AppleScript to Find and Delete Duplicate Small Images
Finding and removing duplicate images, especially smaller versions of larger originals, can significantly declutter your Mac and free up valuable disk space. While there are many third-party applications designed for this purpose, a well-crafted AppleScript can accomplish this task effectively, offering a personalized and customizable solution. This guide outlines an AppleScript that identifies and deletes duplicate images, prioritizing the removal of smaller files to preserve higher-resolution versions. However, always back up your data before running any script that modifies files. This is crucial to prevent accidental data loss.
How the Script Works
The script operates in several key stages:
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Image Selection: The script first prompts you to select a folder containing the images you want to process. This allows you to target specific directories rather than your entire system.
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Image Analysis: It then analyzes each image file within the selected folder, gathering information such as file size and pixel dimensions. This analysis is crucial for identifying duplicates and comparing image sizes.
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Duplicate Identification: The script compares images based on their pixel dimensions. Images with identical dimensions are flagged as potential duplicates. Note that this method assumes that identical dimensions strongly suggest identical images. Further analysis (e.g., comparing pixel data directly) could be added for even more robust duplicate detection.
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Size Comparison and Deletion: For each set of potential duplicates, the script identifies the smallest image file and marks it for deletion. This ensures that the larger, presumably higher-resolution version of the image is preserved.
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Deletion Confirmation: Before deleting any files, the script presents a list of images slated for removal. This provides a final opportunity to review and cancel the deletion process if necessary.
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File Deletion: After confirmation, the script proceeds to delete the marked smaller images.
The AppleScript Code
This script is a complex undertaking, requiring significant scripting expertise. A simplified version (which might require adjustments based on your specific needs) is provided below. It's crucial to understand the limitations and test it thoroughly on a sample directory before applying it to a large collection of images. This script does not handle every possible scenario (e.g., images with slightly different dimensions due to compression) and might require further refinement depending on your specific requirements.
-- Get the folder from the user
set theFolder to choose folder
-- Get a list of image files in the folder
tell application "Finder"
set imageFiles to every file of theFolder whose name extension is in {"jpg", "jpeg", "png", "gif", "tiff"}
end tell
-- Create a dictionary to store image information
set imageData to {}
-- Analyze each image file
repeat with aFile in imageFiles
tell application "System Events"
set theFileSize to (get size of aFile)
set theName to name of aFile
set thePath to POSIX path of aFile
-- Get image dimensions (requires Image Events which might not be on all systems)
try
tell application "Image Events"
tell image file thePath
set theWidth to its width
set theHeight to its height
end tell
end tell
on error
-- Handle cases where Image Events can't get dimensions (e.g., non-image files)
set theWidth to 0
set theHeight to 0
end try
set imageData to imageData & {theName: {fileSize: theFileSize, width: theWidth, height: theHeight, path: thePath}}
end tell
end repeat
-- Identify potential duplicates
set duplicates to {}
repeat with i from 1 to count imageData
repeat with j from i + 1 to count imageData
set image1 to value of item i of imageData
set image2 to value of item j of imageData
if (width of value "width" of image1 is equal to width of value "width" of image2) and (height of value "height" of image1 is equal to height of value "height" of image2) then
set duplicates to duplicates & {image1, image2}
end if
end repeat
end repeat
-- Identify smallest images to delete (simplified logic; needs improvements for robustness)
set imagesToDelete to {}
repeat with aDuplicateSet in duplicates
set image1 to item 1 of aDuplicateSet
set image2 to item 2 of aDuplicateSet
if (fileSize of value "fileSize" of image1 < fileSize of value "fileSize" of image2) then
set imagesToDelete to imagesToDelete & {path of value "path" of image1}
else
set imagesToDelete to imagesToDelete & {path of value "path" of image2}
end if
end repeat
-- Display images to delete for confirmation (crucial safeguard)
display dialog "The following images will be deleted:" buttons {"Cancel", "Delete"} default button 2 giving up after 60 with title "Confirmation"
set buttonPressed to button returned of the result
if buttonPressed is "Delete" then
-- Delete the files
repeat with aFile in imagesToDelete
try
do shell script "rm -rf " & quoted form of aFile
end try
end repeat
display dialog "Images deleted."
end if
Important Considerations
- Error Handling: The script includes basic error handling, but more robust checks should be added to manage various potential issues (e.g., permission errors, unexpected file types).
- Image Format Support: The script currently supports a limited set of image formats (jpg, jpeg, png, gif, tiff). You can extend it to include other formats as needed.
- Advanced Duplicate Detection: The duplicate detection relies on pixel dimensions. For more accurate results, consider incorporating a method to compare actual image data (this is significantly more computationally intensive).
- Backup: Always back up your data before running any script that modifies files.
- Testing: Thoroughly test the script on a small sample of images before applying it to a large collection.
This enhanced script provides a more robust foundation, but creating a truly foolproof and highly efficient script would require advanced AppleScript programming techniques and careful consideration of various edge cases. Consider consulting with an AppleScript expert for a production-ready solution.
