Why does Organizer create duplicate images?

Anche io ho il problema di file duplicati. Pensavo di averlo risolto ripristinando il back up precedente. Invece il problema rimane. Vorrei conoscere le origini di questo grave inconveniente per isolare l'errore in seguito.

another problem is if I stack photoś I have to pack them one by one and not in bulk as it used to be.

May I suggest to start a new discussion about this issue?

Please provide a little more details about what you want and what did work which no longer does.

For the duplicate issues, let's follow the present discussion, stating if you are on Mac or Win and which version?

robertl12222787  wrote this is not, i repeat, a solution or even an explanation of the duplicate problem. i spent an hour with an apple tech. checking my computer. my mac is not the problem. i had a total of over two hours between online chats and an extended telephone call with adobe techs and they DO NOT have an explanation much less a solution. they were not even aware that this is a widespread problem. i only hope my experience will escalate adobe's effort to solve this.

You may repeat it, but what is widespread is that there are many risks of creating duplicates on your computer with or without Elements. That has probably happened to all photographers. What you may consider as widespread is that people are importing several times the same files from camera or otherwise (even with the filter in the downloader). We have just seen in various forums a handful of cases of users reporting the issue and thinking that Elements creates spontaneously duplicates. No way to reproduce the problem.

The import problem has been discussed for more than ten years and complaints have become rare. The only reason I might have quoted Macs is because the file size criteria in kb may have been handled differently in older versions. Obviously, you can't expect an explanation by Mac experts.

So, if you want to convince anybody that Elements creates duplicates on its own, you need first to prove that its not the downloader (that is easy if you control the files you import). The automatic import created by 'watched folders' must be controlled as well. If you find new duplicates after that (easier to check by visual browsing of chronological sorted files or 'visual searches') it will be easier to find the user process or command which has triggered the duplication, backup and restores or the like.

Good practices in my opinion:

- don't use the default 'bulk' import, use the 'import' selectively from folders.

- Importing from card, either remove the files after they have been downloaded, processed and backed up or check the selection before importing (I always do)

- Be prudent in using 'watched folders' with automatic import.

- Using a single catalog is much safer than using several because the filter on import will not find 'already present files in the catalog' and import again with a suffix in the same subfolder.

- If you see duplicates, check if they have the same date_taken or file size in kB.

- To troubleshoot, also check 'Import batches'. Very often, if you find one file, the other files in the batch will be other duplicates, even for different dates.

- Good practices to avoid 'visual duplicates' (different sizes) is to avoid creating or exporting copies on your computer, rather create only temporary copies for printing, for a slideshow or creation. You can add the files to albums and reexport them as you want for different purposes. Be sure there is a good reason to 'import' exported files.

Okay, thank you again.

For what it's worth, I found some information about duplicate files.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/delete-duplicates-photoshop-elements-46056.html

"A common problem that arises when using Photoshop Elements is that it creates duplicate files of the images you are editing."

But I don't recall editing any of the photos that are duplicates. Only relocated them to different folders within Organizer. As you said, it must be something else.

"If you can't beat, join 'em."