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Photos v. 1.5 in El Capitan -- difficulty searching for images by file name, Photos seems to dupe name 2x

Imported iPhoto Library into Photos v. 1.5 in El Capitan as prep for upgrading to Mojave. I then imported a folder of pics that iPhoto refused to successfully import relying on Photos option to not import any duplicates. Before I delete source folder so I don't two copies on HD, I want to make sure all new originals made it to Photos. Photos' "Last Import" shows 490 pics while source folder had over 2,000 images,. Possible 80% were dupes but want to be 100% sure.


To verify all new images are now in Photos, I'm comparing file names in source folder vs. Photos app. But in Photos' "Find" search field, after I type original file name, Photos repeats the file name multiple times, like this: "IMG_1263.JPG 1263.JPG JPG". Is the file name really changed, or did Photos find two different pics with same original file name so renames the second image? Sorry, I don't understand what is going on. Just want simple way to see file names in Photos.

iMac 27″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Oct 21, 2022 1:50 PM

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Posted on Oct 24, 2022 1:14 PM

The top line is the Title

The second line is the File Name

The file name is occurring only once. The way it appears in the search is mysterious, but the file is just as it should be.

You can type anything you like, something descriptive, perhaps, in the line for the title. In my picture earlier, the file name is "IMG_3248.HEIC," and the title is "22 10 State Fair," because I took the picture at the Texas State Fair in October. You can sort an album by title, so by using counter numbers you can get the pictures in an order that may not be strictly chronological.


About appearing in the Finder: you (and we all, probably) have several images with the same file name. That can't work with Photos. Photos imports the images and stores them with unique file names, and it keeps a data base to relate its file names with ones you recognize. But if you use a "managed library" (meaning Photos keeps the pictures in it's own folder) then there is no connection to the Finder's files. Images could be in many different places in the finder, or not there at all, so "where file resides in the Finder," has no meaning. I agree that checking if all the images are loaded is a hassle. I usually try to sort both the Photos album and the Finder folder by date and go down the list.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 24, 2022 1:14 PM in response to TurksCap

The top line is the Title

The second line is the File Name

The file name is occurring only once. The way it appears in the search is mysterious, but the file is just as it should be.

You can type anything you like, something descriptive, perhaps, in the line for the title. In my picture earlier, the file name is "IMG_3248.HEIC," and the title is "22 10 State Fair," because I took the picture at the Texas State Fair in October. You can sort an album by title, so by using counter numbers you can get the pictures in an order that may not be strictly chronological.


About appearing in the Finder: you (and we all, probably) have several images with the same file name. That can't work with Photos. Photos imports the images and stores them with unique file names, and it keeps a data base to relate its file names with ones you recognize. But if you use a "managed library" (meaning Photos keeps the pictures in it's own folder) then there is no connection to the Finder's files. Images could be in many different places in the finder, or not there at all, so "where file resides in the Finder," has no meaning. I agree that checking if all the images are loaded is a hassle. I usually try to sort both the Photos album and the Finder folder by date and go down the list.

Oct 25, 2022 1:12 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thank you for explaining second line. I forgot that Photos Library only points to images. My Photos > Preferences > General is set to "Copy Items to the Photos Library" which sounds like copying:


I'm not sure if this qualifies as "Managed Library". I thought it was actually copying images, not setting up new pointers.


So if I deleted a duplicate photo from my hard drive, I risk deleting it unknowingly from Photos app and thus corrupting my entire Photos Library/database*? And only safe way is to delete within Photos, even though I cannot know which duplicate I'm deleting because Photos wont tell me exactly which one it is using and where it is stored? How else can one safely delete duplicates floating around in the Finder that might not be in Photos?


This AM I moved the containing folder for lots of images I imported into Photos a few days ago to get them out of my downloads folder as prep for OS upgrade. Photos can still find them. So I'm lucky I didn't corrupt my Library?


*From High Sierra version of Photos that I assume applies to all versions: "WARNING: To avoid accidentally deleting or corrupting a Photos library, do not alter the contents of a library in the Finder. If you want to copy, move, or transfer files, first export them from the Photos library; do not manually access or change the library in the Finder."

Where are the photos I imported into Photos on my Mac? - Apple Support


Sorry if I'm being obtuse, this is so un-Mac-like.


