Why is Lightroom Classic image importing still in the stone age?

[RickTa]

As an amateur photographer, I've been using Lightroom and Photoshop for years.  After all the bug fixes and new features introduced over this time, one of my frustrations is the lame image import function.  When is Adobe going to provide the capability to look at the actual images (i.e., pixels) to determine if an imported image is a duplicate or not?  The import function actually looks for metadata text differences - not the images.  I don't believe this comparison method has ever changed.  Furthermore, why isn't identifying duplicate images in the catalog already included in the base software?

[JohanElzenga]

Checking duplicates based on pixels would make importing pictures a hugely time consuming process. Importing would take ages if you have a large catalog.

[RickTa]

I hear you, but I would expect a much more sophisticated algorithm rather than just comparing pixels.  There are some open source software tools (not Lightroom compatible) that use special hash algorithms to check images.  Keeping the current metadata-based method is useful, but adding actual image checking would be an additional tool.  Consider scanning a bunch of old photos over a long period of time that have little or no metadata.  It's hard to remember what has been imported and what hasn't.  BTW, I don't expect anyone to sit around waiting for the import function/duplicate checker to finish.  Let it run while I get a coffee 🙂

[dj_paige]

Feature requests do not belong in this forum, as we are not Adobe here. There is a link on the main page of this forum that says "Submit Product Feedback", that's where you want to place your suggestion.

[RickTa]

Then why is "feature request" one of the categories for posts?

[richardplondon]

Keywords classify the subjects of post threads. One such subject, is to generally discuss some idea for a feature change, potentially rather a vague one.

But that is not the same thing as formally submitting a specific feature request. A different space is provided for that.

[RickTa]

Thank you for clarifying that.  I didn't intend this to be a feature request, but a comment on the lack of new significant features in recent Lightroom versions.

[dj_paige]

That comment too should be made at the other location. 

[dj_paige]

Adobe doesn't monitor this forum for feature requests. Although you can discuss it to your hearts desire here, it won't get anything done, won't make the slightest bit of difference. So you have to make a formal feature request at the other location.