Import a Contact List

Import People helps move an existing contact list into Vignette in one batch.

Prepare your file

Use a CSV file with one person per row. Give the columns clear names such as:

• First name
• Last name
• Email
• Phone

Clean obvious duplicates and outdated rows before importing. Keep a copy of the original file until you have reviewed the results.

Vignette also accepts JSON files. For most photographers, a CSV exported from a spreadsheet or another contact system is the simplest option.

Preview an import

1. Open People.
2. Select Import People.
3. Choose whether every person in this file should be imported as a Client, Second Shooter, or Both.
4. Choose your CSV or JSON file.
5. Review the automatically prepared preview.

The Import People window with role choices and a CSV or JSON file-upload area.View full size

Vignette reads common headings such as first name, last name, email, and phone. There is no separate column-matching step. The preview lets you catch formatting problems before contacts are created.

The contact import preview showing three sample rows with phone-number warnings before the import is confirmed.View full size

Confirm the import

Review valid rows, warnings, possible duplicates, and invalid rows. A row with a warning can still be imported, but read the warning first and correct the source file when the information is incomplete or unexpectedly formatted. Duplicate and invalid rows are not imported.

The button at the bottom shows how many people will be created. Confirm only when the names and contact details appear in the correct fields.

After the import finishes, search for several people from different parts of the file and open their details to confirm the result.

Avoid unwanted duplicates

Vignette checks email addresses against active and archived people in your account and checks for repeated rows in the uploaded file. An imported row cannot create a second person with an email that is already in use.

Before importing:

1. Export the current People list if you are unsure what is already present.
2. Compare email addresses and phone numbers.
3. Remove repeated rows from the incoming file.

If you are updating only a few existing contacts, edit them individually instead of importing the entire file again.

If a matching person is archived, open Archived on the People page and restore that person instead of trying to import a replacement.

Fix a failed row

A row may fail when required information is missing or a value has an unsupported format. Correct that row in the source CSV and import the corrected rows again. For example, enter complete phone numbers rather than shortened local numbers.

Good to know: Importing contacts does not send messages to them. Clients receive email only when you later send an invitation, contract, reminder, or other client communication.