Export or Transfer Images from a Catalog to a Session

I would like to request a feature that allows users to export or transfer a selection of images from a Capture One Catalog to either a new or an existing Session.

The selection should be possible from:

• a manual image selection;

• an Album;

• a Smart Album;

• a Group or Project;

• a folder or another Catalog collection.

Where applicable, the process should preserve:

• adjustments and variants;

• star ratings and color tags;

• metadata and keywords;

• crops, masks, and layers;

• Album membership or collection structure;

• links to the original image files.

It would be useful to offer several transfer options:

1. create a new Session;

2. add the selected images to an existing Session;

3. physically copy the original files into the Session folder structure;

4. physically move the original files;

5. keep the files in their current location and add them to the Session as referenced images, whenever supported.

The feature could be available through a command such as:

“Export Selection to Session…”
or
“Create Session from Selection…”

The dialog could allow users to choose:

• the name and location of the new Session, or an existing Session;

• the destination folder for the images;

• whether the files should be copied, moved, or kept in their current location;

• which adjustments, metadata, and collections should be transferred;

• how duplicate files or filename conflicts should be handled.

Use case

When working with large Catalogs, users may need to isolate a specific project, photo shoot, client selection, or group of images to be delivered to a collaborator.

In these situations, a Session is often more practical, portable, and easier to archive. Currently, manually creating a Session and transferring images, adjustments, and metadata may require several steps and can introduce the risk of losing information or unnecessarily duplicating files.

This feature would make it easier to:

• separate a project from a main Catalog;

• deliver a complete job to a collaborator or retoucher;

• archive individual jobs as self-contained Sessions;

• transition from a Catalog-based workflow to a Session-based workflow;

• quickly create a Session containing only the selected images.

The goal would be to generate a complete, immediately usable Session while preserving as much of the work already completed in the Catalog as possible.