iOS Duplicate Photo Workflow

Copies

1 iOS Cameral Roll

If iCloud Photo Stream is active, a copy

will be sent to Photo Stream

4If your iOS Camera Roll auto-sync to

DropBox

5 If you auto-sync your computer to

DropBox

2 iCloud Photo Stream

Photo Stream will temporarily store a

maximum 1000 photos for up to 30 days

3 iCloud Makes Copy of Photo on

Computer

Mac - iPhoto LibraryPC - Designated Folder

iOS Duplicate Photo Workflow

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2 iCloud

3

Photo Stream

Photo Stream Sync

iTunes Sync

1. Picture is taken on iOS device and save to camera roll2. If active, Photo Stream will make a copy and sync with other devices running iCloud3. iPhoto Photo Stream on computer makes a copy locally4. If you sync your iOS device with your computer via iTunes and you have set iTunes to

sync your photos, you will sync another copy of the photo back to your iOS device.

iOS Duplicate Photo - What’s Happening?

1

2 iCloud

3

Photo Stream

iTunes Sync

What is happening after you sync via iCloud and iTunes, is that the Photos app on your iOS device is showing you photos from both your iOS Camera Roll and your Mac's iPhoto Library (or PC’s Designated Picture folder) side by side, and it appears that they are duplicated on your iOS Device. (Yes...you will see a copy of photos in your Photo Stream too, but that is displayed from iCloud and does not take up space on your device.)

iCloudPhoto Stream Sync

iOS Duplicate Photo - What’s Happening?

1 2

iCloud

3

Photo Stream

iTunes Sync

In iOS 7.1, the camera app added an automatic function for HDR mode.HDR, or High Dynamic Range imaging, takes multiple exposures to allow for accurate capture of very bright objects, like the sky, when the photo also has part of the field in deep shadow. There is a Photos & Camera setting that keeps both the HDR and normally exposed photo in your camera roll. Thus creating photo duplicates.

iCloudPhoto Stream Sync

4

With the HDR “Keep Normal Photo” option,

photo stream, and iTunes sync active, you could have up to 4

copies of one photo.

iOS Duplicate Photo - How To Eliminate Duplicates

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2

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Remove iOS 7 Duplicated Photos Manually (select and tap) - from your iOS camera roll (if you have many duplicate photos, this takes time and patience)

On your iOS Device, go to Settings/Photo and Camera and turn off “Keep Normal Photo”. The new HDR feature in iOS 7 keeps a copy of both the HDR blend and normal photos. This is one way to eliminate future duplicate photos.

Another fix is to connect your iOS Device to your Mac, open iPhoto, import all your photos from your iOS device and choose to delete them afterwards. If you've already imported them all, click the "Remove photos from iPhone" button. This will reset your Camera Roll to 0 photos and there will no longer be duplicates in the Photos tab of the Photos app on your iPhone. 

4

You may turn off Photo Stream Automatic Download on your Mac by in iPhoto or Aperture preferences, select Photos (or Photo Stream) > My Photo Stream > Automatic Import. On your PC, turn off My Photo Stream in the iCloud Control Panel