Recently j-b-m added a commit that allows to create slideshow clips based on filename pattern. That is, detect where in a folder there are images named after a 'base' name followed by consecutive numbers (i.e. image_001.png, image_002.png, ..., image_nnn.png) and load them all together as a single video file.
This kind of image sequences are very common in animation and post production workflows, as a means of keeping quality to a maximum up to the last stages of the process, and also as they allow for network render complex jobs across so-called 'render farms' (basically, lots of computers gathered together in a room, waiting for you to send them something to work on. lucky "you"! :)

So, when editing this kind of sequences (be it an animatic sequence, a final edit of some post produced material, etc.) it's very useful to be able to load the material as easy as possible.
That's why I'm creating this topic: I consider that, although j-b-m commit is functional (and again thanks for it!!), the workflow could be improved a lot if we could have a direct way of importing image sequences inside kdenlive. And using the same procedure as we now do with standard video clips would be ideal.

So my proposal would be, as already stated on the following thread: http://www.kdenlive.org/forum/photo-orientation-question , to let the user simply go to the Add Clip option and in the open dialog to have an option called something like "Image Sequence" (enabled by default), so that if the user selects any of the images of a sequence and press Open button, Kdenlive imports the whole sequence right away.


Here are examples of comparable options in After effects and Premiere Pro:
http://www.wondertouch.com/tutorials/aharon/AE/Tut_images/AE_Import_Files.jpg
in After Effects called " Sequence" (i.e. JPEG Sequence) which is activated by default.

http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/2006/soundvideo_tutorial/images/importFiles.jpg
in Premiere Pro called "Numbered Stills" and is not activated by default (which I find slightly annoying).

The behaviour of the "Add Clip" option with the proposed change would be:
- if the user selects a video file, that file is loaded.
- if the user selects an image whose name is unique, that image is loaded.
- if the user selects an image whose name is part of a sequence, that sequence is loaded as a video clip, starting from the lower numbered image frame.
- if the user selects an image whose name is part of a sequence, but only wants to load that single image (less frequent case in my experience), then desables the "Image Sequence" option and that single image is loaded only.

It'd be useful if the program remembered what state this option was in, the last time it was used during the session. And perhaps an option in the program Preferences dialog, letting the user change the default state for that option.

Well, I hope that I could manage to describe the functionality well. :)
As always, thanks for your effort!! I think this program is shaping up very well.

I totally agree.
I use image sequences all the time in Kdenlive since I work with animation.
The current way of importing sequences is somewhat cumbersome. It adds extra unnecessary steps to the import process.

One other aspect of using image sequences is that they are quite heavy to work with in Kdenlive, you never have full frame rate and timeline work feels sluggish.
Here we would need proxies. Not only ability to transcode image sequences since you then have to use the transcoded clips for output, but proxies where you use low resolution clips for editing and your image sequences for renders.

FYI, I have found TGA to be much quicker than PNG. Proxy support is a popular request.

Ok, I am taking care of the "import sequence" checkbox for add clip dialog...

:)
Thank you!

Should now work in latest svn for those who can try it...
Also, I added a new "Image sequence" field in Kdenlive settings that will determine the duration of each frame in the sequence.

I was out of town several days, just came back and found this.
Great news. Thanks!
I like this 'image sequence duration' option too. (I suppose its duration will default to 1 frame, isn't it?)
Thanks again!

ddennedy: I tend to use TGA for 8 bit per channel sequences also, mainly because PNG manages alpha channel information in quite a strange way. But for higher bit depth sequences, OpenEXR seems to be the best option.