Import Media

Import Media lets you quickly import a batch of media files into ShotGrid for tracking and review. 

Details

Import Media simply takes a batch of media files and creates records for them in ShotGrid so that it can track them. While Internal Submission moves files into the studio filesystem and Vendor Submission initiates the upload of files from a Vendor studio to the Production, Import Media leaves the files in place, and only registers medata about the files in ShotGrid and optionally uploads web-playable copies of the media files to ShotGrid.

When you run the tool, you provide the paths to the files you wish to import, along with additional metadata about the files.

The tool validates your files and gives you an opportunity to modify their metadata. 

From there, it: 

• Creates a Published File record in ShotGrid to track each file on disk
• Creates a Version record in ShotGrid, along with an uploaded web-playable media file and Thumbnail
• Optionally adds the imported media to a Playlist in ShotGrid for review

You can use Import Media to transfer any files, regardless of type. This can include everything from standard MOVs and JPGs to PDFs and ZIP files.

A Note on Version Terminology

The use of the word “version” can be a little confusing in this context. ShotGrid uses “Version” to refer to a piece of reviewable media that is stored and tracked within the ShotGrid webapp and database. But in regular usage, “version” refers to a number denoting a specific revision or iteration of a piece of media. We’ll be using both definitions in this workflow, so to disambiguate, we’ll use “Version” and “version number” in this documentation.

Initial Setup

• Install ShotGrid Desktop and log into the appropriate ShotGrid site.
• Identify the files on your filesystem that you wish to import.

Since ShotGrid will directly access your files, they need to be in a designated storage path. You can learn more about ShotGrid’s local storage paths here.

• On the Version entity in ShotGrid, ensure that the Type field’s list values are populated.

User Interface and Workflow

Launch Import Media

Open ShotGrid Desktop, select your project, and click on Import Media. 

Initial View

Filepath and Metadata Input

Import Media needs two sets of data: the paths to the files being imported and their metadata.  

There are three ways to input these:

1. Files + Manual Metadata Entry
2. Files + CSV
3. CSV Only

Files + Manual Metadata Entry

In the most basic input method, simply drag and drop the files you wish to import into the main window. Import Media will pull the filepaths from the files. As soon as you add at least one file, the UI will change to the Spreadsheet View. In the spreadsheet view, you can manually enter metadata for each file. 

Files + CSV

As with Files + Manual Metadata Entry, drag and drop the files you wish to import into the main window. Once you’ve done so, you can upload a CSV file to edit metadata in bulk. The headers of your file must match the headers shown in the Spreadsheet View. Simply drag the CSV onto the spreadsheet window after you’ve dropped in your files, and the metadata will be updated accordingly.

Fields in the CSV that are not in the Spreadsheet View will be ignored and the user will not be notified.

TIP! Import Media will handle any file encoded as “comma separated value” as additional metadata for the imported files. If you want to include a CSV file as part of your import, send it as an Excel file (.xls) instead.

WARNING! With this method, do not drop in a CSV until you have first dropped in the files you wish to import. Dropping in the CSV before the files will result in an error.

CSV Only

You can input both file paths and metadata with only a CSV file. Just add a column to your CSV called Files, which holds full paths to each file or file sequence associated with a given Version and drag and drop the CSV onto the main UI. 

Files field format and naming conventions: The Files field is a comma-separated list of absolute paths. For file sequences (such as EXR), list the parent folder of the sequence itself, not individual EXR files. For example, if you have folder BGN_0005_comp_v0006 and it contains EXR files (e.g. BGN_0005_comp_v0006.1000.exr, BGN_0005_comp_v0006.1001.exr, and so on) and if you specify L:\VFX\PROJ\shots\BGN_SEQ\BGN_0005\comps\renders\BGN_0005_comp_v0006\BGN_0005_comp_v0006 in the Files field, Import Media will properly process it.

Since Files is a comma-separated field within a comma-separated file, be sure to wrap the field values in double-quotes to avoid a clash between the two levels of commas. Most spreadsheet software (Google Sheets, Excel, etc.) will handle this at export time, but be mindful if you are editing your CSV manually.

Collections

When you drag and drop files onto the DRAG & DROP MEDIA OR SPREADSHEET pane on the left side of the user interface, Import Media will process each file individually, creating a PublishedFile record and Version record for each. You can also treat a set of files as a Collection. When you drag a folder onto the DRAG & DROP COLLECTION pane on the right side of the user interface, Import Media will treat the entire folder as a single Version, maintaining the internal folder structure.

