Importing Photos

AgeLapse supports multiple ways to import photos into your project. Choose the method that works best for your workflow.

Import Methods

Gallery Picker (Mobile Only)

Select photos directly from your device's photo library.

1. Tap Import in the gallery
2. Select Gallery
3. Choose up to 100 photos at a time
4. Tap Done to import

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The 100 photo limit is per selection. For larger imports, use the ZIP method or import in multiple batches.

File Picker (All Platforms)

Browse and select files from your device's file system.

1. Tap Import in the gallery
2. Select File System
3. Navigate to your photos and select them
4. Confirm to import

No limit on number of files selected.

Drag and Drop (Desktop Only)

The fastest way to import on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

1. Tap Import in the gallery to open the import panel
2. Drag files or folders directly onto the drop zone
3. Release to start importing

What you can drag:

• Individual image files
• Entire folders (scanned recursively)
• ZIP archives
• Any combination of the above

tip

Drag and drop is the recommended import method on desktop. It supports folders, so you can import entire photo directories at once.

ZIP Import (All Platforms)

Import photos from a ZIP archive.

1. Tap Import in the gallery
2. Select ZIP Archive
3. Choose your ZIP file
4. Photos are extracted and imported automatically

ZIP handling:

• Folder structure inside ZIP is flattened (all photos imported to same level)
• System files (.DS_Store, __MACOSX) are automatically skipped
• Files are sorted alphabetically during import

Supported Formats

AgeLapse supports these image formats:

Format	Extensions	Notes
JPEG	.jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .pjpeg, .pjp	Most common format
PNG	.png, .apng	Includes animated PNG
WebP	.webp	Google's modern format
HEIC/HEIF	.heic, .heif	Apple's high-efficiency format
AVIF	.avif	AV1 image format
BMP	.bmp	Bitmap
TIFF	.tif, .tiff	High quality
GIF	.gif	Including animated

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HEIC and AVIF files are automatically converted during import (HEIC → JPG, AVIF → PNG) to ensure compatibility across all platforms.

Duplicate Detection

AgeLapse automatically detects and skips duplicate photos during import.

How it works:

• Photos are compared by timestamp and file size
• If both match an existing photo, it's skipped
• If timestamp matches but size differs, the photo is imported with an adjusted timestamp

What you'll see:

• Duplicates are skipped silently during import
• The import summary shows: "Skipped (already imported): X"

Date Detection

AgeLapse determines when each photo was taken using this priority:

1. EXIF data — Reads DateTimeOriginal from photo metadata (most accurate)
2. GPS timestamp — Uses GPS date/time if available
3. Filename — Parses dates from filenames like 2024-01-15.jpg or 15 Jan 2024.jpg
4. File modification date — Falls back to when the file was last modified

tip

For best results, import photos that have EXIF data intact. If importing from a ZIP, use original camera files rather than screenshots or edited copies.

Large Imports

When importing more than 500 files at once (via drag-drop or folder), AgeLapse will ask for confirmation before proceeding.

Other limits:

• Gallery picker: 100 photos per selection
• Folder scanning: 50 levels deep maximum
• Minimum file size: 10 KB (smaller files are skipped)

Import Progress

During import, you'll see:

• A progress indicator showing completion percentage
• The date of the photo currently being processed

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Import cannot be cancelled once started. For very large imports, consider breaking them into smaller batches.