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gauravarengchakraverti
Participating Frequently
December 30, 2020
Question

Lightroom creating duplicate raw file on import

  • December 30, 2020
  • 8 replies
  • 2174 views

Hi there! Been facing this issue out of the blue (no software changes, and LR is up to date). A single image on my memory card gets imported and duplicated into two identical (as far as I can tell) fully raw files on import. For example, two ABC1111 and ABC1111-2 files are created in my catalog upon import of just the ABC1111 image. I don't seem to have had this issue earlier and it's suddenly begun over the last couple of days for seemingly no reason. 

 

How do I fix this? 

 

OS - MacOS Big Sur 11.1

Version - LR Classic 10.1

 

Thanks!

8 replies

Rob_Cullen
Community Expert
Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
December 30, 2020

Are you converting to DNG?

I encountered (long ago!) the duplicate files when I attempted to import in a second Import procedure after a first Import was interrupted or terminated early.

As I understand what happened (in simple terms!) and not confirmed by anyone!!

1) Import proprietary files from the camera card (NEF, CR2, etc)

2) LrC copies and saves these raw files to a designated folder (as the proprietary raw)

3) LrC then follows the direction to convert them to DNG file-type (now are .DNG in the folder)

4) Next Import the proprietary raw files from the camera card are once again imported (they are not seen as duplicates to the existing DNGs.)

5) LrC copies and saves these raw files to a designated folder (as the proprietary raw) so now there is a 'raw' and a 'dng'!

6) Only now does LrC recognise that to convert the raws to DNG other DNG files already exist and the conversion renames the new DNGs with the -2 added.

🙂

 

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
    J
    jenniferc91764916
    Participant
    January 22, 2023

    so how is this fixed?

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 22, 2023

    @jenniferc91764916  You have posted to a thread from 2020, and your circumstances might be different (and ignored in an old forum thread).

    Please include the following in a new post:
    Adobe product and Version number.
    Operating system and Version number

    A Screenshot of the info panel from MENU: Help/System Info...  is helpful here.
    Screenshots of the problem- both in LrC folder panel and in the OS File browser.

    And a screen-shot of your Import dialog.

    This will help others to find an answer for you.

     

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
    GoldingD
    GoldingD
    Legend
    December 30, 2020

    Please post a screen shot of your Import screen

     

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    December 30, 2020

    this same type of thing was report a year or so ago wit an older version of Lr/C. No resolution was found IIRC.

    It has something to do with the OS, Card reader or Camera and the connection from that to your computer.

    IIRC it mostly happened on Mac computers.

     

    Check the power saving settings, or all the System Properties settings, for any options to put USB ports to sleep and or to limit power to them.

    If you are using a Built In, internal, card reader try an External type.

    kentdesign
    Community Expert
    kentdesignCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 30, 2020

    Try importin with a card reader and not directly form the camera. Also, please check your import settings in the import dialog box.  There is a section you can select to make a duplicate to.... and it may be checked.

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 30, 2020

    First thing to check is if you still have 'Do not import suspected duplicates' checked in the import dialog. The update may have reset that. These may be old images that have been imported already but are still on the card.

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
    G
    gauravarengchakravertiAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    December 30, 2020

    I tried that. They don't show as duplicates, and they aren't any actual duplicates on the memory card. But when they import into Lightroom for some reason a second identical file (name appended with a "-2") is created alongside each image in the catalog. Super strange! 

    J
    jenniferc91764916
    Participant
    January 22, 2023

    Mine do this too and it's infuriating!

     

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    December 30, 2020

    Are you using a Card Reader or Connecting the camera Directly to the computer?

     

    If you are connecting the camera to the computer try using a Card Reader.

     

    Or use Finder (or some other process, program) to Copy the image files from the memory card to your hard drive into the folder structure you want. Then Impoirt the images into LrC using the Add option at the top of the import dialog window.

     

    G
    gauravarengchakravertiAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    December 30, 2020

    Yes, using a card reader. 

    But I did try the other method you suggested and first copied the images into a separate folder off the card and then imported and they imported fine. So, so weird!! 

    Jon-M-Spear
    Jon-M-Spear
    Legend
    December 30, 2020

    Do you have 2 cards in your camera? 

    Exactly this would happen when I imported directly from the D850, rather than importing from a card reader.  Lightroom would import images from both cards - which were recording identical files.

     

    For different issues, several people are rolling back to v10.0 - myself included.  I'll wait for 10.2

    G
    gauravarengchakravertiAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    December 30, 2020

    I do have 2 cards, the D850 in fact, and the Z6, but for both I use the card reader always and not the cable to the camera directly. I've never had this issue, and have never changed anything with regard to how I import my images into LRC. So it's pretty weird to happen out of the blue. And yes, may be better to roll back, because I don't seem to have had this issue prior to the 10.1 update. It just started literally the day I updated. 😛 

    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 30, 2020

    Don't make hasty decisions. The update could have reset some settings, that's all. See my comment below.

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 30, 2020

    Are these files just in the catalog, or do they both really exist on disk?

     

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
    G
    gauravarengchakravertiAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    December 30, 2020

    Hi John.

    The duplicate images don't exist on the camera/card. I double-checked whether the cameras were creating two files themselves, but they don't. However, the duplicate is being created within both Lightroom's catalog as well as on the drive where the catalog is located. 

     

    Additionally, I went back to see when this started happening, and it's been happening only since the newest 10.1 update. I somehow just never realized until yesterday when I knew I had not taken multiple images 😛 

    Any idea what's happening? I can't find the issue reported anywhere else, so feel it's not a full-fledged LRC bug. 

     

    Thanks!

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