Reference · Beta
Duplicates and bursts
Last updated November 10, 2026
An archive repeats itself. The same file is backed up to three drives, a RAW comes with its JPEG, and a burst holds twelve frames of one moment. Grain shows each of these as one tile you can open, so you review the work, not the repetition.
One tile, every file still there
Grouping is about what you see, not what's on disk. When Grain recognizes that several files belong together, the gallery shows one of them and puts a small badge on the tile. Every file in the group is still in your library, on its own drive, in its own folder.
There are three kinds of group, and each one says what it is on its badge.
Copies
- The exact same file in more than one place
- Badge: the number of copies
- The inspector lists where each one lives
RAW and JPEG
- A RAW and the JPEG made with it
- Badge: RAW
- The RAW stays the visible file
Bursts
- Frames taken together, moments apart
- Badge: a stack and the frame count
- Open it to choose the frame you want
Copies are exact, not lookalikes
Grain only calls files copies when they're identical. It compares a fingerprint of each complete original, so two frames that simply look alike, or an edited export of a photo, are never treated as duplicates.
That makes copies useful to know about. Select one and the Copies section of the inspector lists every copy with its source and folder. Choose one to go to its folder. A copy on an unplugged drive is still listed, so you can see that a backup exists before you plug it in.
Grouping copies is a view, not a cleanup. Grain doesn't delete or merge duplicates, and choosing which backups to keep is still up to you.
Bursts and RAW pairs
A burst is a run of exposures from one moment: a bride turning, a wave breaking, a horse clearing a fence. Shown frame by frame, a single burst can fill a screen. Grouped, it's one tile, and you open it when you want to choose.
Click a group's badge to open it in place. Its frames or files appear in the gallery beside the cover, and the badge collapses them again. Nothing about the files changes either way.
Grain recognizes a RAW and its JPEG from their capture details and compatible metadata. The pair shows as the RAW, with the JPEG one click away.
Turn burst grouping off
Some work is easier to review frame by frame. Open View Options in the gallery and turn off Group Bursts to show every frame of every burst. Copies and RAW and JPEG pairs keep their own grouping.
Burst grouping applies when you browse. Search keeps its own ranked results. More on browsing controls in browse and review.
What grouping never does
- It never merges, moves, renames or deletes a file. Groups describe how files relate.
- It never hides a file for good. Open the group and every file is there.
- It doesn't decide which copy matters. The inspector shows them all, and you choose.
For a wider look at how one library spans many drives, see search photos on external drives and library and drives.
Every control, at a glance
- Duplicate detection
- Recognize repeated copies in your archive. Grain verifies exact copies by comparing complete original-file fingerprints. This distinguishes duplicate files from photographs that simply look alike.
- RAW and JPEG companions
- Keep related files together while browsing. Grain recognizes RAW and rendered companions using capture context and compatible metadata, while preserving each underlying asset.
- Burst and sequence groups
- Review a run of exposures without losing its individual frames. Related captures can appear as an expandable group. Open the group to see the separate exposures and choose the frame you want.
- Grouping preserves originals
- Organize the view without merging or deleting files. Groups describe relationships between assets. Expanding or collapsing a group changes presentation; it does not remove the original files.