Uploading Files

Every photo, video and audio file you use in Orsa lives in your brand’s library. You add files with the same uploader everywhere in the app: drag files in, browse your computer, or take a photo with your camera.

Uploads are saved to the brand you’re working in, so your whole team can reuse them. You’ll find them all on the Assets tab.

This guide covers:

• Where you can upload
• Uploading files, using your camera and cropping before you upload
• Which files you can upload
• What happens to your photos on the way in
• Large files, duplicates and storage

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Open Assets from the Brand section of the sidebar.
2. Click Upload Files. The upload panel opens.
3. Drag your files into the panel, or click browse files and pick them.
4. Click Upload 3 files (the button shows how many files you added).
5. Wait until the panel says the upload is complete. Your files appear in the library.

Where you can upload

The same uploader opens in several places. Where you upload decides where the file lands.

Example: you’re on Assets with the folder Summer Menu open. You upload iced-latte.jpg. It lands inside Summer Menu. Upload the same photo from the design editor and it lands in My Files, the top level of the library.

You can move files between folders later. See Your Assets Library.

Upload files

1. Open the uploader in one of the places listed in Where you can upload.
2. Add files in any of these ways:
   • Drag files from your computer and drop them on the panel.
   • Click browse files and choose them.
   • Click My Device to choose files from your computer.
   • Click Camera to take a picture or record a video. See Take a photo or video with your camera.
3. Check the list. Remove a file by clicking the x on it.
4. Click Upload 1 file (or Upload 5 files, and so on).

You can add up to 1,000 files at a time. Nothing uploads until you click the upload button, so you can add files in a few goes first.

While files upload, the panel shows each file’s progress. On the Assets tab you’ll also see Please do not close the tab while uploading files!, and the button shows Uploading…. In the Files window, the tabs and the close button are locked until the upload finishes.

Take a photo or video with your camera

1. In the upload panel, click Camera.
2. If your browser asks, allow camera access. Without it you’ll see Please allow access to your camera.
3. Click the camera button to take a picture, or the record button to record a video. Click it again to stop recording.
4. Click Submit recorded file to add it, or Discard recorded file to try again.
5. Click the upload button to upload it.

If no camera is connected you’ll see Camera Not Available.

Example: a café owner opens the Assets tab on a laptop, clicks Camera, and snaps today’s cake on the counter. A minute later it’s in the library, ready for a design.

Crop or rotate a photo before uploading

Photos you add to the upload panel can be tidied up before they upload.

1. Add the photo to the panel.
2. Hover over it and click Edit file (the pencil).
3. Use the buttons along the bottom: Rotate 90°, Flip horizontally, Zoom in, Zoom out, Crop square, Crop landscape (16:9), Crop portrait (9:16) and Reset. You can also drag the crop box.
4. Click Save changes.
5. Upload as usual.

Example: you have a wide shop-front photo and want it for an Instagram Story. Click Crop portrait (9:16), drag the box over the door, and click Save changes.

This is a quick crop. For filters, text, drawing, resizing or video trims, upload first and then use the full editor. See Editing Images and Videos.

Which files you can upload

Other files, such as PDFs, Word documents, GIFs, WAV or WebM files, are turned away when you add them, with a message like You can only upload: followed by the allowed types.

Fonts are uploaded separately, on the Kit tab. See Brand Kit.

Each file can be up to 100 GB, as long as it fits in your brand’s storage. See Storage space.

What happens to your photos

Orsa prepares photos before they upload, so they work everywhere in the app:

• iPhone photos (HEIC and HEIF) are turned into JPEG. The file name changes from IMG_2041.HEIC to IMG_2041.jpg. You’ll see Converting image… while it works.
• WebP images are turned into PNG. banner.webp becomes banner.png.
• Photos are compressed to make them smaller. When it saves space you’ll see Saved 2.1 MB by compressing images (with your own number).
• PNGs stay PNGs, so transparent logos keep their transparent background.

If a photo can’t be converted, it’s removed from the list and you’ll see Could not convert “photo.heic” — try exporting it as JPEG or PNG. Export it as JPEG or PNG from your phone or photo app, then upload that file.

