I have an iPhone SE and a five year old iMac running El Cap. I use iPhoto on the iMac. Since the iOS 11 update, whenever I import photos I get both the edited and the unedited version of the photo on my computer. I used to just get one version. Here's an example of what I see now. I'm fine if it imports the unedited version since that is what I am used to. Is there a setting I need to change somewhere? Would prefer to do this without a 3rd party app since it's a fairly frequent workflow for me. Thank you!
Note: I do not use iCloud for photos (terrible upload speeds) so this is just coming in via connected cable.
Best Answer
I understand your frustration with this issue! When you edit a photo on iOS, it keeps the original and creates a text file with an .aae extension containing instructions of the changes/edits made to the original file. iOS renders the original file per .aae file which makes it look like it’s an additional image. The Photos & Lightroom MacOS applications do the same.
I use the native MacOS application Image Capture to import my media. You can click on your device, select the photos you want and drag and drop them to whichever directory. This method also exports the associated .aae file separately as a text file. If you happen to export a live image, this method will also extract the cover image as an image and the motion of the Live Photo as a video file.
If you want to extract/save an edited file, just make sure you share, copy or upload the edited file somewhere like your mail or messages.