Kamero Desktop App (Windows & Mac): Bulk Photo Upload Guide for Photographers

When you have 2,000 edited photos to upload after an event, uploading through a browser tab is slow and fragile. Kamero Admin, the Kamero desktop app for Windows and Mac, is built for photographers who need to upload thousands of photos without babysitting the upload. It also has the same features as the web dashboard, so you can manage the whole event from it.

WindowsMac

What the Desktop App Does That the Browser Can't

Five features are only in the desktop app:

• One-shot upload of a folder with subfolders: Pick one parent folder and the whole event is queued in one go. Each subfolder becomes an album named after it.
• Background upload: Uploads run in the app's background queue while you keep working. No browser tab has to stay open.
• Upload queue with auto-resume: The queue survives closing the app or restarting your computer and resumes automatically when you reopen it, without uploading anything twice.
• Up to ~10x faster uploads than the browser: Many photos upload in parallel. The ~10x figure is Kamero's internal measure, not an independent benchmark.
• Bulk download: Download all photos from an event straight to your computer, one folder per album.

Upload speed: Kamero's internal measure, not an independent benchmark. Real speed depends on your internet connection, file sizes and computer.

On top of that, failed files are retried automatically, and files over 50 MB that the browser has to compress or skip can go up as standard uploads.

Getting Started

1. Download Kamero Admin from the desktop app page: the .exe installer for Windows or the .dmg for Mac. The same links are in your Kamero dashboard.
2. Install it. On Windows, run Kamero_Admin.exe. On a Mac, open the .dmg and drag Kamero Admin into Applications.
3. Sign in with your Kamero account (the same login as the web dashboard).
4. Open the event you want to upload to.
5. For a whole event, click One Shot Original Upload, pick the parent folder and check the preview. Each subfolder becomes an album. For a single album, open the album and drag and drop your photos.
6. Start the upload. It keeps running in the background queue, and if you close the app it resumes when you open it again.

Using a Windows PC? Our Windows guide covers the PC-specific set-up and tips.

Upload Options

Standard quality (recommended for fast delivery)

• Photos are optimized for web viewing — fast load times for guests.
• Uses 1 credit per photo.
• In the desktop app, standard uploads also take files over 50 MB.
• Perfect for same-day delivery and real-time sharing.

Original quality (for print and archive)

• The full-resolution original is kept alongside the optimized version.
• Uses 2 credits per photo.
• Up to 50 MB per file.
• One-shot folder uploads always use original quality.
• Best for clients who need print-ready files or archival quality.

Sell Photos events

• For events where you sell photos, uploads are standard, with files up to 100 MB.

Supported File Types

JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP, HEIC and HEIF. Sell Photos events also accept TIFF and AVIF. Hidden and system files such as Thumbs.db, desktop.ini and macOS ._ files are skipped automatically.

Bulk Upload Tips

• Organize before uploading: Export one folder per album inside a single event folder. One-shot upload turns each subfolder into an album; folders nested deeper than that aren't scanned.
• Upload in batches: For very large events (5,000+ photos), you can still upload album by album so each one finishes before the next.
• Use a wired connection: Ethernet is faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi for large uploads.
• Upload overnight: Start a large upload before bed and set your computer not to sleep while it runs. If it does sleep or restart, reopen Kamero Admin and the queue resumes.
• Check the queue: Look for any files marked as failed before you send the gallery link.

Planning a really big delivery? Read how to bulk upload thousands of event photos for a full checklist.

Comparing Upload Methods

• Desktop app (Windows and Mac): Best for post-event bulk uploads of edited photos: one-shot folder upload, background queue with auto-resume, and up to ~10x faster uploads than the browser (Kamero's internal measure).
• Web portal: Works on any device. Good for smaller uploads (under 500 photos). Drag and drop interface.
• Kam-Sync: Real-time camera-to-cloud. Best for live event delivery. Not for post-event edited uploads.
• Legacy upload: Compressed upload for slow networks. Best for remote locations with poor internet.

Workflow Integration

The desktop app fits naturally into your post-event workflow:

1. Import photos from memory cards to your computer.
2. Cull and edit in Lightroom or Capture One.
3. Export edited JPEGs to a folder.
4. Select that folder with One Shot Original Upload in the Kamero desktop app.
5. The app uploads while you move on to your next task.
6. Gallery is live and ready for guests — no manual link sending needed.

When the event is delivered, use Download All to bulk download every album to your computer, and everything else from the web dashboard, including client favourites, works in the app too. See everything else it does on the Kamero desktop app page, or compare it with the full Kamero workflow.