Near-duplicates differ in details that a small thumbnail can hide, especially expression, focus and blocked faces.
What to do
Compare a manageable group from the same moment. Inspect the subject’s eyes and important edges, then choose the frame that meets the intended use. Keep the original sequence until the selection and backup are secure.
A mistake to avoid
Do not select solely by a software score or file order. The technically sharpest frame may still have the least useful expression.
A detail worth checking
Check hands, background interruptions and movement as well as facial expression. A near-duplicate can win on one detail and lose on another, so judge against the photograph’s intended purpose rather than an isolated metric.
Try this practical check
Review one short burst and explain the winning choice in a sentence. If the reason is unclear, compare the final output size rather than pixel-level differences alone.
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