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📚 Stacks & File Variants

LibrePhotos can automatically detect and group related photos together. There are two distinct concepts: file variants (same capture in different formats) and stacks (different captures grouped together).

File Variants​

File variants represent the same moment captured in different file formats. Instead of showing duplicate entries in your timeline, LibrePhotos treats them as a single photo with multiple files attached.

RAW+JPEG Pairs​

When you shoot in RAW+JPEG mode, your camera creates two files for each shot (e.g. IMG_001.CR2 and IMG_001.jpg). LibrePhotos groups these automatically during scanning — you'll see one photo in your timeline with a RAW badge overlay indicating that a RAW variant is available.

Live Photos​

Live Photos (common on iPhones) consist of a still image and a short video clip. LibrePhotos detects these and groups the image and video as file variants of a single photo.

How Scanning Groups Variants​

LibrePhotos uses a two-phase scan to group file variants:

  1. Phase 1 — Grouping: Before processing, all files are grouped by their directory and base filename. For example, IMG_001.jpg, IMG_001.CR2, and IMG_001.xmp in the same folder become one group.

  2. Phase 2 — Processing: Each group is processed together, creating one Photo entity with all files attached as variants. The main display file is chosen automatically by priority: JPEG → Video → RAW → Metadata.

After each scan, a Repair File Variants job runs automatically to fix any files that were previously scanned separately before the variant system was introduced.

Viewing File Variants​

When viewing a photo that has file variants:

  • A RAW badge appears on the thumbnail in the photo grid
  • The File Variants section in the lightbox sidebar lists all variants with type badges (RAW, Live Photo, etc.)
  • The primary variant is marked with a Main badge
  • You can download individual variants or include all variants when downloading as a zip

Settings​

In Settings, you can configure:

  • Stack RAW+JPEG — Toggle whether RAW+JPEG pairs should be automatically grouped during scanning

Stacks​

Stacks group different but related captures together. Unlike file variants (same shot, different format), stacks contain separate photos that belong together logically.

Stack Types​

TypeDescriptionDetection
BurstA rapid sequence of photos taken in burst modeAutomatic (via EXIF data, filename patterns, and timestamp proximity)
BracketExposure brackets for HDRManual
ManualAny photos you want to group togetherManual

Automatic Stack Detection​

LibrePhotos can automatically detect burst sequences by analyzing:

  • EXIF data — Burst mode flags and sequence metadata
  • Filename patterns — Common burst naming conventions
  • Timestamp proximity — Photos taken within milliseconds of each other
  • Visual similarity — Comparing photo content

You can trigger stack detection from the Organizing → Stacks page by clicking "Detect Stacks" and choosing which types to detect.

The Organizing Page​

The Organizing page (accessible from the navigation) is your central hub for managing stacks and duplicates. It has two tabs:

Stacks Tab​

  • Browse all detected stacks
  • Filter by stack type (All, Burst, Bracket, Manual)
  • Click a stack to open the Stack Modal showing all photos in the group with details (resolution, file size, camera, date)
  • Set Cover — Choose which photo represents the stack in the timeline
  • Unstack — Remove the grouping
  • View in Lightbox — Browse stack photos in the full lightbox viewer

Creating Manual Stacks​

  1. Select multiple photos from any view
  2. Open the selection actions menu (three-dot menu)
  3. Click "Create Stack"
  4. The selected photos are grouped into a manual stack

Managing Stacks​

From the selection actions menu, you can also:

  • Merge Stacks — Combine multiple stacks into one
  • Remove from Stack — Take selected photos out of a stack
  • Set as Cover — Choose the primary photo for a stack

Stacks in the Lightbox​

When viewing a photo that belongs to a stack:

  • The Stacks section in the sidebar shows thumbnail previews of other photos in the stack
  • Click any thumbnail to switch to that photo
  • Click "View full stack" to open the Stack Modal
  • If a photo is in multiple stacks, they are shown in an accordion grouped by type