Skip to main content

Downloading Photos from Your Lifetouch Portal

How do I download student photos from Lifetouch and upload them into Minga?

Learn how to export student images from your Lifetouch Portal and successfully import them into the Minga ID Manager to create digital student IDs.

Managing student IDs is simpler when your digital records match your official school photos. This guide will walk you through the process of configuring a custom download format in the Lifetouch Portal and transferring those files into Minga. By following these steps, you can ensure every student has a high-quality, up-to-date photo on their digital ID.

Permission Level Required: Owner | Manager | ID Manager

In this article:

Access your Lifetouch Portal

Before you can move photos to Minga, you need to access the image management tools within your Lifetouch account.

Step-by-step guide to accessing your Lifetouch Portal

  1. Log in to your Lifetouch Portal using your administrative credentials.

  2. Click on the Image & Data Management tab located in the top navigation bar.

  3. Ensure you have the correct Program (e.g., Fall Individuals 2021-2022) selected in the sidebar.

Create a Custom Download Format

Minga requires a specific file format and naming convention to automatically match photos to the correct student records. You only need to set this up once.

Step-by-step Guide to Creating a Custom Download Format

  1. Under the Available Actions dropdown menu on the right side of the screen, select Download.

  2. When the Download Options window appears, click the Create A New Format button at the bottom.

Step-by-step Guide to Preparing your Download

  1. In the Customize Images section, configure the following settings:

    • Set Format to JPEG.

    • Set Size to Thumbnail.

    • Set JPEG Compression to 87 (or a value between 50-100 for balance).

  2. In the Image file name field, select Student ID from the components list and click Insert.

  3. Your file names should look like "123456789.jpg" so Minga can identify the student.

  4. Under Enter Format Name, type "Minga Photo Download" in the Format name field.

  5. Type "Minga" in the Label field.

  6. Click Save to store this format for future use.

Download and Prepare Photos

Once your format is saved, you can export the actual image files to your computer.

Step-by-step Guide to Downloading and Preparing Photos

  1. Return to the Image & Data Management screen and click Select All above the student photo grid.

  2. Open the Available Actions menu again and select Download.

  3. In the Download Options popup, click the Select Format dropdown and choose your saved "Minga Photo Download" format.

  4. Click the Download button.

  5. Locate the data.zip file in your computer's Downloads folder and Extract (unzip) the contents.

    • You will now see a folder named images containing all the student JPEGs

Upload and Verify in Minga

Now that you have the files, you can bring them into the Minga platform to update student IDs.

For a full walkthrough, please check out our guide How to Upload ID Photos to Minga.

Additional Features or Settings

  1. Manual Adjustments: If a specific student photo did not match, you can search for them by name in the Manage IDs tab and upload a photo individually.

  2. Exporting Lists: You can click Export List in the Manage IDs section to download a CSV of student statuses.

FAQs

What should I do if the student photos don't match the IDs automatically?

You can ensure photos match automatically by verifying that the Lifetouch "Image file name" is set specifically to Student ID before downloading; if the file names don't match the IDs in Minga, the system won't know which photo belongs to which student.

Can I use high-resolution "Larger size" images for the download?

While you can select Larger size in Lifetouch, we recommend selecting Thumbnail size because it provides a smaller file size that is optimized for quick loading on mobile digital IDs.

What file format is required for Minga photo uploads?

You must set the Lifetouch export format to JPEG to ensure the files are compatible with the Minga ID Manager.

Troubleshooting

Zero photos uploaded: Ensure you have extracted the data.zip file before trying to upload; Minga needs you to select the individual image files from the images folder, not the zipped archive.

Format not appearing: If "Minga Photo Download" isn't in your dropdown, return to Step 2 and ensure you saved the custom format correctly.

Resources

Related Articles
How to Upload ID Photos to Minga
Enable SIS Permissions for MingaSync
Did this answer your question?