[X-Newbies] Re:GETTING RID OF DUPLICATE PHOTO FILES

[Charles Martin]

> From: S GRISELDA H BUONGIORNE <alaskamama at gmail.com>

First of all, I'd like to say what a pleasure it is meeting someone  
who is actually named Griselda! It's not a name you hear much anymore.  
I remember it from an old Monkees song. I think it's a great  
historical name!

>
> Hi I'm running Mac OS X, Tiger and Leopard (on two diff. laptops).
> I notice that I have tons of duplicate photos even when I have
> trashed them in iPhoto. I to to All Images, I find that I still have
> tons of photos that I had already trashed, they are still there in
> different forms, smaller, less resolution etc. Whed I started getting
> rid of them one by one....very tedious....then that messed the
> library up...

Yes, that's a pretty good way to mess up the library.

My suggestion would be to essentially start over.

The easiest way to take care of this is to create a new iPhoto library  
(hold Option key at iPhoto startup) and then re-import your big folder  
full of backed-up pictures because OF COURSE you have made backups of  
all your photos.

Don't worry if you know there are duplicates among the backups -- now  
that you're re-importing things, iPhoto will detect and alert you when  
a duplicate tries to sneak its way in.

> So my question is: IS THERE A RELIABLE PROGRAM OUT THERE FOR MAC THAT
> GETS RID OF DUPLICATES OR AT LEAST POINTS THEM OUT AND ANALIZES THEM?

The correct term is "analyzes them," but I like your spelling MUCH  
better!! :)

The answer to this question is "maybe."

For the machine running older versions of iPhoto (iPhoto 6.0.4 or  
earlier), you can try iPhoto Diet:
http://www.rhythmiccanvas.com/software/iphotodiet/

I remember it as being pretty good, but not perfect.

For more recent versions of iPhoto, there's Duplicate Annihilator:
http://www.brattoo.com/propaganda/

Supposedly very good, and only $8. I haven't needed it so I can't  
verify it, but it's well-regarded.

Cheers,
Charles Martin

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a  
little worse and sell a little cheaper. People who consider price only  
are this man's lawful prey ... If you pay too much, you lose some  
money, that is all. If you pay too little, however, you will sometimes  
lose everything, as the thing you
bought cannot do the intended job." --John Ruskin (1819-1900)