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Duplicates & RAW+JPEG pairs

Three tools for the redundant and linked copies that build up in any long-lived library: find byte-for-byte duplicates, catch near-duplicates that aren't quite identical, and tidy RAW+JPEG captures into a single photo you can switch between.

Exact duplicates

Library ▸ Assisted Duplicate Finder… finds photos that are byte-for-byte identical — the same file imported twice, or copied into two folders. It's fast and safe: it first groups candidates by file size, then confirms with a content hash, so it never flags two different photos as the same. The scan is resumable, and it presents its results for you to review before anything is removed — you decide what to remove; nothing is deleted automatically.

Near-duplicates

Library ▸ Find Near-Duplicates… catches copies that look the same but aren't byte-identical — a resized export, a re-saved JPEG, a second import at a different quality. It compares a compact visual fingerprint of each photo, so it sees past differences in file size and compression that the exact finder can't. Like the exact finder it runs in two resumable phases and hands you the groups to review before removal.

Which one to use

Run the exact finder to reclaim space from literal duplicate files. Run near-duplicate when you suspect you've imported the same shoot twice at different sizes, or want to weed out near-identical versions of a frame.

RAW+JPEG pairs

If your camera shoots RAW and JPEG together, you end up with two files of every frame. Rather than clutter the grid with both, Lumidex Studio can link each pair into a single photo that you switch between as needed.

  • Link existing pairsLibrary ▸ Find RAW + JPEG Pairs sweeps the catalogue and links every RAW and JPEG of the same frame. New imports of RAW+JPEG are paired automatically.
  • Switch the active filePhoto ▸ Use RAW / JPEG (⇧⌘J) flips a pair between its JPEG (ideal for culling and quick edits) and its RAW (for real highlight/shadow recovery). Whichever is active is the one Develop, the Loupe and Export use.

A linked pair behaves as one photo throughout: your flags, ratings, colour labels and keywords apply to the pair as a whole and follow you when you switch sides, and the pair counts once in your totals. See Photo ▸ RAW + JPEG pairs for the menu reference.

Removing photos is your call

All three tools only ever show you what they found — you choose what to remove. When you do remove a photo, you're asked whether to also move the original file to the Trash or leave it on disk. Your originals are never deleted without that explicit confirmation.