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 (if there is one), and computes the RTK statistics.

How to start

1. Open your new project.
2. In the Actions section of the left sidebar click Import images.
3. A folder picker opens.
4. Navigate to the imagery folder (see below).
5. 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 — on RTK flights — 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.

Multiple flights in one project

If you flew the field in multiple flights (battery swap, or you restarted DJI Pilot mid-flight), it is enough to select one folder — DroneField detects the flights that belong together and offers to merge them. See Multi-flight import.

The import flow

After picking the folder, the app:

1. Surveys the folder — reads JPEG headers, locates the MRK file (if any), counts images.
2. Shows a summary in the Import panel:
   • Photos: — the number of images found
   • Folder: — the selected folder
   • a preview of the flight path on the map
   • for multi-flight surveys, the list of detected flights (see Multi-flight import)
3. If everything looks right, click Start import.
4. 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)
• If there is an MRK, uses it to refine the image positions and timestamps (~1-2 ms accuracy); without an MRK, the photos’ own GPS tags are used
• 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
• DJI Matrice 4E / Matrice 4T (wide camera)
• DJI Matrice 5TD (wide camera, beta)
• DJI M300 / M350 RTK + Zenmuse P1 (beta)
• The MRK file is recommended but no longer required — see The MRK file

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
No MRK in the folder	Positions from the photos’ GPS tags
MRK present, but none can be read	Error “MRK file is empty or has invalid format.”, 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

The MRK file

On RTK flights DJI Pilot 2 writes an MRK file (…_Timestamp.MRK) next to the images. It carries the precise exposure times and the RTK-corrected positions.

The MRK is not required. If the folder has no MRK at all, DroneField reads the positions from the photos’ own GPS tags — for example on Matrice 4E / 4T missions that don’t write an MRK. On RTK drones the photo tags are usually accurate as well, but whenever the drone writes an MRK, copy it along with the images: it gives the most reliable result. If MRK files are present but none of them can be read (empty or damaged), the import stops with “MRK file is empty or has invalid format.” — copy the MRK again from the card, or remove it to import with the photos’ GPS tags. Check the RTK status after import — on GPS-only positions expect metre-scale positional error.

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

Matrice 4E / 4T / 5TD — wide camera only

A Matrice 4E, 4T or 5TD flight folder can also hold zoom and thermal images. DroneField skips them automatically and keeps only the wide-camera images, which are the ones suited for mapping — no need to sort the folder by hand before import.

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.

DroneField

📸 See how DroneField handles the full drone mapping pipeline — from image import to prescription map: DroneField drone mapping software →