TIA


Oct 23, 2022 2:10 PM in response to TurksCap

Hi, TurksCap.


We'd have no way of knowing the original file names without the original photos being present as well. There's no way to verify if they've changed or if that's what they were originally named without comparing to the originals outside of the Photos application.


For more information on using Photos, check out this guide: Photos User Guide for Mac - Apple Support


Cheers.

Oct 24, 2022 8:14 AM in response to TurksCap

TurksCap,


Are you seeing duplicate photos when you view the photo library?


You can search for the photo name in the Photos app. That way you can find duplicate photos. This explains how to do this:


1. In the Photos app  on your Mac, click the search field in the toolbar.
Tip: Press Command-F to quickly activate the search field.

2. Type the search text in the search field.

As you type, suggested searches appear below the search field. You can type multiple words separated by a space to search based on multiple criteria. For example, entering “California March” locates all photos taken in California in March.
The search field with search criteria entered in the field.

3. Click an item in the suggested searches to see matching photos.
To display all your photos again after a search, click the Cancel button  in the search field.


This information is from Find photos by text, content, or date in Photos on Mac - Apple Support.


Take care.

Oct 24, 2022 10:35 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Heres what I get when I do a Command-I within Photos. In this case, it stacked the file name, repeating it on two lines. I'm assuming the top field is the file name. But I don't know what the second line is and why it shows up twice.


I shouldn't have to do a Command-I every time I want to see for each and every image file name as I compare it to a folder in the Finder to make sure the latter folder is all duplicates so safe to delete entire folder. That is twice as much work as see all the original file names in a simple list so I can glance from the list to my Finder window and back as I double-check that all images have been imported.


When I wrote "I don't see a "Reveal in Finder", I know I'm looking into the Photos Library. "Reveal in Finder" was a very useful, basic feature within iPhoto. I used it all the time. You would think Photos would give you the option of seeing where file resides in the Finder, whether for just plain copying (not tedious "export" requiring several steps) or just knowing the path.


Thanks for your help, btw :)


No complete manual for early versions of Photos out there. And no simple way of searching for duplicates within Photos.

Oct 23, 2022 7:01 PM in response to TurksCap

Thanks, the original file names before import into Photos were always like this: “IMG_1263.JPG”. Then Photos named it (or at least that’s name they show in Find field) as “IMG_1263.JPG IMG_1263.JPG”. Photos is duplicating original file names. Same with others, ie original name of “IMG_1264. JPG” becomes “IMG_1264. JPG IMG_1264. JPG”. Don’t understand what is going on, unless it’s encountering duplicates (that iPhoto didn’t worry about) and attempting to change the names of the second and third occurrences.

Oct 24, 2022 9:37 AM in response to TurksCap

Once again, when you click on a picture and open the info window, what do you see? A screenshot of the info window would help.


I dont see a "Reveal in Finder"

The pictures that you see are not from the finder-- they are stored inside the Photos Library. (Unless you have unchecked "Copy Items to the Photos Library" in Photos>Preferences. This would indicate a whole host of new problems.)

Oct 26, 2022 7:22 AM in response to TurksCap

Managed Library means that the images you give Photos are copied into the Photos' Library. The Library is a special type of folder called a Package. You can open the Package and look inside it, but there is grave danger in messing something up in there and confusing the data base, possibly mixing up information about multiple pictures. That's the dire warning that you quoted-- don't mess with the Photos Library Package in the Finder!


Since you have "Copy items to the Photos library" checked, you have a Managed Library. This is GOOD. Almost everybody wants that. The alternative is a Referenced Library, which means the images are kept outside the Library Package and are managed by you. But if those pictures are moved or altered with Finder without Photos knowing, things will get messed up. You might do this if you used Photos only for editing and not for keeping the pictures organized. Organizing pictures is really what Photos is about.


If you have duplicates because they got imported multiple times, then probably the only difference between them is which albums they're in. For me, I go to each album, select all, and add the name of the album as a keyword for all of them. Some have more than one album keyword, of course. If two duplicates have everything identical, then it doesn't matter which one you eliminate. But if imported and keyworded separately, then the keywords can tell you which you want to keep.

Photos v. 1.5 in El Capitan -- difficulty searching for images by file name, Photos seems to dupe name 2x

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