diff --git a/darkdraw/load_dur.py b/darkdraw/load_dur.py
index f36eb97..bbd3dbf 100644
--- a/darkdraw/load_dur.py
+++ b/darkdraw/load_dur.py
@@ -78,6 +78,72 @@ def open_dur(vd, p):
                         )
                 rows.append(d)
 
+    frame_ids = {r['id'] for r in rows if r.get('type') == 'frame'}
+    frame_rows = [r for r in rows if r.get('type') == 'frame']
+
+    # Merge duplicate elements across frames
+    merged = {}  # (x, y, text, color) -> set of frame ids
+    for r in rows:
+        if r.get('type') == 'frame':
+            continue
+        key = (r['x'], r['y'], r['text'], r['color'])
+        merged.setdefault(key, set()).add(r['frame'])
+
+    element_rows = []
+    for (x, y, text, color), frames in merged.items():
+        d = dict(x=x, y=y, text=text, color=color)
+        if frames != frame_ids:
+            d['frame'] = ' '.join(sorted(frames, key=int))
+        element_rows.append(d)
+
+    rows = frame_rows + element_rows
+
+    rows = _combine_duplicate_frames(rows)
+
     ddwoutput = '\n'.join(json.dumps(r) for r in rows) + '\n'
 
     return DrawingSheet(p.name, source=Path(str(p.with_suffix('.ddw')), fptext=io.StringIO(ddwoutput))).drawing
+
+
+def _combine_duplicate_frames(rows):
+    'Replace later duplicate frames with another instance of the first matching frame.'
+    def sig(fid):
+        return frozenset(
+            (r['x'], r['y'], r['text'], r['color'])
+            for r in rows
+            if not r.get('type') and fid in r.get('frame', '').split()
+        )
+
+    sigs = {}
+    rename_map = {}  # dup_id -> first_id
+    for r in rows:
+        if r.get('type') != 'frame': continue
+        s = sig(r['id'])
+        if not s: continue
+        if s in sigs:
+            rename_map[r['id']] = sigs[s]
+        else:
+            sigs[s] = r['id']
+
+    if not rename_map: return rows
+
+    out = []
+    dup_ids = set(rename_map)
+    for r in rows:
+        if r.get('type') == 'frame':
+            if r['id'] in dup_ids:
+                r = {**r, 'id': rename_map[r['id']]}
+            out.append(r)
+        else:
+            ids = r.get('frame', '').split()
+            if not ids:
+                out.append(r)
+                continue
+            new_ids = [x for x in ids if x not in dup_ids]
+            if not new_ids:
+                continue
+            if new_ids == ids:
+                out.append(r)
+            else:
+                out.append({**r, 'frame': ' '.join(new_ids)})
+    return out