trapper1 Loc: Southside Virginia

Getting ready for my first attempt at transferring images from my Nikon 5600 DSLR to my computer. Once the transfer is complete, how will it appear in my computer? I am using Windows 10 so will the download appear in "Pictures", if not, where will it appear?

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Do you have any kind of post processing software? Many of those have an "import" feature that allows you to pick file names etc. The actual files will be in the "Picture Library" unless you set up some other system. My picture library actually moves the images to a 6 TB 'P' drive in my tower designated for pictures and videos only and links to them. My Lightroom Classic controls the import and keeps track of their location to pull up for PP work.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

You may designate where the images are saved. Pictures is fine or perhaps a folder on your desktop. Make sure you name a folder for storage when transferring. It's important to know the location used for storage. That way you know where they are.

Here is a tutorial on how to create a folder: (If it is too fast, use the pause button while you find the options on your PC.)
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+creae+a+folder+in+win+10+pictures+for+storing+photos&qpvt=how+to+creae+a+folder+in+win+10+pictures+for+storing+photos&view=detail&mid=8B5389469BDEDACEC77E8B5389469BDEDACEC77E&&FORM=VRDGAR

Hope this helps.
Mark

Quixdraw Loc: x

If you got Nikon Transfer 2 with the camera, you could load & use that. You can also get a free download from Nikon. Win 7 has Windows Live Photo Gallery - if 10 has something similar, another option.

Sunnely Loc: Wisconsin

I have Windows 8 in my computer. I insert the SD card to slot specifically for that card (my laptop has it but not sure if all do). If you don't have that slot in your computer, buy (cheap less than $10) a card reader, insert the card to the appropriate size, and connect the card reader to the computer's USB. My laptop recognizes it right away and store it in the "Pictures." Once downloaded, you can rename the file ("Pictures" will name it according to the date downloaded). You can also use your camera's cable connector to the computer's USB but I find the former more expeditious.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I would second Nikon Transfer 2. You can specify where the photos will go and whether of not to rename them.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

The files will go to where you put them. You need to study a bit on how Windows File Explorer works and how the Directory Tree works - drives, folders, sub folders, etcetera. Without specific instructions, a computer will use its default process which may not be what you want. I copy all my originals first to a folder that I create on an external drive, then I copy that folder with its files to my hard disk. Thr Directory Tree looks like - C:Pictures\Adobe\Folder name\Sub folder name - etcetera. My target folders use the nomenclature of yyyy/mo/descriptive text. Clear as mud, right?

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Before you download, I would recommend you set up a folder for the images somewhere on your computer.... maybe inside the Pictures folder. I have a second hard drive in my desktop (and my laptop), used exclusively for photos. The only place I'd NOT place a folder is on your computer's desktop. This folder will contain lots of data once the images are downloaded, and having that on your desktop can cause the computer to slow to a crawl or even crash. If you wish, you can create a shortcut to the folder on your desktop (shortcut can be temporary or permanent, it's up to you)... just don't put the actual folder there.

You can name the folder you create however you like. Personally I use the date shot with a YYYY_MM_DD format... that ends up like "2019_08_25". Sometimes I'll append a word or two to that, to help remind me what's in it. Maybe something like "YYYY_MM_DD_vacation_bali", or whatever. (My naming format, using things like the underscore for spacing, dates back to various older computer operating systems that restricted what you can use, more than modern ones do.)

Later I will also rename all the downloaded images inside that folder similarly: YYYY_MM_DD_xxxx, where the last four digits are the sequence the images were shot (I hope to never shoot more than 9999 images in a day! I have shot several thousand, though, at times. But I only need a four digit number there.)

This is just one way to organize things. It works for me. Use whatever organization works best for you.

Creating that folder yourself and doing your downloads as described below puts you in charge of where things go, so it's easier for you to locate and access them later.

Now you're ready to actually do the download.

It's best to remove the memory card from the camera, insert it in a card reader to download.

