Cards in, copied and verified. Lightroom Classic's Import window opens on the new folder.
ShotGrab copies each card, verifies every file with SHA-256, sorts it into your folders and ejects it. When the import finishes, it opens Lightroom Classic's Import window already pointed at the folder it just filled. You choose your settings and press Import.
Your day with ShotGrab
A day of shooting with two bodies, catalogued in Lightroom the same evening. Here is what you actually do.
Set it up once
In Settings › Automations you turn on Lightroom Classic. In your project you tick it, choose the destination drive, a folder layout by date and camera, and optionally a second drive for backup. Then you arm the project and leave it listening.
Cards go in, one after another
Each card is copied, with every file hashed while it is read, and ejected on its own when the copy is verified. A second card in another reader copies at the same time, in its own lane.
The Import window opens on the folder
When the import finishes, ShotGrab opens the folder it just copied into in Lightroom Classic. The Import window is already on it. You pick your presets and keywords and press Import.
The backup drive catches up
While you work, ShotGrab copies from the primary drive to the backup drive and checks every file against what it already wrote, so there are two verified copies before the card is reused.
What ShotGrab adds before you import
Lightroom Classic is where you catalog and edit. These are the steps ShotGrab takes off your hands before that.
Copy first, catalog second
The copy from the card is done by ShotGrab, with SHA-256 verification on every file. The files are then already in your archive, so in Lightroom Classic's Import window you can choose to add them where they are instead of copying them a second time.
One hand-off, not one per card
With several readers or several cards in a row, the Import window opens once, when the last card has finished, and only if something new was copied.
The folder it opens is the level of your folder layout where you answer the first {INPUT} question, such as client or event, or the whole destination if your layout asks nothing.
The rest of the offload stays the same
Folders by date and camera, a cascade to extra drives, cards ejected by themselves, duplicates skipped. Nothing leaves your Mac and there is no account or cloud involved.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need a plugin?
No. ShotGrab opens the folder in Lightroom Classic and its Import window appears. Nothing is installed in Lightroom.
Does ShotGrab import the photos into my catalog for me?
No. It opens the Import window on the right folder, and you press Import. Your presets, keywords and catalog stay under your control.
Where do I turn it on?
In ShotGrab's Settings under Automations, where you enable Lightroom Classic, and then in each project's automations card, where you tick it for that project. Both are off by default.
What if I import several cards in a row?
The automation runs once when the last import finishes, so you get one Import window for the shoot, not one per card.
What does it need?
A Mac with macOS 13 or later and Lightroom Classic installed. ShotGrab runs locally: no account, no cloud, nothing uploaded. If Lightroom Classic is missing, the copy itself is not affected.
How much does it cost?
It is free to start: every feature is unlocked, limited to 128GB of copied files every 14 days, no account and no card. Beyond that: Pass €5 for 30 days, Yearly €29, or Lifetime €39 until 30 November 2026, then €69. All are one-time payments, not subscriptions. Details on the pricing page.
Let the cards copy themselves. Press Import when you are ready.
Free to start, every feature included. Lifetime is €39 until 30 November 2026, then €69.
Download for Mac Lifetime €39 until 30 November 2026, then €69 · Pass €5 / 30 days · Yearly €29 · macOS 13+
ShotGrab