Importing images

Image import is the second project step — after creating the project. During import, DroneField recognises the drone model, reads the XMP metadata and the MRK file, and computes the RTK statistics.

How to start

Open your new project.
In the right-hand Actions section click Import images.
A folder picker opens.
Navigate to the imagery folder (see below).
Click Choose.

Where do the images come from?

The drone writes imagery to the memory card (SD or microSD). If you work directly from the card:

Plug the card into your Mac (via a card reader).
A drive appears in Finder.
Open the DCIM/100_0001/ (or similarly named) folder.
Here are the .jpg images and the .mrk file.

Or: copy the card folder to your Mac first (e.g. ~/Drone-photos/) and import from there. This is faster, as it doesn’t depend on card I/O.

The import flow

After picking the folder, the app:

Surveys the folder — reads JPEG headers, locates the MRK file, counts images.
Shows a summary:
- Drone model: e.g. “DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral”
- Image count: e.g. 156 photos
- MRK file found: ✓ or ✗
- RTK statistics: how many are RTK Fixed / Float / GPS
- Estimated area: e.g. ~12.5 ha
If everything looks right, click Start import.
Import progress is shown — roughly 30 seconds per 100 images on M3.

Behind the scenes the app:

Reads every image’s XMP metadata (GPS, gimbal, camera orientation, RTK status, exposure, calibration data)
Uses the MRK to refine the image timestamps (~1-2 ms accuracy)
Generates a thumbnail cache for fast display
Computes the flight path and area coverage

What you see after import

The map shows:

The drone’s flight path (green line)
Image locations (green dots at every exposure)
The coverage zone

The right-hand details panel shows:

Drone model and serial number
GSD (average resolution in cm/pixel)
RTK status — Full RTK / Mixed / None
Area extent — bounding box lat/lon
Imported data — image count, MRK point count

Supported drones and prerequisites

Full list on Supported drones. Minimum:

DJI Phantom 4 RTK / Phantom 4 Multispectral
DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise / Mavic 3 Multispectral
MRK file required

If you try to import imagery from another drone (WingtraOne, Mavic 2, etc.), the app shows an error. See Import errors.

What does the import check?

The following are validated automatically:

Check	What happens on failure
Empty folder	Error message, import stops
No JPEG files	Error message, import stops
Missing MRK	Error message, import stops
Empty / corrupt MRK	Error message, import stops
Corrupt XMP (damaged JPEG)	Warning, only valid images imported
Unsupported drone model	Error with the detected model name
Diagnostic thumbnail (low-res JPEG)	Automatically skipped

Multispectral drones — special handling

The DJI M3M (and P4M) drones capture 5 images per exposure: 1 RGB JPEG + 4 (or 5) monochrome TIFFs (G, R, RE, NIR + occasionally Blue).

DroneField:

Automatically groups the images per band
For M3M, reconstructs the missing Blue band from the JPEG
Automatically skips calibration panel images (taken before / after flight, looking at the glass panel) from the processing pool

Sample mode and estimated values

In the first phase of import, DroneField reads only a sample — totals like area and GSD are estimates at this point. The right-hand panel marks this with:

“Estimated values — will update after processing”

The accurate final values appear after processing.

What to check after import

Before kicking off processing, review:

RTK status — Full RTK is ideal; Mixed is OK but boundaries are less precise; on GPS-only, expect metre-scale positional error.
Area coverage — are all the intended regions covered by the flight? Holes (the drone steered around a tree) become holes in the orthomosaic.
Image count — does the planned (DJI Pilot) and actual count agree?

If anything looks off, you can re-import the same folder — the existing imagery is replaced, or a different folder can be added.

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