Work, 04 of 10
(2025 to now)

Photo Importer

A macOS desktop app built with Electron to import photos and videos from cameras and SD cards.

When: 2025 to now
For: Independent
Built with: TypeScript, Electron
Links: Download from GitHub Releases
Source on GitHub, MIT

The brief

I lost the import flow I liked when I cut my subscriptions, so I built the one I actually wanted. It is opinionated on purpose: date-patterned folders, keepers flagged before the copy, duplicates skipped. It does not try to replace anything else in the kit; it exists so the import step is certain.

The mark

The mark and the icon it ships under.

The mark. The app icon.

What it does

Auto-detect volumes: Cameras and SD cards detected on mount
EXIF metadata: Read date, camera model, lens, and dimensions
Folder patterns: Organize imports by YYYY/YYYY-MM-DD or custom patterns
Duplicate detection: Skip files that already exist at the destination
Pick / Reject workflow: Flag keepers and rejects before importing
Parallel imports: A worker pool copies files concurrently instead of one long queue
Background auto-updates: The app updates itself quietly between launches
Light & dark themes: Follows system preference

Install

Download from GitHub Releases. Every push to main builds a fresh alpha. macOS only.

From source

git clone https://github.com/juanmnl/importer.git
cd importer && npm ci
npm start        # dev mode
npm run make     # build DMG + ZIP

Node 20+ · macOS · TypeScript + Electron · MIT License

Where it stands

Shipped and in use; it's how photos get off my cameras. Signed and notarized macOS builds on GitHub Releases, built in CI. Open source under MIT.

Index