Lightroom 4.3 Duplicate image mystery

Msmoto

I need some assistance from the folks here who know what they are doing in LR4.3.  A day ago I realized somehow all the images I had in LR4.3 were duplicated with all the adjustments and ratings.  And this is about 20,000 images so it really is a mystery.

Does anyone know how I goofed up, and is there a way to correct this problem?  New images imported and processed are not duplicated.  It as if I had somehow selected all the images then created virtual copies of them.

Thanks for the help.

spraynpray

Have you accidentally copied a catalogue?  Are there two ACTUAL images or just two in Lightroom?

Msmoto

I certainly do not remember copying a catalog.  The images are next to each other as if I had created a virtual copy.

I checked and the second image is a copy of the jpg which I exported to another location.  So, these are not duplicates, but instead copies of the JPEGs exported. 

[Deleted User]

It sounds as if Lightroom has catalogued the exported images as well...I didn't think it did this automatically.

Check your export settings - this said, it sounds a bit weird that you haven't noticed this before. As a general rule I only get duplicate images when I shoot both RAW and .jpeg - which is why I only shoot RAW (or take the card containing any .jpeg files out of the camera before I import)

Msmoto

It happened on December 29,2012.  Images imported after this do not show the exported JPEG.  And, it did this possibly when it backed itself up automatically.

Fraucha

Well Msmoto, you are not alone. Though I accidentally exported my library into itself last year to the tune of an additional 20,000 images myself. I was moving my catalogue to an external drive and for some reason, known only to my fingers, I did the export and found myself sitting in front of the computer for the next several weeks deleting each and every duplicate.

Exactly how I did this, I do not know, but where there some sort of warning message I would not have had the problem. I have resolved to be more careful now that everything is completed and have not done it again ... but then, the year is young.

spraynpray

This sort of thing can be done quite easily by accidentally dragging a folder just a few millimetres before dropping it.  I have done that myself.  You don't even have to notice it happening.

You think you clicked, but really you clicked and dragged.

Golf007sd

@msmoto what platform do you work on windows or OS X?

Here is a plugin called LR Duplicate Finer that may help you out.



Here is another way to fix this.

Msmoto

Thanks Golf...this helps... and I am on a Mac OsX 10.7.5

Golf007sd

If you use Time Machine to backup your HD, you just might want to rename you current location of photos and then run Time Machine and go back in time and restore from there. Then just import the ones you have from the renamed locations of your current catalog.

Msmoto

Actually, what I have is the jpeg next to the NEF. But, my computer is screwed up...need to redo the entire thing and call Apple to find out why my Time Machine will not complete its backup. So, this may need to be done soon. I back things up on an external hard drive to avoid a complete disaster.

Oh well...thanks. I learned a lot, and if I want to drop the images, you have given me exactly the tools to do this.