PowerSchool Photo Import Process
Summary
This article describes how to prepare and import student and staff photos into PowerSchool.
When updating the PowerSchool photos for a school, it is also necessary to update the files in Follett Destiny. Click here to view this process.
Note: Staff photo import fails when TEACHERNUMBER contains non-numeric characters
To import photos in to PowerSchool you will need 4 things.
- You will need a flat ZIP file containing all the Student photos you wish to import.
- You will need a tab-delimited text file that maps Student_Number to the exact filename of their Student photo.
- You will need a flat ZIP file containing all the Staff photos you wish to import.
- You will need a tab-delimited text file that maps TeacherNumber to the exact filename of their Staff photo.
Preparing the Mapping File
PowerSchool needs you to tell it which photo belongs to which Student / Staff member. To do this, you must make a Mapping file that you will import at the same time as the photos.
Note: ZIP files cannot exceed 100MB
Typically, you will construct your mapping file using a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel. Whatever program you use, make sure you save the file as Tab-Delimited Text. This is the only format PowerSchool recognizes.
If the pictures were prepared by a third party vendor, the third party may be able to provide you with the map file based on the current specifications. Please contact your vendor for additional information.
Example
A student has a Student_Number of 12345, and their corresponding picture is 67890.jpeg; the first line in your import map file will look similar to the following:
12345 67890.jpeg
The Student_Number value is in the first column, and the name of the image file is in the second column.
Important Notes
(Required) There must be a separate mapping file for Students and separate mapping file for Staff.
(Required) If the filename of the photo contains leading zeros (Example: 001.jpg), your mapping file must also contain leading zeros.
(Required) If the filename of the photo uses the .jpeg extension, your mapping file must also use the .jpeg extension. By the same token, if the filename of the photos uses the .jpg extension, your mapping file must also use the .jpg extension. The mapping file is case sensitive
(Required) You may have additional columns in your mapping file while you're constructing it, but you should save the final version with only two columns.
Preparing the Pictures/ZIP File
So that you can import the photos all at once instead of individually, they will need to be packages in a ZIP archive file.
If the pictures were prepared by a third party vendor, make sure they are provided to you in a JPEG format, and are named after the students Student_Number if at all possible. This will make your life easier.
(Required) Image files must be in the JPEG/JFIF format (Please see KB article 9830 for more information), with a file extension of .jpg or .jpeg.
(Recommended) It is recommended that the image files be 200 pixels wide by 300 pixels high. If your photos appear stretched or distorted after import, you may need to ensure the display dimensions of the photos match the image sizes by navigating to: Start Page > District Setup > Miscellaneous > Dimensions.
(Required) The photos must be in a ZIP file. Other compression types such as .SIT, .RAR, and .7z are not accepted.
(Required) The Student Photos should be in their own ZIP file. They will be uploaded separately from Student Photos.
(Required) The Staff Photos should be in their own ZIP file. They will be uploaded separately from Staff Photos.
(Required) The ZIP file must be flat. When compressing the photos, highlight all the photo (*.jpg) files, and compress that selection, rather than compressing a folder containing these photos. The compressed zip file should not contain any sub-folders.
(Required) The Import Mapping file should not be in the ZIP file.
Importing the Pictures
- Login to the PowerSchool /admin portal
- Navigate to the School > Data and Reporting > Data Management > Student and Staff Photos > Import Pictures
- Select the group for which you want to import photos for. Students or Staff.
- If the file contains both student and staff photos, repeat the process with both options.
- Click Browse, and select the ZIP file you created earlier.
- Click Browse, and select the Mapping file you created earlier.
- Choose Student/Staff Number from the pop-up menu.
- Click Upload.
The Import Photos Results page displays a summary of the processed records and any failures.
Important Notes
Please keep in mind that the photoflag field will not update instantly. The photoflag will be refreshed during the nightly process as outlined in this article
Getting a Quick Start on the Import File
You can often get a quick start on your import file using Quick Export.
For example, the screenshot below will produce an export file for the selected students with one column containing their Student Number, and another containing their student number followed by .jpg
Note 1: To export photos, navigate to Data and Reporting > Data Management > Student and Staff Photos > Photo Export (select Student or Staff)
Note 2: A user must have an IT / Enrollment admin role or the 'Photos - Admin' role to import and export photos. Mass deleting is restricted to IT for safety purposes.
