-Seeing Double-

         Does Picasa Do Duplicates?

                               June 9, 2011

 

Caveat:  Photos are not stored IN Picasa.  They are stored on your hard drive.  Picasa only catalogs them and shows you thumbnails of your original photos.  Photo edits done in Picasa stay in Picasa.   Edits are not visible in Windows until Saved or Exported.

 

Check  Tools> Experimental> Show Duplicate Files

Where and What

What it does

HD

Icons

 

Change

  Import

Camera to Computer transfer excludes duplicates when box is checked

Yes

  Export

Ability to resize edited photo and creates resized duplicate in a new folder (Note Export Location)

Yes

 

File (Menu)

 

 

  Save

Changes  edited  copy to an original and saves original in a new (hidden) folder (Picasa Originals)

 

  Save As

Creates duplicate with new name

Yes

  Save a Copy

Creates duplicate in same folder same name - 1

Yes

  Export to Folder

Same as Export but can name new folder

Yes

 

Albums (Right Click)

These are not duplicates of photos but pointers (virtual)

 

  Locate on disk

Finds the originating photo on disk (folder location in Windows full path)

no

  Locate in Picasa

Finds the originating photo in Picasa

no

  Locate          

(when edited photo has been saved)

no

Original on disk

Finds unedited photo in an Originals  Folder on the disk (Windows may be hidden)

no

File on disk

Finds the edited photo on disk (Windows shows full path)

no

  Remove from Album

Removes pointer to photo from album only

no

  Delete from Disk

Deletes photo from album and disk

Yes

Caveat:   Do not delete immediately a duplicate.  Test to be sure whether they are actually two copies of the same photo or some Picasa figment.  Test by renaming one to see if other is renamed also.   Or Save a copy to make a third one.  Then delete 1st or 2nd.   Or check locations to see if they are the same.  Or Locate both on disk to see if the same.