Table of Contents
Dropping files into other applications
Learn about the features available when dragging and dropping files from FotoStation into other applications.
29. March 2025
Table of Contents
The benefits of drag and drop
To make it easier to drag files from FotoStation to other applications, for example, adding pictures to your PowerPoint presentation or a Word document, you can change the FotoStation window into the Drag & drop window. From this view, shown on the left, you can easily drag and drop images. When dropping a picture into another application or to the desktop you also have the possibility to crop and resize the file that is placed in the document you're dropping into.
Note: Drag and Drop to other applications from Index Manager archives only works if the client has Windows Network access (SMB) to the files.
Switching to Drag and Drop mode
Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B (Command–B on the Mac) to open the Drag & drop window. Use the same keyboard shortcut to return FotoStation to normal mode.
Note that the Drag & drop window will stay on top of other windows, allowing you to open the program you would like to drop the files into, but still be able to find and select the required files in the FotoStation Drag & drop window.
In Windows, you have access to all the FotoStation menus from the Main menu dropdown list, and you can open all archives using the Archive dropdown list. Users of FotoStation for Windows also have the benefit of the Crop & Drop functionality, which makes it possible to crop and resize an image when dropping it into an application.
Note that it is also possible to drop files from FotoStation without using the Drag & drop mode. You can even drop files into FotoStation for easy viewing or to copy files to an archive.
Dropping files into FotoStation
FotoStation can be used for quickly browsing the contents of a folder and its subfolders, or for quickly previewing one or more files. Start by opening a FotoStation archive that allows you to drop files into it. Next, select the file(s) or folder(s) containing the files you want to copy into the archive using Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder, and drop them into the image window in FotoStation. A dialog opens, asking if you want to copy the files to the open archive. If you choose No, FotoStation will only display the dropped files without physically moving them. If you select Yes, the files will be copied to the archive.
Dragging files to and from Index Manager archives using FWP
Dropping files into Index Manager archives
When working with Index Manager archives that use the Fotoware Protocol, you can upload files to the Index Manager server by dropping files onto the archive icon in FotoStation or simply onto the grid. This type of operation stipulates that archive permissions have been set that specify where files should be stored when they are dropped into the archive.
Dragging files from Index Manager archives to the desktop
It is also possible to drag files from an Index Manager archive in FotoStation to the desktop or another application.
In Windows, this works just like any other drag and drop operation.
On the Mac you need to press modifier keys Command-Shift before you start the drag to accomplish this from an Index Manager archive.
Configuring FotoStation to use SMB access for drag and drop operations
Some applications only allow you to drop a file if the full SMB path to the assets is delivered in the drop operation. To this end, when using FotoStation with Index Manager you can configure it to always use the SMB path for drag and drop operations.
Cropping and resizing dropped files (Windows Only)
When dragging and dropping an image into a Microsoft Office application or another type of application, the Crop & Drop dialog appears. In this window you can crop the image and change image properties:
Cropping
Click and drag inside the image to select the required part (often referred to as the “crop frame”) of the image. You can adjust the crop frame by clicking and dragging one of the eight little square “handles” on the sides and corners of the frame. You can rotate or move the crop part of the image, but note that it is not possible to rotate any of the four corners out of the original image.
Aligning the crop frame
The crop window offers an aid to help you adjust the crop frame to compensate for a slightly tilted picture. Look for any straight lines or a horizon in the picture and press the Shift key while clicking and dragging the mouse along it. FotoStation will draw a line where you drag and then adjust the crop frame accordingly.
Resampling the image
By selecting Resample image you can change the size and/or resolution of the image.
Resize image to specified: Select what sort of image resizing you want to perform on the image. You can set a fixed width (in cm/inch or in pixels), fixed pixel width and height (the crop frame will change accordingly) or you can set the uncompressed image size in megabytes.
Resolution: The resolution of an image specifies the level of detail contained in the image. For example, a high-resolution image contains more details than a low-resolution image. The colored line below the crop preview works as a quality indicator. If the selected print size is too large for the amount of data in the picture, the line will change from green to yellow or red. Information on pixels, print size in inches/cm, and resolution can be found above the quality indicator.
Reset crop: Select this option if you would like to restart the cropping.
Click on the OK button to insert the image into the application.
Tip: Whether or not the Crop & Drop dialog appears when dropping an image depends on the type of data requested by the application into which you are dropping the image. To be able to crop the image regardless of what the application requests, you can force FotoStation to open the Crop & Drop window by pressing the Alt key while dropping the file. When dropping an image to Microsoft Outlook, for example, Outlook will include the image in the message body only if it has been configured to use Microsoft Word as email editor. Otherwise, it will only include the image as a regular attached file. If the latter is the case, you can still crop the image by pressing Alt while dropping, in which case the cropped file will be attached afterwards.