The primary use case for Collections is on-set reference files. Productions might drop in a whole folder of LIDAR or an entire slate’s worth of reference files into Import Media. When they are imported as a Collection, Import Media maintains their original folder structure and tracks the folder as a whole in ShotGrid.

TIP: The CSV Only method of input does not currently work with Collections

Spreadsheet View

As soon as you add at least one file or folder, the app will switch to the Spreadsheet View. This view will allow you to enter metadata related to the individual files in your batch. 

These fields are required: 

• VERSION NAME: The name of the file that you dragged in.

Import Media does not require you to follow your studio naming conventions. If you do, however, the tool will parse the filenames to determine file metadata like LINK, TYPE, and VERSION NUMBER. If not, you need to fill out these fields manually or through a CSV file.

• LINK: The entity in ShotGrid that the Version will be linked to. This can be an Asset, a Shot, etc. It may be automatically filled in based on filename, in accordance with the naming conventions set out by your studio. For example, if you submit a file named 186_MM_8200_v001, it will be automatically linked to an existing Shot called 186_MM_8200. The LINK field uses color coding to show its status:
  • White: No issues
  • Maroon: The required field is empty
• TYPE: A description of the Version that may reflect task, department, or file type. The list of valid types is managed by the Production.

These fields are optional:

• SUBMISSION NOTE: A text field usually used to describe changes since the last submission.
• SUBMITTED FOR: A text field that describes the reason the Version was submitted, eg, revision, review, alternate.

The values for these fields are generated by the app based on the files dragged in, and provide information about the file. They are uneditable, and should not be included in the CSV:

• VERSION NUMBER: The revision number for the specific iteration that the file represents.
• FORMATS: A list of all formats across files represented by this Version.
• EXTENSIONS: The file extension for the submitted file.

If you have multiple files that contain the same media but it different formats, they will be represented by a single Version. For example, dragging in both a MOV file and an EXR sequence for the same shot will create a single row, with two values in the FORMATS and EXTENSIONS fields.

• EXISTS: This field tells the user whether a Version with the same name already exists, and if so gives information about whether the current user can overwrite it. It can have the following values:
  • Blank: No Version with the submitted name exists.
  • White checkmark: A Version with the same name exists in ShotGrid. The user will receive a warning when they click the Import button, but they can choose to override it.

You can hover your mouse over the checkmark in the EXISTS field to get more information about existing files in ShotGrid.

Manual File and Metadata Management

You can import additional files by dragging them onto the Spreadsheet View. You can remove files by right-clicking on a row and selecting Remove Selected.

You can also edit the displayed metadata. To edit a field manually, just click on it and enter you desired value.

You can select a sequence of rows by holding down the shift key while you click on the first, then the last, row in the sequence. You can select multiple individual rows by holding down the Control key (Windows) or the Command key (Mac) while clicking. Right click on any selected row to remove all selected files, or edit fields on single row to modify all selected rows.

Once you have entered all the metadata about the files you wish to import, click the Import button.

Import Media Dialog

Clicking the Import button will bring up the Import Media Dialog.

 

Here you can confirm the number of media files being imported and select whether you want to: 

• Create Web Media: Unchecking this box will still create a Version, but it will have no media attached to it and no Thumbnails.
• Create Shotgun Playlist: Use this field to choose whether to create a Playlist of the files you’re importing, and if so, what to name it.

Completing the Import

In the Import Media dialog, click Import to complete your import! If you see the below window, then the Import completed successfully. 

Once the import is complete, you can click Show Details to view a summary of the processed files, click Open Playlist to view the created Playlist in ShotGrid (if one was created), or close the app.

Troubleshooting

Error Logs

Sometimes [RE]DESIGN will ask you to view or send us the ShotGrid Desktop app's error logs. To access them, open ShotGrid Desktop. In the pulldown menu in the upper right corner, select "Open Log Folder". Please ZIP up the all the files in that folder and send them to us with your ticket, or email them to [e-mail].

Import Issues

Most of the issues we see when Importing media files are related to requirements from the Production, including:

• Link not found error: If you are attempting to link a Version to a Shot, Asset, Sequence, or other entity and it does not appear in the Link pulldown, then most likely your Vendor Group has not been linked to the entity in ShotGrid. Once you’ve linked your Vendor Group, it is not necessary to restart the app; you can click the Reload Shotgun button to pull in the latest ShotGrid data. 
• Task not found error: If your Production is using Tasks and you are not seeing expected Tasks in the Task field dropdown, you haven't been assigned to the Task.