Edited photos blurred on download to Mac

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Level 1

8 points

Edited photos blurred on download to Mac

My photo workflow when I'm on a trip involves transferring my photo files to my M3 iPad Pro, editing the images with the Photos app, and when I'm home, downloading the edited files to my desktop Mac Mini (M2) running MacOS Sequoia 15.6.1. I recently discovered that files generated by my Sony digital camera show up on the desktop in 2 copies, one with the file designation DSCOExxxx, and the other DSCOxxxx. The edited version with the "E" appears blurry. The original file (DSCOxxxx)is sharp. Searching for solutions on the web, it was mentioned that if the blurry file was exposed to the "edit" function, it would become sharp. Which is indeed what happens, you just need to open the image, and click edit, and it becomes the sharp edited photo immediately. However this fix does not last. If you switch back to thumbnail view, and then click on the edited file again, it is blurry again, until edit is clicked. What is the fix for this problem?

Mac mini, macOS 15.6

Posted on Feb 4, 2026 3:26 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Richard.Taylor

Level 6

17,769 points

Feb 5, 2026 8:18 AM in response to ddt460

What do you mean by "downloading the edited files to my desktop Mac?" Somehow you send them to Finder? If the pictures leave the Photos environment, then lots of information is lost. I noticed that, using Image Capture, the pictures I get are

the original, 22MB, and an edited version that 5 MB-- clearly with much less data.

Photos is a non-destructive editor. If you edit or crop a picture, maybe cutting off the sides or intensifying the color, the original file is never touched. Instead, your editing steps are stored in the Photos Database. So the picture you see on the screen never existed as a file-- it is constructed on the fly from the original plus the information in the database. For faster opening of pictures, smaller screen-sized "preview" images are saved. This is the E file. It's not there for serious use.

The very best way to transfer pictures among devices with full information is to synchronize the devices with iCloud Photos. You can also use Finder to transfer pictures directly from the iPad to Photos on the Mac, and that will transfer the original and the database information. To produce picture files for the Finder you can use Photos' File>Export routine that gives full control over the result.

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Answer 2

Feb 5, 2026 9:39 AM in response to ddt460

ddt460 wrote: … 2 files, one original, and one edited, however, the edited version is blurry.

The E file is low resolution. To avoid loss of information, you should transfer pictures from Photos on the iPad to Photos on the Mac. Then the Mac has the Original and the database information. If you need files in Finder, then you can use Photos File>Export.

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Answer 3

ddt460 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 5, 2026 8:49 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

What I mean by downloading, is that I sync up my ipad with my Mac and include my vacation album on the albums seen on the Mac. I don’t use iCloud to simultaneously have all my photos on all my devices, I choose which albums and files selectively. So it is understood that Photos is nondestructive, and that the original files show up, however, with my other cameras, presumably with other file formats, only the edited version appears with the edits intact in the Mac, but with the Sony files, for some reason, I get 2 files, one original, and one edited, however, the edited version is blurry.

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