Today’s Question: Sometimes I import pictures in Lightroom Classic to the wrong destination, like the internal hard drive instead of an external hard drive. Is there a way to create a list of preferred import targets so I won’t import to the wrong place if I don’t notice the settings?
Tim’s Quick Answer: There isn’t an option to prevent downloading to specific storage locations, but you may find it helpful to use a preset for the Import feature to quickly establish preferred settings.
More Detail: Most of the settings in the Import dialog are “sticky”, meaning when you bring up the Import dialog most of the settings will be the same as they were the last time you imported photos (or the last time you clicked the Done button without importing, rather than clicking Cancel). Exceptions are the Keywords field (which will be blank) and the Start Number field for renaming photos (which will reset to 1), as well as the Import Preset popup mentioned below.
However, you can preserve any and all settings for quick access by saving a preset in the import dialog. Start by configuring the settings you’d like to preserve as the most common settings in the Import dialog, such as to specify your preferred storage location for photos from the popup at the top-right of the Import dialog.
Once you’ve configured your preferred settings, click the Import Preset popup on the dark bar at the bottom-center of the Import dialog. Choose “Save Current Settings as New Preset” from the popup, enter a meaningful name in the Preset Name field of the New Preset dialog, and click the Create button.
With that preset created, whenever you bring up the Import dialog you can select the saved preset from the Import Preset popup. Granted, this still means you need to remember to check settings (at least the Import Preset popup) whenever you bring up the Import dialog, but if you get in that habit, you’ll help ensure you have a better starting point for all settings for each import.
