How do I find RAW+JPEG files in Lightroom?

Question

I took hundreds of photos with my camera in RAW+JPEG mode. I now wish to find them so that I can compare them, see if I really like the camera's JPEG rendering and if not, delete them.

Unfortunately, my Lightroom library is 80GB in size, so it's hard to find JPEGs for which I also have the RAW, amidst all the other files that are RAW only or JPEG only.

I wish Lightroom had an option to show only photos that exist in both RAW and JPEG formats. But I don't find such an option.

How then, do I find them, on Lightroom 5.7 on macOS Sierra?

Note that I have Lightroom configured to treat RAW and JPEG as separate photos.

This question is different from this one, because I want to examine both files, not blindly delete the JPEG if the RAW exists.

Answer 1

The question asks for a way to find RAW+JPEGs in Lightroom, but I couldn't find a way. So I had to settle for a script, in Ruby.

This finds files that exist in multiple formats. That is, files with the same name and location but different extensions:

require 'set'

list = Dir['**/*.*']

set = Set.new
dupes = Set.new

for path in list
    down = path.downcase
    if down.end_with?("xmp") or down.end_with?("thm")
        next
    end
    pathWithoutExt = path.rpartition('.').first
    if set.add?(pathWithoutExt) == nil
        dupes.add(pathWithoutExt)
    end
end

for dupe in dupes
    puts dupe
end

I tested this on Ruby 2.4 on macOS Sierra. It turns out I have no RAW+JPEGs, but I did have files in both JPEG and PNG format.

This script is not photography-specific and can find, say, files that exist in both txt and docx formats.

Answer 2

In the Library view/Grid, Lightroom will by default sort your images by date taken timestamp. If you ask Lightroom to show both JPEG and RAW (Preferences>General> Treat JPEG files next to raw files as separate photos'), then the JPEG will be right next to the corresponding RAW file, and you can compare them side by side in the Library view.

Answer 3

Probably you should change the Windows Control Panel at Folder Options, at the View tab there, to UNCHECK the option to HIDE EXTENSIONS. Then the file name you see will include the .JPG or the raw file name extension. Then you know what's what. Why we would ever want to hide extensions is mystery to me. :)

Answer 4

Unfortunately, the RAW+JPEGs are lost amidst the RAWs and the JPEGs

This is a confusing statement. When you choose "RAW+JPEG" while shooting, this means the camera will save a RAW file and it will save a JPEG file. Your statement makes it look like you are searching for something called "RAW+JPEGs" that is separate from all the RAW and JPEG files.

You mentioned comparing in Lightroom. When you import into Lightroom there is an option to avoid importing duplicates. If that option is checked, then in the preview thumbnails (before you begin the import), you will only see the RAW files. Lightroom is smart enough to know you'll probably want to import and work with the RAW files rather than the JPEG files. So be sure to uncheck this option when importing.

Then, once imported, you will see 2 copies of each photo - one from the RAW and one from the JPEG. Bear in mind the RAW copy is in fact a jpeg created by Lightroom so you can see the RAW. Each time you modify the image it generates a new JPEG to show to you. You cannot directly compare RAW files - because RAW files consiste only really of raw data about each pixel. At some point you need something to interpret this and produce an image file - whether it's your camera as it shoots, or Lightroom as it renders previews, or Lightroom as you export a JPEG created from your RAW file.

So - you could, for example, export all your RAW files as JPEGs of the same dimensions that your camera produced, then look at those side by side in your Windows explorer, or in lightroom. However, one of the major benefits of RAW is that you don't have to choose the JPEG colour space (which is a limitation on the number of colours available in your file) until after you carry out your processing steps. This means you have a lot more flexibility and leeway in adjusting things like contrast and exposure (as well as saturation, etc) while working on RAW files. If you attempt such edits only on the JPEG produced by the camera you will be much more limited in rescuing overexposed and underexposed areas, for starters, and in playing with contrast.

So, actually, you wrote:

I now wish to find them so that I can compare them, see if I really like the camera's JPEG rendering and if not, delete them

Bear in mind your camera will have applied algorithms to produce its JPEGs - this means there has been some automated intelligence applied to make the image look as good as the software can make it. Your RAW files will have none of this and will almost certainly look worse than your camera's JPEGs, straight out of the box! Don't be fooled into thinking "well why bother taking RAW at all, especially as the file sizes are huge and chew through my memory card"! The real benefit is as I described above - in gaining greater leeway while post-process editing your images.

I think the question becomes: do I want to spend the time post processing, or am I happy enough with the JPEGs straight out of the camera?

PS. Also bear in mind when you choose RAW+JPEG, the camera will likely produce the smallest, lowest quality JPEG it can (because it knows you have the full RAW file available). If you choose JPEG only you may be able to choose a larger JPEG size and/or higher JPEG quality. These choices will affect how the shots look "out of the camera", so while the JPEGS you get from RAW+JPEG might not be acceptable to you, if you choose JPEG, large size, high quality only, maybe they will be acceptable.

Answer 5

In Library, do a find, command F, parameters will be text, any searchable field, contains all and enter ".jpg" without the quotes.... you will see files that are JPG

If you wish to see them in finder, option click on a file and you get a drop down for "show in finder" if you want to compare it might be easier to open them in Photoshop. Compare in LR is nice but it's hard to unstack JPG/RAW and know you are seeing them