iPhoto MESS: Multiple iphoto libraries duplicate photos

There is no easy way to do this, and unfortunately, no automatic way either. Neither will changing to another app help, no matter what you do you're going to be doing some manual sorting.

In iPhoto I'll find an image and it's a 20kb file (low res) and really would like to have the high res file. Once I search for it - I find like three or more copies of the photo with some at 20kb and some at full res. Unfortunately iPhoto does not point to the high res files.

Somewhere along the way you have imported one library to another, and this means that all the versions/thumbnails etc are treated as individual files.

I would suggest that you start a new Library, import the largest file-sized version that you can find and trash the rest.

That means sorting through these messy libraries, sorting the folders on size and then ignoring the small ones while importing the full sized one.

iPhoto should alert you if you try to import duplicates. If it misses some then afterwards run Duplicate Annihilator

Regards

TD

Why not just sort the folders on Size?

I am facing almost the same problems; hard drive crash, multiple libraries and many duplicate files in addition to differing file sizes and over 130,000 photos.

My goal is to sort them and get them managed in a more efficient way. As I understand it iPhoto manages all the photos in one large file within the iPhoto library. This makes it very cumbersome to load and extremeIy slow to work with as the number of photos stored in the library file increases. I have been looking for a software solution for quite some time but it does not appear to be one "package" that will manage duplicates, large file storage and indexing and photos stored in multiple locations.

Assuming one can get the files all sorted out, there is at least one software application that I am aware of that uses an indexing system to manage subgroups of photos you define and by referencing the larger iPhoto library. It is called IPhoto Buddy and it might be worth a look for handling future organization of photos. It's pretty quick and efficient with resources at first look.

I have also used Adobe Elements 11 recently and it was capable of reading, sorting and displaying a large number of files. A separate file management application loads the photos, finds duplicates and presents them as pictures for review. I'm not sure if it will show which photos are high res or low res images though. But once you see the duplicates, it is just a matter of hitting the delete key to remove the one(s) you don't want. Still, it is a manual process at this level. Also, this application does much more than sort files (it is a fairly comprehensive photo editing package as well) and may not be ideal. I plan to attempt to load a section of my large photo library into a demo version of the product (full blown but time limited) and see how it performs with a large data set.

Best of luck,

gp

As I understand it iPhoto manages all the photos in one large file within the iPhoto library. This makes it very cumbersome to load and extremeIy slow to work with as the number of photos stored in the library file increases.

It doesn't. It stores the files in folders in the Finder. Speed issues are more a function of disk space and Ram.

Assuming one can get the files all sorted out, there is at least one software application that I am aware of that uses an indexing system to manage subgroups of photos you define and by referencing the larger iPhoto library. It is called IPhoto Buddy

iPhoto Buddy is a pointless app that simply allows you to choose between iPhoto Libraries. You can do exactly the same simply by holding the option (or alt) key when launching iPhoto. It indexes nothing and hasn't been developed for several years now. From their own website:

iPhoto Buddy is fully compatible with every version of Apple's iLife suite, from iLife '04 through iLife '09.

Regards

TD

I have been looking for a software solution for quite some time but it does not appear to be one "package" that will manage duplicates, large file storage and indexing and photos stored in multiple locations.

Aperture, Lightroom or iPhoto.