If you don't have a card reader, it's okay to use the USB cable provided with the camera. But I would recommend not doing that as a habit. Get a memory card reader for future use. This is just safer for both your images and for your camera. If using that USB cable, make sure your camera's battery has sufficient charge for the duration of the download. The camera will need to be "on" for up to 15 or 20 minutes, maybe even longer, during the download.

Regardless whether you use a card reader or attach the camera with a USB cable, it should cause a menu to pop up asking what you want to do. Some software already on your computer might try to automatically do the download (more on that below). I'd cancel that. On the pop up menu I'd simply click "open" to view what's on the memory card (which will appear like an additional hard drive on your computer). Look for the "DCIM" folder on the memory card and within that you'll find one or more folders full of images. Open that (or, with multiple folders, open/download in sequence, one folder at a time). Click once on any image within the folder, then type "ctrl a" to select all the images in the folder. Drag and drop them to the folder you prepared earlier. If you left-click drag and drop, it will automatically "copy" images. If you right-click drag and drop it will give you choice of "move", "copy" and some other actions. Choose "copy". This safely leaves the images on your memory card for now, in case there is any problem with the download. (Later, once you have confirmed everything is safely copied onto your computer and you have backed it up, reinsert the memory card in your camera and use the camera's menu to "format" the card... this will essentially "erase" all the images on the card and prepare it for new images.)

Once the images start copying over to your computer, go get a cup of coffee. Depending upon how many images are involved and how large each image file is, as well as the speed of your connection, it's likely to take some 5, 10 or more minutes to copy all the images over.

Once the images are copied onto your computer, there's a variety of software that can be used to view them. It depends upon what you have installed. If you have a cataloger like Adobe Elements or Lightroom, you'll want to point that software to the folder where you downloaded the images and have the software add them to your catalog.

Some installed software might try to automatically perform the download, even making folders somewhere and possibly doing other things to your images during the downloading process. I avoid this because it all too easily ends up with images scattered all over your computer, who knows where, rather than nicely organized in a place you know and can find easily when you use the "manual" method I've described above. The reason things get scattered around by auto downloads with the software is because over time it evolves... updates can change settings and how things like auto downloads are handled. Or I might install a new software that does things differently. Some software allows you to set up how auto downloads are handled (among other things). But I've all too often seen those settings wiped out and changed when I've done an update!

By the way, after you've done it a time or two, it's much fast to do the manual download than it is to write or read this. Once you know how, manual downloads come down to just a few quick clicks, then waiting while the images are copied (which will be the case no matter how you do it).

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The easy solution if you don't want to bother with manufacturer's crummy software it so download a copy of Faststone Image Viewer (free) and use a card reader. You can either use Windows Explorer to drag and drop the images from your card to folders of your choosing, or you can use the browser in Faststone to do it. Faststone's browser looks just like Windows Explorer.

But I suggest you give some thought to how you are going to organize your images. It sounds like you have quite a few images on your card, and you'll need some way to create a meaningful organizational scheme that will help you find files in the future, and avoid duplication.

I would also suggest you join a local photo club where you will find knowledgeable people who can help you with this.

The last place I would put pictures is in the Windows Pictures folder.

RPaul3rd Loc: Arlington VA and Sarasota FL

I have tried direct transfer from my Canon(s) and it is really a pain to go thru the hookup procedure. Yes it worked well BUT then I had a brain fart that told me to take the SD card out of the camera, insert it into a card reader (a lot of computers don't have the SD slot built in) and then I copy (not move) the images ... all of them ... to a designated folder and THEN I make a sub folder where I put the images after PP. Word of advice: don't delete the originals cause you never know.

uhaas2009

Nikon have software for free where it download your pics and some post processing too

RPaul3rd Loc: Arlington VA and Sarasota FL

With tens of thousands of images ... everything from scanned photos to digitized images from slides and negatives ... I learned early on that work flow - where you put images and how you label them - is of paramount importance for locating them. As Ansel Adams might have said to Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate: Folders, tons of folders on the hard drive,