Production workflow · Capture One workflow
Capture One: files missing after import
Where are the originals after an import into Capture One?
Short answer
Usually wherever the import stored them: Capture One can leave files in their current location, copy them into the catalog or copy them to a chosen folder. Check that destination, the session's Trash folder, which holds images deleted inside Capture One, and the system trash. Only then scan the recording card read-only.
The situation
The import looked successful, but some or all originals later disappeared in Capture One.
An import that reports success has only confirmed that Capture One finished its own step. Copying files, writing catalog records and emptying the card are separate operations, and an interruption between them leaves images that the catalog knows about but can no longer open.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
The usual cause is a destination you did not expect. Import to Current Location leaves files where they were, Inside the Catalog hides them in a package, and Choose Folder writes them wherever the dialog last pointed. Add a card ejected during copying or images sent to the session Trash after culling, and the images are simply somewhere else.
Copy, move, rename and catalog steps can complete at different times. For Capture One, this matters because Capture One can keep references or helper media without containing a complete independent original
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Take the card out of the camera and leave it out; do not reuse it for the next shoot until the missing images are accounted for.
- 2
Open the import history or the folder you chose as destination, and compare the file count there with the number of frames the camera reported.
- 3
Check the session Trash folder and the system trash next, since images culled inside Capture One land there rather than being erased.
- 4
Only when neither location holds them, scan the card read-only and export the found images to a separate drive before importing them again.
Do not format the card to start a clean import, and do not run a second import over the same folder hoping it fixes the gaps. Formatting removes the last copy of the missing frames, and a repeat import can write new files into the very space they occupy.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
A scan can recover image files from the card; it cannot reconstruct the catalog records, ratings or colour tags that were attached during the failed import. File Recovery Hero reads the card only, works on macOS and Windows, and offers no Linux build.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The import is complete when the frame numbers run without gaps from the first to the last shot of the session, every file opens at full size, and the total on disk matches what the camera counter showed. Spot-check a file from the beginning, middle and end.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can Capture One workflow be recovered in this situation?+
An import that reports success has only confirmed that Capture One finished its own step. Copying files, writing catalog records and emptying the card are separate operations, and an interruption between them leaves images that the catalog knows about but can no longer open. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not format the card to start a clean import, and do not run a second import over the same folder hoping it fixes the gaps.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
The import is complete when the frame numbers run without gaps from the first to the last shot of the session, every file opens at full size, and the total on disk matches what the camera counter showed.