Large files and keeping the tab open

• Files upload straight from your browser. Keep the tab open until the upload finishes. Closing the tab, reloading the page or leaving the page stops it.
• Very large files (over 3 GB) are sent in parts. If your connection drops for a moment, the upload carries on from the parts already sent, as long as the tab stays open.
• After a video uploads, Orsa processes it in the background to make a preview and a smaller playback copy. The thumbnail can take a little while to appear.

Duplicate warnings

When you add a file, Orsa checks whether your library already has a file with the same name (capital letters don’t count). If it does, you’ll see a warning like ⚠️ “logo.png” - 1 duplicate found.

The warning doesn’t stop you. Click the upload button to upload it anyway, or click the x on the file to skip it.

The check only compares names. A renamed copy of the same photo isn’t flagged, and two different photos called IMG_0001.jpg are.

If you add the very same file twice in one go, the panel refuses the second one: Cannot add the duplicate file ‘logo.png’, it already exists.

Storage space

Every file you upload counts toward your brand’s storage: 2 GB on Free, 50 GB on Solo and 100 GB on Teams, plus any Storage Packs. For the full details, see Plans and Billing.

When a file won’t fit in the space you have left, its upload fails with Storage limit reached. Upgrade your plan or purchase additional storage. To make room, delete files you no longer need on the Assets tab, or add more storage on the Subscription tab.

Files you upload as inspiration images also count toward storage, even though they don’t show on the Assets tab.

Ideas for uploading

A batch from a photo shoot. Upload everything at once into a new folder.

Example: a florist creates the folder Valentine’s 2027 on the Assets tab, opens it, clicks Upload Files and drops in 85 photos from the shoot. They all land in that folder.

Photos straight from your phone. HEIC photos from an iPhone convert on their own, so you can drag them in from your computer without converting first.

Example: a physio clinic AirDrops 12 HEIC photos of the new treatment room to a Mac and drops them in. They upload as JPEGs.

A quick photo while designing. In the design editor, open Brand Assets, click Upload Panel, and add the photo without leaving your design.

Tips for the best results

• Open the right folder first. On the Assets tab, uploads go into the folder you have open. Elsewhere they go to My Files.
• Give files clear names before uploading. spring-menu-cover.jpg is easier to find later than IMG_8812.jpg, and duplicate warnings become meaningful.
• Crop in the panel when you only need a different shape. It saves a step.
• Stay on the page until it’s done, especially for long videos.
• Delete what you don’t need. Deleting files frees up storage for new ones.

Common questions

My file was turned away with “You can only upload: …”. That file type isn’t supported. Use JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC or HEIF for photos, MP4 or MOV for videos, MP3 for audio and TXT for text. Convert the file, for example a WAV to MP3 or a PDF page to PNG, then upload it.

Can I upload a PDF or a Word document? No. The uploader only takes the photo, video, audio and text types listed in Which files you can upload.

My upload failed with “Storage limit reached”. Your brand’s storage is full, or this file is bigger than the space left. Delete files you don’t need, or add storage. See Plans and Billing.

My upload stopped halfway. The tab was probably closed, reloaded or left. Open the uploader again and add the file again.

My HEIC photo is now a JPG. Is that right? Yes. HEIC and HEIF photos are turned into JPEG so they work in designs and on every social platform.

My WebP image is now a PNG. That’s expected. WebP images are turned into PNG on the way in.

I got a duplicate warning, but it’s a different photo. The check only looks at file names. If the photo is different, upload it anyway, or rename it first so you can tell them apart.

I uploaded inspiration images but can’t find them on the Assets tab. Images uploaded as inspiration (for AI Design requests or Visual identity) are kept with your inspiration images and don’t show on the Assets tab.

The Camera button says “Please allow access to your camera”. Your browser blocked the camera. Allow camera access for Orsa in your browser’s site settings, then click Camera again.

My new video has no thumbnail yet. Videos are processed after they upload. Wait a little and reload the page.