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Per-Image Type Media Limits During Import

LaunchBox for Windows

📋Summary

Improve the media import process in LaunchBox by allowing users to set separate download limits for different image types (e.g., logos, box art, screenshots). This would avoid unnecessary duplicate downloads from EmuMovies when high-quality media already exists from the LaunchBox Games Database.

❗Problem

Currently, LaunchBox applies a single global media limit across all image categories during import. If a user sets a media limit of 3 (to grab multiple screenshots), it also applies 3 downloads for clear logos, box fronts, etc. This can result in unwanted duplicate media being pulled from EmuMovies, even when a higher-quality version already exists from the LaunchBox Database.

Additionally, minor variations in file size or quality between EmuMovies and LaunchBox DB media cause LaunchBox to treat them as separate files, cluttering libraries unnecessarily.

💡Proposal

  • Add an option during the import process to set separate media limits for each image type (e.g., 1 Clear Logo, 1 Box Front, 3 Screenshots, etc.)

  • If media already exists from the LaunchBox DB, automatically uncheck that category in the EmuMovies section unless the user manually forces it

  • Improve media cleaning tools to better detect near-duplicate images based on metadata and minor quality difference

✅Benefits

  • Prevents unnecessary downloads when high-quality media already exists

  • Allows finer control over how much media is downloaded for different categories

  • Reduces library clutter caused by duplicate or near-duplicate media

  • Saves download time and storage space by eliminating redundant files 🎨📂⚡

Posted by Elhora ¡
Status: Open To Community5 comments

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Comments5

  • AstroBob

    Team•

    Apr 28, 2025

    Hiya,

    Thanks for the feedback! Just to clarify, LaunchBox already prevents downloading duplicate files during the import process — if a media file already exists in your library, it won’t re-download it.

    However, if users have their image count set higher (like 2 or more), it’s possible to pull similar or duplicate images from both the LaunchBox DB and EmuMovies (if both exist in both databases). In rare cases, a mismatch in the MD5 hash between our DB and EmuMovies could cause duplicates, but we’ve greatly minimized that with automated checks.

    That said, LaunchBox will always prioritise media from the LaunchBox game’s database, so if you have your image count set to 1, even if all the emumovies options are checked you don’t need to worry about that, since it will only download from the games database.

    Hope that anwsers you’re question, would you say that solves your initial request or if there’s something else this covers please let me know and we can flesh this out for you.

    Cheers,

    • Elhora

      •

      Apr 28, 2025

      Thanks for the answer. It’s not like my Launchbox seems to work.

      For example, right now i’m adding manually some windows games.

      My count is set to 3, due to some games having more than 1 or 2 screenshots.

      The thing is that, for example, some front box, 3d box or clear logo are higer quality in LB than in Emumovies… But LB will download them all, meaning i have double logo, boxes, etc… because even the picture is the same, if size or quality is slightly different, it will be considered as different pics. And the “cleaning media” after wont do the magic expected…

      Or i am doind something wrong…

      What i was expecting in the import process if that if a clear logo is found in LB, then the clear logo is unchecked for emumovies, so that way, only “manually forced download” would happen

      • AstroBob

        Team•

        Apr 28, 2025

        Thanks for the update there. This is a known limmitation with the media counts, in that they apply to ALL image cateogires. So for example, you wan’t to download 3 screenshots but only 1 clear logo, the only way to do that is to run 2 different imports, one where you only select the clear logo’s and set the count to 1, and the other with the screenshots selected and limit set to 3.

        It sounds like that would actually be the request here, where you can specify image limits per group, so that you can do everything in a single import.

        If you agree with that, i can go ahead and get that fleshed out for you

        • Elhora

          •

          Apr 28, 2025

          Yes that's exactly what I mean. :)

          • AstroBob

            Team•

            Apr 29, 2025

            Perfect!

            I’ve gone ahead and fleshed out the main idea using the info you provided, and I’m opening it up to the community for further discussion and feedback. Please let me know if this fleshed-out version doesn’t match your original intended request.

            Feel free to let me know if you have any extra thoughts, examples, or edge cases you think might be relevant!