Photos importing existing files

Question

Photos importing existing files

I am looking in my photo library at 200 photos that I imported a few weeks ago.

Today I found a folder of images on an external. I wanted to be sure all images from that folder were in my library. I dragged the folder onto Photos and the import window appeared. It scraped the folder and said "2 images already exist" and the other 198 photos were showing new to import.

Why?!

These images already exist in the library. Even down to the identical file name/exif data, etc.

The only thing I can think could be happening is a breakdown between the iCloud sync and it doesn't understand those files are in place? Although that's strange! My Photos app is set to Download Originals To The Mac. I did have to repair the library yesterday in my testing and its currently 'restoring from iCloud".

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Nov 28, 2020 8:17 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 28, 2020 10:04 AM in response to David MacVicar

Try doing file>import, rather than dragging onto photos.

Does that make any difference? Though I have to ask - if the extension of the file is different, how do you know it is otherwise identical

Or to put it another way - why do they have different extensions? What has been done to them to change that (which might also have done somthing else to make photos app think they are different. Is the file size identical for example.

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Answer 2

Nov 28, 2020 10:08 AM in response to TonyCollinet

Been at this for hours now. The only thing I can determine is the only difference Photos is seeing is that the 'modified' dates are different, therefore it thinks they are different files, But in reality, they are the same files with the same file names, etc.

This comes from me using different photo apps in the past to ingest files (Photo Mechanic...I used to shoot weddings professionally so I had a different type of workflow). Now I am just using apple Photos to house everything.

So ultimately, I noticed earlier today the file extensions were different. What was in Photos was .JPG and what was in the file system was .jpg. Photos changes extensions of files to .JPG apparently upon import. On my file system it was .jpg. I mass renamed the files to be the same file name, but change the case of the extension to .JPG. Tried importing again, nope - Photos thinks they are new files. The only thing I can see differently is the modified date in the metadata might be throwing it off.

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Answer 3

Nov 28, 2020 10:16 AM in response to David MacVicar

Try exporting one of the files from photos BUT use "export unmodified original". The file it puts out will be what it is comparing the file you are trying to import with. Compare the two in detail. Exact match on everything.

If they have different modified dates in exif - why is that? What has been done to change the modified date? If they have been saved with a different app, they are almost certainly diffferent - even if the only difference is the jpg compression setttings.

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Answer 4

Nov 28, 2020 8:22 AM in response to David MacVicar

****, I figured this out.

It was the file extension:

.jpg

.JPG

I wish photos was smart enough to figure that out!

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Answer 5

Nov 28, 2020 9:05 AM in response to David MacVicar

Wrong. I changed the case and it still does not recognize these as already existing in the library. Stumped.

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Photos importing existing files

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