Import Family Research Photos into Tropy Without Losing Their Sources
By ImgHeal · Updated
Tropy organizes research photos by linking them to a project. Importing is not the same as making a new independent backup. Put source files in a durable location first, then test a small import before bringing an entire family collection into the project.
Explore this topic: Organize a photo archive
Choose the folder before importing
Create a working collection outside temporary download locations. Give each photograph a stable item identifier, and keep its source filename in your inventory. If the file came from a cloud library, first make sure you have the actual image available locally. A thumbnail, shortcut, or expired sharing link is a weak basis for a research project. Import a few representative JPEGs or other supported files using Tropy's documented import command. Wait for that small batch to finish before starting another one, so any missing file has a clear context.
Verify the relationship to the source
Open an imported photograph and locate its original through the application's available file-location action. Confirm that it resolves to the expected folder and not a second, smaller download. Compare a recognizable border or inscription with the inventory record. Tropy's documentation explains that imported originals remain outside the project; its thumbnails are not a replacement archive. Keep the project file and photographs within your backup plan. If the import seems empty, clear the current search before assuming it failed and importing everything a second time.
Test a complete research item
Select one photograph whose back inscription you also captured. Link the two views to the same source record, add a modest identifying description, and close and reopen the project. Check that both images remain available at useful viewing size. Ask another family researcher to find this item using its ID. Only expand the import after the original path, item identity, and retrieval test make sense. For a restored viewing version made with ImgHeal, retain a separate filename and source relationship rather than silently swapping it for the image that supports your research notes.
Check this workflow
- Store originals outside temporary folders.
- Confirm the source path for an imported item.
- Reopen one complete front-and-back record.
Sources and further reading
- Tropy: Add photosDescribes linked originals, web-image imports, PDF rendering density, and import troubleshooting.
- Tropy: ProjectsDescribes creating and locating projects and organizing research within them.
Questions about this restoration task
Is a Tropy project alone a backup of my photographs?
Do not assume so. Linked original files must be protected separately, along with the project and its notes. Test the complete recovery arrangement.
Continue with a related guide
Try a restoration on a copy of your photo
Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.
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