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Importing Photos

The photo import feature saves you from having to upload photos to hotspots one at a time.

Creating a zip file of images

To use this feature you first create a zip file containing your photos and then import your zip file. Before zipping your photos, make sure you have sized them appropriately for the web. High quality web images are typically 100 KB or less. Do not zip photos downloaded directly from your camera without resizing them first.

The zip file must only contain image files. If it contains a folder of images file, an import error will be reported that says the given path's format is not supported. The maximum size of the zip file must not exceed 256 MB. Image file names must not contain any characters not supported by Windows such as : (colon).

Uploading the zip file

Use the Browse button to locate the zip file on your computer. Then click the Import button to upload the file. MapsAlive automatically creates a new hotspot for each photo it finds in the zip file. MapsAlive uses the image file's name (without the extension) as the hotspot's title. For example, if your zip file contains a file named "Living Room.jpg", MapsAlive creates a new hotspot with "Living Room" as its title. You can change the title later on the Edit Hotspot Content screen.

Choosing the hotspot marker

Each new hotspot created during a photo import gets the same marker. Existing hotspots keep their current marker.

Before importing photos, choose a marker that you want to be used for each imported photo. You can change a hotspot’s marker later on the Edit Hotspot Content screen, but choosing an appropriate marker when you import will save you time.

Important: When you import photos from a file they are imported into the current map, so be sure to select the map from the Tour Navigator before importing.

How to import photos from a zip file
  • Choose Tour > Import > Photos from Zip from the Tour Builder menu
  • On the Import Photos screen
    • Choose a marker from the Marker dropdown
    • Browse for the file you want to import
    • Click the Import button

Updating existing hotspots

You can use the Import Photos feature to quickly update photos for hotspots that already exist. If an imported file has the same file name as the photo for an existing hotspot and the imported photo is identical to the hotspot's existing photo, MapsAlive will not create a new hotspot. If an imported photo has the same file name, but its size or content has changed, MapsAlive will replace the hotspot's existing photo with the imported photo. MapsAlive matches a photo file with a hotspot using the hotspot photo’s original file name. Thus, you can update photos even if you give your hotspots new titles.

Restrictions

Only zip files can be imported. Password protected and encrypted files are not supported. If your zip file is too large, it may fail to upload (keep the size manageable by resizing your photos before you zip them). If you attempt to import more photos than you have hotspots available in your account, the import will be terminated. In this case, you will need to purchase additional hotspots or reduce the number of photos in your zip file.