Q: Mom's Photos Library is Cluttered with Duplicates, Multiple Imports

Thanks LarryHN . . .

LarryHN wrote:

I have no idea who recommended to her to import her iPhoto library but they are stupid and should never be trusted - you NEVER import a library - it does not work and creates a massive mess

I think she wanted to preserve her iPhoto albums.  Lots of sweat equity there.  Was there another way?  And, my worry about the duplicate cleaner is it doesn't say which dups are associated to albums.

 

 

As to migrating again yes you can - if you open the iPhoto library it will ask if you want to open it or migrate - and you can launch Photos while holding down the option key and select the ipHoto library to open and migrate

 

I've read that you can do as you say.  But why is the Photos library so big, 15 GB, if it just a bunch of hard links to the old iPhoto library?  There must be a lot of content in there that wasn't in the iPhoto lib?

It seems like she has:

1. Files from the original import to iPhoto long ago.

2. Files that have never been imported to anything

3.  iPhoto lib that contains part of all the above plus files that got imported straight into iPhoto from a device.

4.. Photos lib that is some combination of all the above.

I'm leaning towards just de-duping the Photos lib and see what happens.  Will look at the programs you recommended.

Thanks, Bluepost

LarryHN wrote:

 

As to size the size reported by the finder is the size that would remain if the iphoto library we're deleted - again no duplication, one set of originals and previous with two libraries using hard links to them - Photos saves disk space by sharing images with your iPhoto or Aperture libraries - Apple Support

 

Thanks, missed that one about Photos reporting a fictitious disk space usage.  Guess it makes sense.

 

 

It seems like she has:

 

1. Files from the original import to iPhoto long ago.

2. Files that have never been imported to anything

3.  iPhoto lib that contains part of all the above plus files that got imported straight into iPhoto from a device.

4.. Photos lib that is some combination of all the above.

1 - you want those

2 - no - neither Photos nor iPhoto have photos in them that were not imported

I'm referring to free range image files that have never been sucked into either iPhoto or Photos.

 

 

 

You do what you want but the only really solution is to start over and migrate properly and to NEVER import any library into another one

 

LN

That would be my preference but would lose the albums and all the other "added value" from 12 years of iPhoto.  How do I know that she didn't delete some of the original files to save space after she did the first iPhoto  import when George Bush was still President?  People who lived through the Depression do things like that.

Bluepost

LarryHN wrote:

 

Thanks, missed that one about Photos reporting a fictitious disk space usage.  Guess it makes sense.

It is not "fictitious" space - it is double counting of the same space.

Glad we settled that one.

 

 

 

and as to losing albums - again NO!

Albums are kept when you migrate your iPhoto library

as is al the "other value added" - the migration give you a Photos library exactly matching your iPhoto library in content and organization (with the obvious changes of events to moments for example.

I have no idea who recommended to her to import her iPhoto library but they are stupid and should never be trusted - you NEVER import a library - it does not work and creates a massive mess

Ok -- I finally see you are making a distinction between "migration" and "import".  My Mom probably did the initial MIGRATION of her iPhoto library into Photos, but then somebody suggested IMPORTING the iPhoto library.  Migration is a one time event, not to be repeated.  IMPORTING the iPhoto library into Photos should never be done as you say.

I got off track in my first post:

I believe when she upgraded to Yosemite, Photos imported her iPhoto library by default.

LarryHN Advised:

as to knowing if she deleted something - a unique thought -ask her

She's 95.  Memory errors abound.

Bluepost

LarryHN wrote:

 

Migration is a one time event, not to be repeated.

Not at all - you can as I suggested throw out the messed up library and migrate again - as many times as you want - when you migrate you do migrate what it there now so and changes made to the original will re elected in the newly migrated library

 

and you can migrate as many different libraries as you have - each migrated library is a different and distinct library

 

LN

Ok, trashed the bad Photos library and held option key while starting up Photos.  Asked it to migrate the old iPhotos library .  It was greyed out, Photos wouldn't accept it.  Did getinfo on the iPhoto library and deleted the "migrated" from the filename extension.  Tried again, Photos happy, migration successful, we're way better off than before.  Now there are some monster background jobs running on the new database.  Facial recognition etc, I hear.  Poor old iMac is hot, very hot.  Smells hot.  Gave him his own fan. 

Guess we're done with this one.  Thanks for the help LarryHN.

Bluepost