Importing and Exporting Media > Importing File-Based Media >

# Importing File-Based Media Tips

- Drag and drop a folder in the Media Library. Smoke imports all the media files and folders contained therein. Note that only supported media files and folders are imported: other file types are ignored.
- Drag and drop multiple files in one operation: hold Ctrl to select the files to import before dragging them over to the Media Library.
- Before importing the media, review it using the Previewer.
- Use the Previewer's tabs to display the clip information and additional metadata.
- For large media, use the Previewer to set In and Out points and import only a subclip.
- If the media file to import is located on a network drive, and if you plan on using referenced media instead of project media, make sure that the network connection is at at least 1 GB ethernet to have decent playback.
- If the media file to import is located on a removable media such as a USB drive, and you plan to remove the drive before the end of your project, import with Project Media enabled. This way Smoke creates natively managed media out of the original, removing the need for the connected drive.
- A folder in the Media Library is the same as a bin in Avid Media Composer or Apple Final Cut Pro.
- From the Media Library, right-click > Import... to import media to that location.
- The files to import cannot contain any hyphen (-) or square brackets ( [ ] ).

NoteGetting clips with checkerboards instead of images? Check if your workstation is still connected to the volume you used to store your media; if not, reconnecting the volume to the workstation should do the trick.