Delete iPhoto duplicate versions in Aperture

Jun 27, '06 07:30:00AM

Contributed by: grasshoppermouse

iPhoto creates a duplicate image file whenever you make any changes to the master, such as rotate, crop, lighten, etc. Thus, if you make even minor edits to each photo, the size of your library will double. Aperture, on the other hand, modifies the master 'on the fly,' without making a copy.

When you import your iPhoto library into Aperture, both the iPhoto master and the edited duplicate are imported together as a 'stack'. To recover some disk space, here's how to delete all the edited duplicates (which often might be just rotations):

The key bit of needed info is that iPhoto masters are tagged with the keywords iPhoto Original, and the edited versions with iPhoto Edited. First, search your entire Aperture library for the keywords iPhoto Edited. Select all found images, and create a new album from the selection. These images will be stacks containing both the original and edited versions.

Then, select all images in the new album and unstack them. Finally, search within the new album for iPhoto Edited, select all the found images, and delete them. (After unstacking, you can instead delete your masters, if you want, by searching for iPhoto Original and then deleting.)

Back up your Aperture library before doing this, of course. I would also do it right after importing your iPhoto library, if possible, so if something screws up, you can just start over.

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