The Importance of a Duplicate Picture Finder for Mac: Why Apple's Recommendation Falls Short

As a digital photographer, managing thousands of images can be overwhelming. With the constant evolution of technology, it's no surprise that duplicate photos have become a common issue among photographers. In this article, we'll explore the challenges of finding duplicates on a Mac and why Apple's recommended approach falls short.

I recently reached out to Apple Support to address my concern about duplicate photos in my library. After a 17-minute hold time, I was connected with James, who confirmed that they do not recommend using third-party apps for duplicate photo detection. Instead, they suggested importing all photos and manually going through them to identify duplicates. While this approach may work for small collections, it's impractical for large libraries of over 10,000 images.

One major issue with Apple's approach is that the Photos app will recognize a photo as a duplicate if it has the same file name, even if it's a different image. This can result in multiple photos with the same camera-assigned names like IMG_0001, but they are actually different pictures. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many cameras use similar naming conventions, making manual identification of duplicates time-consuming and inaccurate.

So, what's the solution? Unfortunately, Apple's Photos app does not have a built-in feature to detect duplicate photos. However, there are third-party apps that can help identify duplicates based on visual characteristics. These apps can scan your library for identical or similar images, allowing you to easily remove duplicates and free up storage space.

If you're experiencing issues with duplicate photos in your Mac library, it's essential to submit an enhancement request using Apple's Photos app feedback form. This will help raise awareness of the issue and potentially lead to a solution being implemented in future updates.

In conclusion, while Apple's recommendation may be well-intentioned, it falls short for photographers with large collections. A duplicate picture finder for Mac is essential for streamlining your photo management process and ensuring that you can easily identify and remove duplicates. By using third-party apps or submitting an enhancement request, you can take control of your photo library and enjoy a more organized and efficient workflow.

Duplicate picture finder for mac