Can I rename during import and expect Lr to recognize duplicates(?)

[rarewolf]

I'm toying with the thought of renaming my images files while importing, but then wondered if Lr would be able to recognize previously imported images as possible duplicates.  The Lr knowledgebase implies...

Lightroom determines a photo is a duplicate of another file in the catalog if it has the same, original filename; the same Exif capture date and time; and the same file size.

... as if all 3 criteria (original name, metadata and file size) are required to be the same, which would imply enabling 'Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates" wouldn't work for renamed images.

Does the qualifier "suspected" mean not all 3 criteria are absolutely necessary? Have the Lr people created a smarter way to recognize duplicates(?)

TIA

[cmgap · Accepted solution]

I just tested this on Lr CC vs 2015.8 and recommend that you test it as well. Upon import I changed the name of one image captured with my phone and then initiated a second import. Lr grayed out the image that I just imported as it recognized that it is already in my catalog.

Lr is able to detect based on the EXIF data that this image had the identical basic metadata -focal length and speed and ISO, exact same size and was synchronized in terms of time.

[rarewolf]

Thanks for the test cmgap...

I also did my own tests.  With respect to the original question, all previously imported, and renamed, image files were properly recognized, which agrees with your testing. However, I did notice some other strange behavior...

First, with my preferences set for "copying as DNG" 4 Raw+Jpg pairs into Lr with grouping the pairs turned off. The problem here was that Raw & Jpg files were treated independently with the sequence running from 1-8, and even saw where the sequencing wasn't consistent relative to file type.  That is, for 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 the file type sequence was JPG-DNG-JPG-DNG-DNG-JPG-DNG-JPG.  Ideally, I would've expected the sequence 1-4 with all pairs matching...

However, if I didn't ask for the DNG conversion the sequencing was consistent, although still 1-8, but I wonder if I can trust it for importing many images(?)

If I asked  for the DNG conversion and that the Raw+Jpg pairs not be imported independently, the sequencing was what you'd expect, 1-4.  However, I want to be able to see the JPGs and 'expanding the stack' didn't work (is it supposed to?)

I also noticed some pretty weird time stamps on the imported files.  All this testing was done prior to 10am this morning, but some of the files, notably the ORFs and JPGs, were imported with time stamps 10:25am(?? ... Mac OS 10.12.2)

I also noticed that my original raw files (ORF) were 25% smaller so I may rethink the DNG conversion ...

Thoughts?

[rarewolf]

Opps! ... regarding my previous statement...

However, if I didn't ask for the DNG conversion the sequencing was consistent, although still 1-8, but I wonder if I can trust it for importing many images(?)

I was wrong about the sequence being consistent with respect to file type...some raws were odd, some were even...

[rarewolf]

Regarding "needing to see the JPGs that had been grouped with the Raw", I saw elsewhere where synchronizing the folder would ungroup them, but this doesn't seem to work with Lr 2015.8.  Is there a new way to inspect the OOC JPG image?