Download This Chapter Complete Manual

Image Documents

Importing images

You can import images into MAXQDA in various ways, for example,

  • drag and drop files from the Windows Explorer or macOS Finder directly into the “Document System” window,
  • click on the plus icon in the "Document System", or
  • click on the Images icon on the Import tab.
Importing data via the "Import" tab

For general information on importing and organizing files, 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

By default, all image files smaller than 5 MB are saved in the project file upon import. Image files larger than 5 MB are not saved in the MAXQDA project itself, but rather in the folder for externally saved files, and only a reference to the externally saved data is created. You can customize the maximum file size as well as the location for externally saved files in MAXQDA’s global preferences, which you can access via the preferences symbol in the lower left corner of MAXQDA's main window.

Tip: If you work with many large image files, for example, with a total size of more than 50 MB, it makes sense to store them externally (regardless of their file size), so that the MAXQDA file remains small and can be easily backed up.

For detailed information, see External Files.

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. The “Near” function for image segments always returns no results, for example, in the Complex Coding Query and in the Code Relations Browser.

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, if the correct information has been saved in the image).

Was this article helpful?