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Hazlip Creative
Hazlip Creative
Inspiring
April 15, 2025
Answered

Lightroom Classic fails to import .mov files from SD card

  • April 15, 2025
  • 4 replies
  • 814 views

I have mixed media content that I create with a Nikon Z5 and I use Lightroom Classic to import everything on the card to an external hard drive. The last import did not copy any of the .mov files on the SD card. Unfortunately, I did not notice that until after I had formatted the SD card, so I lost a lot of valuable content that I was not able to recover. I have been working as a professional photographer since before Lr or LrC existed, and this is the first time this has happened. I did get a message that some content did not copy, but I have received that same message before and the content was copied. I took a quick look at the files and it seemed like everything was there so I formatted the SD card.

 

I'm putting this in the Bug report because I hope it's just a glitch, but maybe it belongs in discussion if this is what LrC is designed to do. Is this is a bug, or is LrC just giving up on video file formats alltogether? 

 

I need to stress how important this is for any Adobe staff who might read this.... Importing mixed media content is the BEGINNING of the workflow. I can't use Lr because it doesn't have the catalog organization I need for the volume of images and video I create (~100k/year). If LrC can't import mixed media content, then I have no reason to stay in the Adobe ecosystem. I have used Adobe software for 30 years now and I'm actively looking at alternatives. I create content with Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. and it all begins with importing and cataloging multimedia files in LrC. None of the AI tools or other features matter if I can't get the content from an SD card to my computer. Peroid. Full stop. The whole project grinds to a halt at the beginning. Lightroom Classic is the backbone of my mixed midea Digital Asset Management workflow, and this is a DAM problem!

Correct answer Hazlip Creative

Update: After updating my OS to Ventura 13.7.5 and moving more files off the internal HD, I was able to import all of the contents on an SD card to LrC without any problems. Lightroom Classic imported both RAW files and .mov files without any error, so this question is closed. I'm not sure exactly what caused the initial problem, but updating the OS and LrC as well as freeing up some space seems to have worked.

 

For a minute there, I was worried that Adobe was scaling back support for LrC in favor of moving users to Lr. That does not seem to be the case. And another edit... I shoot about 10k/year, not 100k. I had one too many zeros, but either amount makes cloud storage impractical and it's more than what Lr seems to be designed for.

4 replies

Hazlip Creative
Hazlip CreativeAuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
April 28, 2025

Update: After updating my OS to Ventura 13.7.5 and moving more files off the internal HD, I was able to import all of the contents on an SD card to LrC without any problems. Lightroom Classic imported both RAW files and .mov files without any error, so this question is closed. I'm not sure exactly what caused the initial problem, but updating the OS and LrC as well as freeing up some space seems to have worked.

 

For a minute there, I was worried that Adobe was scaling back support for LrC in favor of moving users to Lr. That does not seem to be the case. And another edit... I shoot about 10k/year, not 100k. I had one too many zeros, but either amount makes cloud storage impractical and it's more than what Lr seems to be designed for.

Hazlip Creative
Hazlip CreativeAuthor
Inspiring
April 17, 2025

I have a Nikon Z5 and the .mov files are in the same folder as the .NEF raw files on the SD card. LrC usually puts the .mov files in an incorrectly dated folder a day ahead of the actual image capture date. For example, all of the RAW NEF files would be in a folder created for April 12 but the .mov files would be in an April 13 folder even though they are created on the same day. LrC has been glitchy with .mov files since forever so I didn't think anything of it when I got the error message that some files weren't compatable. Now it seems LrC won't import .mov files at all.

johnrellis
johnrellis
Legend
April 18, 2025

[This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

 

"Now it seems LrC won't import .mov files at all."

 

For troubleshooting, take the SD card out of the equation. Use Finder to copy a .mov file from the card onto your Desktop. Does that import?  Copy a .mov file from the card to the external drive. Does that import?

 

"My internal HD is full though"

 

Where is the catalog folder? If it's on the internal disk, then having a near-full disk is definitely a possible culprit. If the catalog folder is on the external drive, it's less likely but possible.

 

"LrC usually puts the .mov files in an incorrectly dated folder a day ahead of the actual image capture date."

 

This is a longstanding issue caused by poorly written industry standards. LR could handle the industry mess better, but video has never been a priority for the LR product team, and for the past many years have put very little effort into it.  See here for details about the industry mess:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-handle-video-capture-times-for-cameras-obeying-the-quicktime-mp4-standard/idi-p/14007948

 

You can avoid one cause of the dated-folder problem by selecting the card from the Files section of the Import window (LR's default) rather than the Devices section:

 

Importing from the Devices section uses an ancient industry-standard protocol that will often get capture dates wrong for many cameras.

Hazlip Creative
Hazlip CreativeAuthor
Inspiring
April 18, 2025

The catalog folder is on the internal with about 10% free space left. I'm gradually working on freeing up space by moving old projects off to the external drives. They aren't backed up though but that's my issue. It's still less overhead to have externals than pay the monthly fees I would need to have that much CC storage.

 

I also freed up some HD space and updated the OS to Ventura 13.7.5 yesterday. The update said it included some codex for .mov files, so I'll troubleshoot this problem some more and see how it goes. I'll post an update here when I have more information.

 

Thanks everyone for all the help! I hope Adobe will make importing multi media files and local catalog storage a priority. It really is the front door to the Adobe ecosystem for photographers/videographers.

Conrad_C
Community Expert
Conrad_CCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 15, 2025

I also have a Sony and have seen the same problem as johnrellis. I don‘t have a Nikon Z, but the next time you import see if you can confirm whether the problem is consistent with what we have seen for Sony cameras — that the default Lightroom Classic selection in the Import dialog box does not include the folder containing videos, and the way to resolve it is to always remember to manually click to select the card under Devices instead. (The camera card appears in both sections.) A picture is below.

 

 

Some time ago, Lightroom Classic changed the default selection from the Files section to the Devices section. The switch was made apparently because the Devices selection was relatively slow to load and import compared to doing it through the Files section. But on some cameras going through Files leaves videos behind. 

Hazlip Creative
Hazlip CreativeAuthor
Inspiring
April 17, 2025

Yes, I do select the SD card in devices and as far as I know the .mov files are in the same folder as the RAW NEF files for the Nikon Z5. I did get a message that the .mov files were not compatible with LrC so the app is seeing them on the SD card. It just didn't import them. I have the card plugged directly into the back slot of my 27" iMac, so tethering isn't an issue either. This should have been a straight forward copy of data from an SD card to an external drive. I don't understand why LrC has so much trouble with this kind of task. My internal HD is full though... maybe that could be causing issues? But I'm going from an SD card to an external HD with plenty of storage space, does the data hit the internal HD on it's way to the external?

johnrellis
johnrellis
Legend
April 15, 2025

It would be worthwhile to do a quick test to see if the issue occurs again and, if so, file a bug report:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-how-do-i-write-a-bug-report/idi-p/12386373

 

Do you know where in the folder structure the camera puts the videos on the SD card?  Sonys put the videos in a non-standard folder (PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP !) and I'm always forgetting to select it.

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