How to Copy a Capture One Catalog (Exporting Content)

You can copy content from your Capture One catalog by exporting selected folders or albums into a new catalog file.

While you can manually duplicate the physical .cocatalogdb file and its associated folders to create a direct copy of the entire catalog, the provided reference describes a method for creating a new catalog based on content selected from an existing one. This process is referred to as "Export as Catalog".

This method is useful for:

• Creating a smaller catalog with a subset of images for sharing or archiving.
• Consolidating images from different parts of your catalog into a new structure.
• Moving a selection of images and their adjustments to a different location or computer.

Here's how to use the Export as Catalog function as described in the reference:

Steps to Export Content as a New Catalog

Follow these steps within Capture One to create a new catalog containing your desired images and adjustments:

1. Select Content: In Capture One, navigate to the Library tool tab.
2. Choose Selection: Alternatively, select the folder or album containing the images you want to include in the new catalog. You can select multiple items by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS). To export the entire catalog's content using this method, you would typically select all top-level folders or albums.
3. Initiate Export: Go to the main menu at the top of the Capture One window.
4. Find Export Option: Select File > Export as Catalog...
5. Configure Export Settings: A dialog box will appear.
   • Specify Name: You can specify a name for the Catalog to be exported.
   • Set Destination: Choose where the new catalog file should be saved.
   • Include Originals: Checkmark the option Also Include Referenced Originals if you want the original image files to be copied into the new catalog's location. If this is unchecked, the new catalog will link to the original image files in their current location.

Once you confirm the settings, Capture One will create a new catalog file (.cocatalogdb) at the specified destination containing the selected images and their associated adjustments, metadata, and previews (depending on settings and original catalog structure).

This process effectively creates a copy of the selected content within a new catalog file.