MyMediaImport

MyMediaImport is a small and fast Windows application for importing photos and videos from portable devices and other media sources.

It is designed around a simple workflow: connect a device, review the newest media, select what to import, preview the generated target paths, and copy the files into a configurable directory structure.

The current version supports devices exposed through Windows Portable Devices (WPD), such as an iPhone connected to a Windows PC. It provides both a native WPF application and a command-line interface.

Screenshots

Desktop application

CLI

Current status

Current version: 1.3.0. See CHANGELOG.md for release notes.

MyMediaImport is under active development. The application already supports the main import workflow, but it should still be considered an early version.

Keep a separate backup of important photos and videos, and verify imported files before deleting anything from the source device.

Known limitations

• Only media sources exposed through Windows Portable Devices (WPD) are currently supported.
• RAW image formats are not currently supported but may be added in a future version.
• Device behavior and available thumbnail resources depend on the Windows device driver. When no thumbnail resource is available for a photo, MyMediaImport reads the original image to generate the preview.

Features

• Native Windows desktop application with light, dark, and system themes
• Command-line interface for scripted and unattended use
• Discover portable devices through Windows Portable Devices (WPD)
• Browse and filter photos and videos by date, file extension, and media type
• Choose a source folder with recursive scanning and per-device remembered selections
• Inspect each file's device path in the filename tooltip without enlarging preview rows
• Preview generated target paths before importing
• Configurable path templates using local or UTC capture timestamps and filename-safe UTC offsets such as +0200
• Explicit handling of unknown capture time zones
• Collision handling with skip, rename, and overwrite policies
• Safe imports through temporary partial files before publishing final files
• Imported files receive the resolved capture timestamp as their file-system creation time, using the same capture timezone interpretation as target filenames. Embedded metadata (including EXIF) and last-write timestamps are not adjusted. Without a resolved capture timestamp, the creation time is left unchanged. Skipped or already imported files are not modified.
• Self-contained Windows publishing for both the desktop application and CLI

Choose a source folder

Under Media source, use Choose folder... to restrict the preview and import to a device folder, including its subfolders. The folder tree loads on demand and does not modify files. Select All folders to remove the restriction.

The application remembers the folder separately for each device. It resolves the saved folder names again when loading the preview; if a folder is missing or ambiguous, choose it again instead of silently searching the whole device.

The Media preview header shows the folder used for the loaded preview. Hover over a filename to see that file's full device path, including its actual subfolders and filename. If the device does not provide enough path information, the tooltip shows only the filename. These are virtual device paths, not local Windows filesystem paths.

For example, selecting Internal Storage / DCIM includes photos in Internal Storage / DCIM / Camera, but not files in a neighboring Download folder. Folder names and layout depend on the device; choose the folders shown by your device rather than assuming every device uses DCIM / Camera.

The CLI supports the same selection for list and import:

MyMediaImport.Cli.exe list --device-index 1 --source-folder "Internal Storage/DCIM/Camera"

Use the names exposed by your device, including its storage name. Names are matched exactly. Both / and \ are accepted as CLI separators. Omitting --source-folder searches all folders; CLI commands do not use desktop settings.

Why I created this project

I wanted a focused Windows tool that makes it quick to import the newest photos and videos from a portable device into a predictable folder and file-name structure. The goal is an importer, not a photo-management application: it does not maintain a media catalog and does not add albums, ratings, tags, or editing features.

The project also serves as a shared foundation for a graphical application and command-line automation, so the same import behavior can be used interactively, from scripts, or through shortcuts.

System requirements

• Windows
• A portable device accessible through Windows for WPD operations
• The .NET 10 SDK when building from source

Check the installed SDK with:

dotnet --info

Project structure

src/MyMediaImport.Core          Platform-independent domain and import logic
src/MyMediaImport.Windows       Windows, COM, and WPD implementation
src/MyMediaImport.App           WPF application
src/MyMediaImport.Cli           Command-line application
tests/MyMediaImport.Core.Tests  Tests for Core logic
tests/MyMediaImport.Cli.Tests   Tests for the CLI parser and online help
tests/MyMediaImport.App.Tests   Tests for WPF presentation logic

Common dotnet commands

Run all commands below from the repository root.

Invoke-Build workflow

Restore the repository-local Invoke-Build tool once after cloning or updating the tool manifest:

dotnet tool restore

The common development tasks are then available through a single build script:

dotnet ib build
dotnet ib test
dotnet ib run
dotnet ib runcli -CliArguments help
dotnet ib pack
dotnet ib install
dotnet ib release

build is the default task, so dotnet ib builds the complete solution. pack creates fresh self-contained App and CLI staging files and packages them as an Inno Setup installer under Setup\Output. release runs all tests and then creates the installer. install builds and launches the installer.

Restore dependencies

dotnet restore MyMediaImport.sln

dotnet build, dotnet test, and dotnet run normally restore dependencies automatically. A separate restore is therefore usually only necessary during initial setup or troubleshooting.

Build the complete solution

dotnet build MyMediaImport.sln

Create a release build:

dotnet build MyMediaImport.sln --configuration Release

Run all tests

dotnet test MyMediaImport.sln

Run only the Core tests:

dotnet test tests/MyMediaImport.Core.Tests/MyMediaImport.Core.Tests.csproj

Run the CLI

Show the general online help:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj -- help

Show help for a specific command:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj -- help import

Show the formal syntax for a command:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj -- help import syntax

List portable devices:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj -- devices

List media from the first device:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj -- list --device-index 1 --limit 20

The double dash -- separates the options for dotnet run from the arguments passed to MyMediaImport.Cli.

Run the WPF application

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.App/MyMediaImport.App.csproj

Run without rebuilding

After a successful build, --no-build can reduce startup time:

dotnet run --project src/MyMediaImport.Cli/MyMediaImport.Cli.csproj --no-build -- help

Clean build outputs

dotnet clean MyMediaImport.sln

This command removes the build outputs generated by MSBuild for the solution.

Build the installer

The installer task creates private self-contained staging directories and then packages both the desktop application and CLI:

dotnet ib pack

The target computer does not need a separate .NET installation. The installer shows the license terms for the bundled Microsoft .NET runtime components and writes its executable to Setup\Output. Files under artifacts\publish are intermediate packaging input, not a separate distribution. The Start menu contains shortcuts for the desktop application and a command prompt that opens in the CLI directory and displays the CLI help. When desktop icons are selected during setup, both shortcuts are also created on the desktop; the CLI shortcut uses the Command Prompt icon.

Contributing

MyMediaImport is a personal hobby project maintained in my spare time.

I am not accepting pull requests and cannot guarantee support, bug fixes, or new features. Bug reports and suggestions may be submitted through GitHub Issues.

You are welcome to fork the project for your own development.

License

MyMediaImport is available under the MIT License.

Acknowledgements

MyMediaImport was created by Christian Pistor with extensive assistance from OpenAI Codex.