# Photo import & image checks > Upload hundreds of photos at once, matched to lots by file name, with validation, required scan types and a coverage check before the catalogue goes to print. - URL: https://www.selloff.auction/features/photo-import - Language: English - Domain: Inventory & catalogue - Last updated: 2026-10-07 - Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/fonctionnalites/import-photos.md ## At a glance - Bulk upload matched by lot reference, lot number in a sale or consignor reference - Scan types for photos, certificates and documents, public or private - Optional double validation, with refusal reasons sent back to the uploader - Coverage check per sale showing the lots still missing images - Catalogue images accepted from 300 DPI, with web sizes generated automatically ## Photos by the hundred, without clicking lot by lot Photography is often done in batches, by a photographer or a studio, long after the lots were described. The bulk upload takes a folder of files and attaches each one to the right lot by its name. Drop the files, choose the scan type, and Selloff reads the reference at the start of each file name, ignoring what follows a dash, an underscore or "ex". Files can also be matched by lot number within a sale, or by consignor reference within a receipt, which is handy when the photographer works from the catalogue or from the consignor's list. Options let you set the image as the main one, replace the existing images or mark it for the catalogue, which is accepted only from 300 DPI. JPEG and PNG images are supported, as well as PDF documents. Selloff keeps the original and creates medium and thumbnail versions for screens and the website. ## Scan types and validation Scan types are yours to define: catalogue photos, additional views, certificates, condition reports. A scan type can be private, so it never appears online, and each lot states which scan types it requires. Scan types can require double validation: images then go through a queue where they are validated, refused with a reason or reassigned to another lot, and uploaders see their refusals in their own list. ## Know what is missing The scan check gives, for a sale or catalogue, the coverage of each scan type against the lots that require it, with filters on packaging, image size and minimum estimate, and a table of lots with their image counts and main image. It turns "are we ready for the catalogue?" into a list of lots to photograph. When one image serves several lots, copy the scans from one lot to another instead of uploading them again. See [PDF catalogue generation](https://www.selloff.auction/features/pdf-catalogue.md) for how catalogue images are laid out. ## Works with - [Content Delivery Network](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/content-delivery-network.md): Serve lot photos and other public images from the content delivery network of your choice: Selloff rewrites public image addresses to your CDN. ## Related features - [Lot descriptions](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-descriptions.md): Describe lots on a screen you configure, with texts, custom fields, categories and images, and generate repetitive headings and descriptions automatically. - [PDF catalogue generation](https://www.selloff.auction/features/pdf-catalogue.md): Produce a PDF catalogue straight from your lots, or export texts and images for InDesign and other layouts, with image sizes and grouping by category. - [Online catalogue publishing](https://www.selloff.auction/features/online-catalogue-publishing.md): Publish catalogues on your own website through the Selloff API and WordPress plugin, with instant updates, online bidding, client accounts and platform exports. - [Catalogue building & numbering](https://www.selloff.auction/features/catalogue-building.md): Assign lots to a sale, order them by category or any field, number them automatically or by scanning, and check the catalogue for errors before it goes live. ## Frequently asked questions ### How should photo files be named for the bulk upload? Start the file name with the lot reference, optionally followed by a dash, an underscore or "ex" and anything else: for lot 134567, `134567.jpg`, `134567-001.jpg` and `134567ex2.jpg` all attach to the right lot. You can also match files by lot number within a chosen sale, or by consignor reference within a chosen receipt. ### Can I check that every lot has its photos before the catalogue is printed? Yes. The scan check runs on a sale or a single catalogue, optionally limited by packaging type, image size or minimum estimate. It shows, for each scan type, how many lots require it and what share already has it, and lists the lots still missing images. The result can be printed. ### Can someone review photos before they are accepted? Yes. For scan types with double validation, new images wait in a validation queue where a reviewer validates them, refuses them with a reason or reassigns them to another lot. Refusals go back to the person who uploaded them, who can replace or delete the file, and refused images are never published.