Questions answered

Rules are assigned by extension. Combine several extensions into any group that makes sense to you — NEF, ARW, CR3, for example — or create a separate rule for one specific file type. Each extension belongs to one rule only, so two destinations never compete for the same file.

Yes. Every rule can have its own base destination: RAW files on an archive drive, video on another volume, JPEGs in a working folder, and documents on the Mac itself. All active rules run in a single pass.

A rule connects a group of extensions with a destination and a method for building folders. The path template is only the final part: a sequence of ready-made elements such as year, month, camera, file type, and a variable value. One saved template can be reused in different rules.

{custom} is a place in the template for a value that changes from run to run: a client, project, assignment, trip, or location. ShotPorter asks for it before processing begins for every active rule, so the template itself needs no editing.

In essence, they do not. All are places in the template for values that change from one run to another without editing the template itself. Their names act as reminders of what you intended to enter at that point in the path. Use them as named, or simply as additional {custom} fields.

No. They are independent fields in the same preparation dialog. The {custom} value becomes part of the folder path. Keywords are embedded in fully supported formats, while other files receive Finder tags.

Yes. Select any folder or available drive and ShotPorter performs the same process: scan, copy, verify, and sort. This is useful for material from a second photographer or for reorganizing an old archive. Automatic ejection applies only to removable media; ShotPorter does not eject folders or system drives.

Start with a small but representative folder in manual mode. You will see the real extensions, destinations, and conflicts before processing large volumes.

Files without a matching rule remain untouched in the source folder. After several test batches, you will see which rules are truly universal and which were created for a single exception. Detailed examples are in How to organize your archive.

Any of them. ShotPorter recognizes common image, video, and audio formats immediately. It never silently skips an unfamiliar extension: the file appears separately and you decide what should happen. It can be copied, verified, and sorted with everything else, left on the card, or classified as junk. The last option takes effect only if you separately permit junk deletion.

By default, ShotPorter not only writes each file but also compares the original and copy by calculating their SHA-256 checksums. That proves the copy is exact, but it takes time. If speed matters and the originals will not be removed from the card immediately, verification during offload can be disabled for a much faster arrival at the destination. Before writing metadata or deleting an original, however, ShotPorter must still prove that the copy is exact. Verification is therefore postponed, not eliminated.

No. The original name is preserved. If the destination already contains another file with that name, ShotPorter neither overwrites it nor invents a new filename. Different versions go into adjacent VERSION, VERSION_1, and subsequent folders.

Register a card once and specify which actions ShotPorter may perform without confirmation: copy and verify files, write metadata, keep or delete originals, and eject the card. The next time it connects, the application performs everything you permitted, stopping to ask wherever your decision is required. Every safety check remains exactly the same as in manual mode.

Once configured, the system maintains itself with almost no involvement from you. You keep getting precisely your own order without organizing every new shoot by hand.

Not for working with files. A connection is required to start the trial, activate a license, refresh its signed record, or manage the list of activated Macs. Everything else — from browsing the source through copying, verification, and sorting — runs locally, whether you are in the field, on a plane, or in an offline studio.

ShotPorter runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later.

Never. Files move from the source to the drive you selected — and nowhere else: not to a cloud and not to a ShotPorter account. Only the trial and license communicate with the server for activation, signed-record refresh, and device-list management. Filenames, file contents, and capture metadata are never transmitted.

By accident, no. During normal processing and in Hands-Free mode, only files that passed copying, verification, and conflict resolution can be deleted. In manual mode, unprocessed files can be deleted only as a separate action, once no archive-safe files remain on the card, and after two consecutive confirmations. The other deliberate exception is file types you classified as junk; their deletion must also be enabled separately. The complete logic is explained on the Safety page.

No. Matching names, sizes, and dates do not prove that two files are duplicates; ShotPorter confirms that independently through checksums and metadata. If they differ, the new file keeps its original name in an adjacent version folder. If they are identical, the duplicate is marked safe to delete. Nothing in the archive is overwritten.

Everything. The 30-day trial is the complete ShotPorter with no restrictions: verified offload, sorting rules, keywords and authorship, manual operation and Hands-Free mode. Starting requires no payment details or credit card — only an email address. You pay only if you decide to keep ShotPorter. After purchase, a 14-day money-back guarantee applies.

Nothing dramatic. ShotPorter still detects cards and shows their contents, but processing is locked until you enter a license key. All your rules and settings remain untouched. Buy a license when you are ready and continue exactly where you left off.

Three. Each activation occupies one of the three available seats. To move to a new Mac, deactivate the old one in the License tab of Settings and the seat becomes available again. Deactivating a license never affects your files.

Yes. The license is perpetual, and every 1.x update is included. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription or recurring charge. If a future major version becomes a paid upgrade, the version you bought will still continue to work at no additional cost.

After the refund is issued, we deactivate the license key and ShotPorter returns to its unlicensed state: cards and files remain visible, but processing is unavailable. Everything already copied and sorted remains untouched on disk. Details about timing and procedure are in our Refund Policy.