iPhone 15 has 2 images of same picture, which to archive?

Question

iPhone 15 has 2 images of same picture, which to archive?

When I downloaded the 1000+ photos from my iPhone to my Mac for archive I noticed there were two files for most of the photos. Which one should I keep as archive? They are the same file size, same base file name and show as created at the same time. One carries the standard default file name format; eg. IMG_1947.HEIC and the next has a space 1 at the end; IMG_1947 1.HEIC. And some of the other pictures have a file with the same file name, except it carries a .AAE file extension - noted as an Apple Sidecar file.

I suspect this all relates to the newer photo mode settings. When the images are displayed on my phone, the "Live" mode shows in the upper left of the screen and with the .AAE files, the "Portrait" mode shows in the upper left of the screen.

Of course I discover all this after I have over 1000 photos to deal with. Live is an interesting option, but not a satisfactory default. To avoid the automatic "Live" photo default, I've just turned it off - I think. Went to camera which showed Live as active, touched the Active icon at bottom of camera dropdown screen and top right icon then showed inactive. Went to Settings>Camera>Preserve Settings>Live Photo. Turned it off, then back on. Then exited Camera and restarted Camera which then showed Live Photo icon with the slash through it - inactive. Then did iphone restart and the Live Photo icon still shows inactive. I hope this fixes the issue with my future photos.

Mac mini, macOS 14.6

Posted on Aug 29, 2024 3:57 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 29, 2024 11:57 AM in response to stevenfrombellefontaine

The " 1" is some software's way to save a file with the same name as another. Sometimes the same name doesn't mean the same file-- different cameras may make files named DSC_0011, for instance, so you'd get DSC_0011,jpg and DSC_0011 1.jpg, and you'd be grateful that it didn't refuse to copy the second file just because it had the same name.

You can use Finder search to separate out the " 1.HEIC" files. In the search field I use a dot to get every file. Then I click "+" to add more criteria, and I used

Name contains " 1.HIC"

like this:

This separated out the " 1" file in a folder that had these two,

Let us know if this helps or not....

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Answer 2

Aug 29, 2024 12:07 PM in response to stevenfrombellefontaine

Oh, you also asked about ".AAE" files. Those carry metadata that, like captions or titles, may have been added to the original pictures. Photos keeps the original images separate from stuff you've added, so it puts the extra in a separate file rather than altering the original. You should be able to import both into Photos on the Mac and get the combined result. I think.

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iPhone 15 has 2 images of same picture, which to archive?

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