Consolidating pictures into one catalogue


Recommended Posts

Hey, I am looking to consolidate all my images from multiple internal and external drives and into a single catalogue.

I have thousands of RAW's dotted in various places and I have more than one copy of most of the files.

I'm looking to have folder containing one of everything, so I can easily back it up and keep things more organised.

Can I use Lightroom for this? Any other suggestions?

Cheers.

Lightroom does detect when something is on RAW+JPG as a single image, you could use the import function in Lightroom and have it move over the files. I do recommend some sort of subdirectory structure rather than just lumping all files ina single folder though. Luckily, Lightroom does this for you.

I know Aperture can consolidate multiple libraries; i did it when i had one library on my mac and the other on an external hdd: http://www.apple.com/aperture/how-to/#video-merginglibraries

I'm afraid i don't really know Lightroom.

  • 1 month later...

Ok, still battling with this one.

I have a new question, if I chuck every pic I have into one huge folder, bearing in mind the camera names the pictures 0001 upto 9999 then restarts, so I will have multiple pictures with the same name, e.g. IMG_1234(2), am I going to run into problems when adding new pics? Aslong as all of the images are different sizes they won't be considered duplicates will they?

I'm going to be using Lightroom so access to the pics won't be a problem, i'll just sort them in LR by date taken.

Ok, still battling with this one.

I have a new question, if I chuck every pic I have into one huge folder, bearing in mind the camera names the pictures 0001 upto 9999 then restarts, so I will have multiple pictures with the same name, e.g. IMG_1234(2), am I going to run into problems when adding new pics? Aslong as all of the images are different sizes they won't be considered duplicates will they?

I'm going to be using Lightroom so access to the pics won't be a problem, i'll just sort them in LR by date taken.

Well if your going to do that... Why don't you just:

1. create a "Pictures folder" in a place of your desire.

2. Set lightroom to copy photos there.

3. Import photos from your various locations into lightroom (and have lightroom organize by date taken as you suggest)

That way, ALL the photos are moved to ONE master folder... additionally, they will be automatically organized so you don't need to worry about photos being considered duplicates... and you'd have no problem with adding new photos...

I am sure there is software that is able to distinguish duplicate ... ( as a matter of fact I KNOW there is... I just dont know what it is... I remember looking it up for myself a while back... although it could have been JUST for music?) so you could run the program on that ONE master folder... then that third party application would automatically remove all and any duplicates... leaving you with one clean organized catalogue.

That is brilliant. I'm off to try that.

Thanks dude!

No worries, and if you ever find a program that will find duplicates, it will be easy to direct it to that folder!!

I might look one up for ya, but I can't right now, I have a major assignment due in like 4 hours and I still have a couple midterms at the end of this week!

I haven't actually used this... just typed into google and this was the first promising result...

Looks like you can give criteria so you could say for example SAME file size plus one other criteria which would find your duplicates pretty fast I bet, it also says it finds photos specifically... try it out and see if it works for ya!

http://www.ashisoft.com/

GOODLUCK :)

As well, I am happy to say I finished the assignment well before the due time (1.5hours)... which I am proud of since my group members are a bunch of ******s and gave me all their parts (which were done poorly at best - some even had extremely idiotic answers) today... I have been hounding them for their parts for the past two weeks. Group projects are hell.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • After I installed KB5095093, the volume on my ARM laptop won't go above 20%. It's stuck on the hearing protection level, which is pretty much useless if you want to listen to anything. I rolled back.
    • Amazon Prime Day slashes Samsung's newest Galaxy Watch Ultra by 45 percent by Karthik Mudaliar Samsung’s flagship Android smartwatch has received one of its steepest Prime Day cuts. Amazon has dropped the 2025 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra in Titanium Blue to $357.24, saving buyers around $292 from its $649.99 list price. That's a 45 percent discount (purchase link below). The 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra uses a titanium casing and a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 480 x 480 and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It includes LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and dual-frequency L1+L5 GPS for more accurate outdoor route tracking. The 2025 model has 64GB of storage, a 590mAh battery, sapphire crystal glass, 10ATM water resistance, IP68 protection, and MIL-STD-810H durability testing. Its health and fitness tools include heart rate monitoring, sleep coaching, Energy Score, Running Coach, body composition analysis, temperature sensing, and ECG support, where available. This model is best suited to Android users who regularly run, hike, cycle, or train outdoors and want cellular access without carrying a phone. The larger battery, rugged construction, bright display, and dedicated Quick Button also make it a stronger option than Samsung’s regular Galaxy Watch models for extended workouts and demanding environments. Grab the Titanium Blue Galaxy Watch Ultra before the Prime Day price resets: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) [Sold and Shipped by Amazon] Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Google begins rolling out its post-Epic Play Store billing model next week by Karthik Mudaliar Google has confirmed that its redesigned Play Store billing and fee structure will take effect on June 30, 2026, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area. The changes will let eligible developers offer their own payment systems or send users to an external website for purchases, while separating Google’s platform service fee from the cost of using Google Play Billing. The rollout puts concrete dates and detailed rate cards behind the broader Android policy overhaul Google announced in March. That announcement followed a proposed settlement with Epic Games intended to resolve their long-running disputes over app distribution and payments, although the U.S. portion of the agreement still requires court approval. Under the new billing choice program, developers selling digital content or services can display an alternative payment option alongside Google Play Billing. They may also direct users to their own websites to complete a purchase. Developers can use Google’s standard payment-choice screen or design one that complies with the company’s user-interface rules. Choosing another payment processor does not eliminate Google’s cut altogether. The company will continue charging a service fee for transactions associated with apps distributed through Google Play, regardless of whether payment is handled by Google, an alternative provider, or a developer’s website. Google argues that this fee covers the value and infrastructure provided by Android and the Play Store. For developers earning up to $1 million annually, the service fee will generally be 10 percent. That rate also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. When Google Play Billing is used in the U.S., U.K., or EEA, Google will add a separate 5 percent billing fee, and developers processing payments elsewhere will not pay that additional charge. This means Google’s familiar flat 30 percent commission is disappearing, but developers will not necessarily see a dramatic reduction on every transaction. An in-app purchase from an existing user processed through Google Play Billing can still reach a combined 30 percent. The biggest savings are likely to come from subscriptions, smaller developers covered by the $1 million tier, and companies able to move customers to their own payment infrastructure. Google is also offering lower rates through its Apps Experience and revamped Games Level Up programs. Apps and games that satisfy the company’s requirements can qualify for 15 percent service fees on new-install transactions and 20 percent on existing-install transactions. The criteria include performance and reliability standards, support for additional Android device categories, and selected platform features. Those program rates are scheduled to become available in the initial markets and Australia on September 30. For consumers, the immediate effect will depend on whether developers adopt alternative payments and pass any savings on through lower prices. For developers, however, June 30 begins a more flexible but considerably more complicated Play Store economy in which distribution, billing, install dates, revenue thresholds, and program participation can each affect Google’s final cut. Google is also separately developing a Registered App Stores program designed to simplify the installation of qualifying third-party stores. That initiative is expected to arrive with a major Android release later in 2026 and will launch outside the U.S. first. Google says the rest of the world will receive the changes by September 30, 2027, although billing rates for markets outside the US, UK, and EEA have not yet been announced.
    • 38% off a super insane price is still an INSANE price.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
    • One Year In
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      464
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      81
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!