# Loading your images into ReadyPixl: every way to get them in

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/loading-images
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/loading-images.md
Section: Getting Started
Summary: All the ways to get images into the ReadyPixl editor — drag, click, folder, mid-batch. Plus file types and size limits.

Three ways to get images into ReadyPixl. They all do the same thing — pick the one that fits your moment.

## Way 1: Drag and drop

Easiest if you have your images in a folder on your desktop.

1. Open [readypixl.com](https://readypixl.com)
2. Find your image folder in your computer's file explorer (Finder on Mac, File Explorer on Windows)
3. Select the images (or the whole folder)
4. Drag them onto the **"Drop image here"** area in the middle of the editor
5. Release

Thumbnails appear in the filmstrip at the bottom as the images load. The first image loads into the canvas as your preview.

## Way 2: Click to pick

Easiest if you'd rather use a file picker.

1. Click anywhere on the **"Drop image here"** area
2. A file picker opens
3. Select one image or many (hold Cmd on Mac / Ctrl on Windows to multi-select)
4. Click Open

Same result as drag-and-drop.

## Way 3: Load a whole folder (desktop app)

When you have hundreds of images organized into a folder structure, you can drag the whole folder.

1. Find the folder on your computer
2. Drag the **folder** (not its contents) onto the drop zone
3. Release

On the **ReadyPixl desktop app**, this loads every image in the folder and its subfolders in one drop — great for organized catalogs. In the **free web version**, browsers don't hand a folder's contents to a website, so dragging a folder itself usually loads nothing; instead open the folder, select the images inside (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A), and drag or pick those.

## Adding more images mid-batch

You don't have to clear the editor to add more images.

- **Drag more images onto the filmstrip** at the bottom — they get added to your existing batch
- Or drag onto the canvas — same result

This is useful when you remembered a few extra designs after starting setup. No need to start over.

## File types we accept

| Format | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| **PNG** | First-class. Most common. Supports transparency. |
| **JPEG** (.jpg / .jpeg) | First-class. Smaller files. No transparency. |
| **WebP** | First-class. Smaller than JPEG at the same quality. |
| **GIF** | Supported. The first frame is used (animation isn't preserved). |
| **SVG** | Supported. Rasterized at up to 2000 px on the longest edge. |

**Not supported:** HEIC (iPhone images), TIFF, PSD (Photoshop), RAW camera files. You'll need to convert these to PNG or JPEG first — your computer's built-in image app can do this in a few clicks.

## Size limits

| Limit | Value | What happens |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Per-image max dimension | 10,000 × 10,000 pixels | Bigger images are blocked with a message asking you to resize first |
| Per-image file size | Several hundred MB | Files larger than this can fail to upload |
| Per-batch image count | No hard limit | Practical sweet spot is 50 to 500 images |

For images at typical sizes (under 4000 pixels, under 20 MB), you'll never hit any of these.

## Common loading questions

**Q: I dropped a folder but only some images appeared.**A: ReadyPixl skips files that aren't supported types. If your selection mixes PNG / JPEG / SVG (loaded) and HEIC / TIFF / PSD (skipped), you'll see fewer thumbnails than total files. Convert the unsupported ones first. (Web version: open the folder and select the images inside — dragging the folder itself won't load them. The desktop app is the one that loads whole folders.)

**Q: I dropped 100 images but only 80 thumbnails appeared.**A: A few possible reasons:

- Some files might be corrupted (browser couldn't decode them)
- Some files might be too big (over the 10,000 × 10,000 px limit)
- Some files might have non-image extensions despite looking like images (.png that's actually a different format)

The error toast in the corner tells you what was skipped and why.

**Q: My iPhone images won't load.**A: iPhone images default to **HEIC** format, which we don't support yet. On your phone: **Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible** changes the default to JPEG going forward. For existing HEIC images: open in Mac's Preview and "Export As JPEG", or use any HEIC-to-JPEG converter.

**Q: My batch is taking forever to load.**A: Loading 500+ images can take a minute or two depending on your computer and the image sizes. Watch the progress bar. If it's stuck, refresh and try a smaller batch.

## What to read next

- **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — what every part of the screen does
- **[Your first pipeline in 5 minutes](first-pipeline)** — once your images are loaded, here's the next step
- **[The Selected Tools panel](selected-tools-panel)** — building your pipeline