Aperture: Some images duplicated when importing from iPhoto

Sometimes you get two copies of an image imported from iPhoto, and the pair is stacked. Though this might surprise you, the reason is very simple. Whenever you edit in iPhoto, it preserves the original and makes the changes to a copy. When you import to Aperture, you get both the original and the copy from iPhoto.

If you want the originals only, here's a quick way to remove the copies by using the "iPhoto-edited" keyword:

1. Click any image in the project to select it.
2. Choose Edit > Select All.
3. Choose Stacks > Unstack.
4. In the browser's search box (to the right of the magnifying glass), type: iPhoto-edited

This will cause only iPhoto-edited images to appear in the Browser. Now you can relocate or delete them as you please.

Note: If you have manually edited the contents of the iPhoto Library or have used any third-party software that sub-manages or attempts to minimize the size of the iPhoto Library (by deleting originals, for example) then you need to exercise caution. Rather than delete the files immediately, consider temporarily storing them in another project until you're sure you have everything you want to keep in the main project.

This issue is resolved in Aperture 1.5.