A Narrative project is where you cull a shoot. You can start a project from photos that are already on your computer or a drive, or copy photos straight from a memory card as you create it. Create a new project for each shoot.
How do I create a project from photos on my computer or a drive?
Step 1: Choose your photo folder.
Click the purple Narrative icon in the toolbar to open the Projects screen.
Click Choose Folder and select the folder with your photos, or drag the folder into Narrative.
Step 2: Name your project.
Narrative uses the folder name as the project name. To change it, click the name and type a new one, then click Next.
If you always want Narrative to use the folder name, you can choose to skip this step for future projects. You can change this later in Preferences → Import.
Narrative then imports your photos and starts assessing them.
Note: Keep the drive with your photos connected while you work. Creating a project from a folder doesn't make a copy or backup of your photos.
How do I create a project from a memory card?
To create a project from a memory card, insert the card while Narrative is open. Quick Ingest opens automatically. You can also click the ingest option at the bottom of the Projects screen.
In ingest, you choose which photos to copy, the project folder, whether to rename the photos, and any backup locations. Narrative copies your photos and their XMP files (small sidecar files that hold ratings and edits) into your new project.
Important: Ingest doesn't copy videos. Before you format a card, see Import (ingest) your images directly from a memory card.
How do I see how far along my project's scan is?
When you create a project, Narrative scans your photos. While it works, the project's tab at the top of Narrative shows a spinner and a thin progress bar along its bottom edge. Hover over the tab to see how far along it is, for example Project processing (45% complete). The percentage covers every part of the scan, like reading your photos' details and finding faces, people and duplicates.
When the scan finishes, Narrative shows Project processing complete.
What happens after I create a project?
After you create a project, you can start culling straight away: review and rate your photos, then use SHIP + EDIT to send them to your editing software.
If you're new to Narrative, an onboarding checklist guides you through your first project. For a full walkthrough of your first shoot, see the Narrative Quickstart Tutorial.