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BLBlender

Auto Image Importer

by Soyoyo·Workflow

Images © Soyoyo. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Auto Image Importer earns its place for a narrow, practical job: pulling clipboard images straight into Blender. It's a clipboard-driven collector aimed at Windows and Mac users, worth pairing with Blender's built-in Import Images as Planes add-on on 4.1 and below.

What is Auto Image Importer?

Auto Image Importer is a Blender add-on from Soyoyo that automatically brings copied images and screenshots into Blender, so collecting images takes fewer steps. It reads the clipboard: copy an image from a web page and the add-on imports it, with no downloading, locating the file, or converting formats. Because a browser copy is raw image data, the original format doesn't matter, so .jfif, .webp, .jpg and others are all converted to png on import.

Beyond web copies, it handles screenshots placed on the clipboard through OS built-in tools or third-party screenshot apps, images copied from the local file system (.png, .jpg, and .jpeg for now), and images sent to the clipboard from other applications like Photoshop when the listener is on.

The add-on runs on Windows and Mac OS, but not Linux, and is compatible with Blender 3.6 through 5.0, with 4.x and above recommended. Save your Blender file before turning on the clipboard listener, and switch the listener off when you're done to avoid unnecessary imports or interference during rendering.

Who is Auto Image Importer best for?

Auto Image Importer is best for blender users who collect images from the web, screenshots, the local file system, or other apps and want them imported without manual downloading or format conversion.

How much does Auto Image Importer cost?

Auto Image Importer is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Automatically imports images copied from web pages, converting raw browser image data (.jfif, .webp, .jpg and others) to png on import
  • Imports screenshots placed on the clipboard via OS built-in tools or third-party screenshot apps
  • Imports images copied from the local file system, supporting .png, .jpg, and .jpeg for now
  • Imports images exported to the clipboard from other applications such as Photoshop, with the listener on
  • Works on Windows and Mac OS
  • Clipboard listener can be switched off to avoid unnecessary imports

Tags

#Blender#image import#clipboard#screenshots#image collection#workflow#add-on

Frequently asked questions

Does Auto Image Importer run on Linux?

Auto Image Importer works on Windows and Mac OS, and it does not include Linux support. On Windows you can grab a screenshot with Shift + Win + S using the OS built-in tool, which places raw image data on the clipboard for the add-on to pick up. On Mac, Shift + Command + 4 captures a screenshot, though it does not go to the clipboard by default; you can change where the capture goes with Shift + Command + 5. Third-party screenshot tools also work as long as they put the image on the clipboard.

What Blender versions does Auto Image Importer support?

Auto Image Importer supports Blender 3.6, and the developer notes it's better to use Blender 4.x and above. Listed compatibility runs from Blender 3.6 through 5.0. Before turning the clipboard listener on and copying an image, you should save your Blender file. It's also worth turning the clipboard listener off when you stop copying images, both to avoid unnecessary imports and to skip running it during rendering or other heavy background tasks.

How do I import images as mesh planes with Auto Image Importer?

Auto Image Importer relies on Blender's built-in Import Images as Planes add-on for mesh plane imports on Blender 4.1 and below, where that add-on is included but not enabled by default, so you'll need to enable it yourself. On Blender 4.2 and above there's nothing extra to do for this. The add-on itself pulls copied images and screenshots into Blender from the clipboard, covering web pages, the local file system, and other apps.

What image formats can Auto Image Importer handle?

Auto Image Importer treats a copied browser image as raw image data, so it doesn't care about the original format; whether it's .jfif, .webp, or .jpg, it converts everything to png and imports it. For images copied from the local file system, the add-on reads the file urls from the clipboard and currently supports .png, .jpg, and .jpeg formats. Images exported from other applications to the clipboard, such as Photoshop, are also picked up when the clipboard listener is on.

Is Auto Image Importer free?

Auto Image Importer is listed as free here in our catalog. Licensing and availability can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current terms before you download. The add-on is distributed under the GPL license. It's built for Blender on Windows and Mac OS and handles importing copied images, screenshots, local files, and images sent to the clipboard from other applications, so you can confirm the details that matter to your setup directly with the creator.

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