Skate Loc: Kilgore, TX

Does anyone use or know of a software program (Mac) that will find and delete duplicate photos.

rrozema Loc: Sacramento, California

Try Find.Same.Images
It looks at the picture not the file name

Skate Loc: Kilgore, TX

Find, save, delete, images.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

DO NOT let a software program delete your images.

You want to make sure that the image you are deleting is indeed a duplicate and not just a similar image.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Sorry, got called away in the middle of the post.

I should have added that you should back up ALL your images before trying to identify duplicates and delete them. Unless you are certain that two or more images are exactly the same there exists a possibility of error in deleting an image.

And for those who use folders for organizing the photos there may be good reason for duplicates.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I use folders for storing images. All images exist only in a given folder under "Photos", by subject\<sub-subject\><YYYY-MM>.
I have no "duplicates" scattered anywhere to worry about.

If I were to duplicate an image(s) (copy), it goes in a folder for that particular purpose, like what is used in populating a digital frame for example. Then the "special directory" is removed when I'm done with it.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

That’s great, but some people like to make folders for specific subjects. So if Joe Bftlzx is in the ‘family reunion’ folder and also the ‘13th Anniversary’ folder there will be at least two duplicates of Joe Bftlzx.

That’s one nice thing about databases. They can place Joe photos in multiple collections without duplicating the photos.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Yup, that can happen... and so often does.
But not on my system.
A picture of our three kids, one for each of "their folders"?
Nope, ONE COPY, goes under Family\<ours>. "Their" folders contain pics they took of their family or I took of their family.
I add names to the image metadata so when Explorer searches it will find "Cindy" no matter where she may be stored.
Plus, I kinda know who and what can be where. Like if I have pics of the grandkids on a trip to KSC, those will be under \Places\KSC\, but the kids names will be in the metadata also.

(I still have a bunch of images to complete the metadata information. LUCKILY (at least under Win 7) I can "select" a bunch and update the metadata for all selected at once.)

Images with metadata viewed in Explorer is kinda sorta like a database, but I don't have to maintain a real separate database for them.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

THIS! Sometimes a photo fits into more than one category and gets duplicated to fill that need. However, a web storage venue like Flickr allows for uploading a photo once into the Photostream, from which it can be added into many different Albums; any changes to Titles and Descriptions will be carried into all instances automatically (but not Comments -- they are unique to an Album).

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Are these images stored in a Lightroom Classic Catalog or just in folders of the Harddrive?

Skate Loc: Kilgore, TX

Thanks - Bob, the images are just stored in folders on a hard drive. My wife is trying to clean up her photo folders (2 families, 7 grandkids, travel etc….), she has been going through her folders and manually deleting duplicates and asked me if there was an app or software that would identify duplicates faster.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

You want a program that searches for duplicate file names, that can compare sizes and contents, if necessary. I use an old one that was in PC Mag in '98... and it still runs well. It's called "Dupeless".

Some of my photos are very similar with only a 'tad' difference, and you don't want the software to decide for you.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

You are absolutely right, could be more than one category.
For me it will still have primary (master) category, so that's where it goes.
I don't copy into subordinate categories. Change one and one has to go find all the others to update them...
For instance: I might have pictures of the kids, taken at Jetty Park one weekend, and other shots while there, so they all go in a folder like \Photos\Places\Jetty Park\<1987-11>. The date is used only if there was more than one trip to Jetty Park and lost of photos each trip. I really don't need the date folder as the date taken is in the file data. It simply makes it quicker perusing with Explorer. I know I have pics of the kids in the Jetty Park folder. And their names in the metadata for searching with Explorer.
Once one has developed a system that works (for that person), it has to be followed otherwise all bets are off. DON'T deviate from the system.
Photostream is your system, that's what works for you. I want everything local on my computer in case my ISP has a problem.

And, no matter what one does, it won't be 100% perfect, there will always be a hiccup or three.
But I have no duplicates to be concerned about.

Skate Loc: Kilgore, TX

Thanks Longshadow..