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Image Documents

Importing images

You can import images into MAXQDA in various ways:

  • With the mouse, drag and drop files from the Windows Explorer or macOS Finder directly into the “Document System” window.
  • Click on the Import document(s) icon in the "Document System", or on the Images icon on the Import tab. A file dialog appears in which you can select the files to be imported.
  • If you have copied a picture and want to paste it directly from the clipboard, click the dropdown arrow to the right of the Images icon and select Import Image from Clipboard. Alternatively, you can insert the image from the clipboard directly into the “Document System” using the shortcut Ctrl+V (Windows) or ⌘+V (macOS).
Importing data via the “Import” tab

For general information on importing files and organizing them, see Import and Group your Data.

Working with images

When working with images, there are a few aspects to consider that are described in this section.

Saving image documents outside MAXQDA projects

Normally all image documents of less than 5 MB are saved directly in the MAXQDA project. Image documents larger than 5 MB are not saved directly in the project, but rather in the folder for external files, and only a reference referring to the externally saved file is generated. You can customize the maximum file size as well as the location for externally saved files via the MAXQDA preferences, which you can access by clicking on the gear symbol in the top right of your window.

Tip: If you are working with many large image files (e.g., with a total size of more than 50 MB), it makes sense to store them externally so that the MAXQDA file remains small and can be easily backed up. For optimal performance, it is recommended that externally saved files are located on the local hard disk. The use of a network drive can also work if the connection is very fast.

Coding image segments

In image documents, borders can be drawn around the selected area with the mouse which can be subsequently coded like text segments, meaning they can be dragged and dropped into a code. With the Complex Coding Query and Code Relations Browser, the “Near” function for image segments always returns a result of 0.

Rotating and zooming into images

As soon as an image document is displayed in the “Document Browser“, several icons for viewing the image will appear in the toolbar. You can zoom in or out of the image as well as rotate it clock­wise (images imported from digital cameras and mobile phones should automatically be correctly rotated by MAXQDA, provided the correct information has been saved in the image).

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