you how many new photos it found. If your plan allows fewer than that, it says so and imports up to your limit, so nothing fails halfway without explanation. Compare the numbers on the pricing page if you need more room.
You can stop and carry on. If you need to pause, stopping keeps everything imported so far. Check for new photos again later and the rest comes in. Nothing is lost or duplicated.
Give it time, not attention. The import runs in the background. You can leave the page and come back, and the event shows the progress.
Keep a folder in sync while the shoot is still going
Some shoots deliver in waves: the ceremony in the afternoon, the reception overnight, a second photographer's cards the next morning. Leave the folder linked and run Check for new photos each time more files arrive. Only the new ones are imported, so each pass is quick.
The gallery grows as you go, and guests who search again later see the extra photos.
After the import: let guests find themselves
Importing gets the photos into one place. The point is the next step. Share the event link or a QR code and guests can take a selfie to see only the photos they appear in, instead of searching the whole set.
- Put the link in the thank-you message.
- Print a QR code with the free QR tent card maker for the venue or the album page.
- For the full wedding workflow, see how to share wedding photos with guests.
Common problems and fixes
"This looks like a file link, not a folder." You copied the link to a single photo. Go up a level, share the folder itself and copy that link.
"Please paste a valid Dropbox shared folder link." Dropbox folder links contain /scl/fo/ or /sh/. If yours does not, you probably copied a link to a file or a private link.
The check finds nothing. The folder is probably not shared publicly. Open the link in a private browser window. If it asks you to sign in, it is not set to "Anyone with the link".
Fewer photos than you expected. Look at the skipped list. Photos over 50 MB and files that are not photos are the usual reason. Export those smaller or upload them directly.
The numbers do not add up after a re-run. Photos that were already imported are counted as already imported, not as new. That is expected.
Quick answers
Does importing change my original folder? No. Pixeva reads the folder and copies the photos. Your Dropbox or Drive files stay as they are.
Can I import from both Dropbox and Drive into one event? Yes. Each import adds to the same gallery.
Do I need to keep the folder shared afterwards? Only while you import. Once the photos are in the event, they no longer depend on the folder. Keep it shared if you plan to check for new photos later.
What if my plan limit is lower than the folder? The check shows this before you start, and the import stops at your allowance.
Ready to try it? Create an event, link your folder and run the check. It shows you what it found before anything is imported.
