Lossless Lightroom?

[dougscroggins]

<p>Thanks all in advance for any help with my question. I have searched the net and even referenced many of the turorial videos on Adobe's site, but I cannot find an answer to what is probably an easily answered question. I understand Lightroom corrections are "losless" and that adjustments made to my Raw files are supposed to not alter the original file saved on my computer. However, when I make adjustments to the photos, I have no idea how to get the original back. For example, I have made a vignette adjustment on a photo taken during a maternity shoot I did for a friend, but now I would like to do different adjustments to the original without the vignetting I applied. Am I doing something wrong? I have considered duplicating the file for the number of variations I with to pursue, but that seems way too time consuming. Thanks again for any help in addressing my dilemna. </p>

[rycelow]

<p>At the bottom of the Develop tool bar are two buttons called <strong>Previous</strong> and <strong>Restore</strong> . The Previous button will undo the last change you made one at a time. The Restore button will undo all changes made and reset the Raw to its original state.</p>

 

[simon27]

<p>You can create a virtual copy of the image (right click on it in Library mode) and then Reset it in Develop mode to get back to the original file.</p>

<p>- s.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>In the Develop module , the left panel has at its bottom a History panel which shows every change you have made since you imported the file to Lightroom. You can see what you've used and to what extent. You can dip in and out of that wherever you want and see the effect of regressing to that point. <br>

Note that some of the history will be overwritten if you (for example) go back halfway through your edit and make further changes from there. So if you want to start off editing in the same with a particular image and finish differently, then best to make a copy and name it accordingly if you don't want to lose your original editing path.</p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>develop module , hit reset on the bottom.</p>

[richsimmons]

<p>You can also make snapshots of different versions using the same photo inside the development module.</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>There are a couple of ways. In the Develop module, look at the History drop-down on the left panel. Click on any step (line) in the history to see how the image looked at that stage of development. You can then export the image with the settings up to that point if you want. Using the Reset button will take away all your changes, but not clear the History. Clicking on the 'X' in the top right of the History menu will clear all the changes you made.</p>

<p>Ctrl+z is undo, and ctrl+y is redo, step by step. The undo command will even restore a cleared History if you 'undo' before you close Lightroom. If you delete the History, clicking Reset will still return the file to the original state. Also, check out the LR Help...type in 'undo' and read what the search returns for how to go to and keep any step point in the History. Click Reset and then Clear History do do away with all changes.</p>

[dougscroggins]

<p>Okay I think I should have clarified a little better maybe. I understand the history, undo, redo, and the method to revert to any point in your adjustment process via the "history" tab. I have used virtual copy and it looks great I just don't fully understand what it is doing when I make a virtual copy. Is it making a duplicate Raw file in the same folder, thus leaving the original untouched? If that is the case then it surely is the route I will take in the future when making adjustments to my original. Thanks again for all who took the time to reply and also for any who decide to assist me further.</p>

<p> </p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Douglas if I'm following you right it should be pretty easy to tell- when you've used virtual copy do you get a copy of the original raw file in the folder in which you raw files are held? I would have thought not, and given the "virtual" copy and the way Lightroom works I'd have thought that the virtual copy is an alternative set of edit instructions to be applied to the same raw file, and would not exist outside the Lightroom catalogue. For example when you delete a virtual copy you only have the option to delete from Lightroom- not from the disk in total - which indicates I think that the same single raw file is being used as the base for more than one set of LR edit instructions. If there were multiple raw files created then presumably they'd give you the opportunity to delete one when you delete the virtual copy.</p>

<p>Going back to your first post, you can select from the history panel the point immediately before your vignetting and make a virtual copy from there, carrying out further editing on the copy as you desire. </p>

<p> I don't think there would be anything to prevent you copying the raw file in the originating folder and then importing the copy into LR for editing. However given your original remains unaltered by any editing you do in Lightroom, I wonder what the point of that might be vs the quicker and less space intensive "one raw file, several virtual copies" route that Lightroom facilitates.</p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>no the virtual copy, his like is name only virtual. it exist only in Lightrrom until you trash it. But im not sure you fully undertand what you say you understand..because you wouldtn ask that question : )</p>

<p>your raw image (your original) are untouched even with all the setting you do until you export them; if you dont want the setting anymore, just reset it. if you dont want to copy the setting to a CD with your raw..simply delete the xmp file that is normally aside of it. Dont complicate your life, virtual copy exist in part when people want to have different visual of the same image; a bw, a color pop one, a desaturated one of the same original..theres no point of creating a virtual copy to get one look only, it will just be more confusing having twice the same image on screen.</p>

[dougscroggins]

<p>Thank you all again so much for taking the time to help me out. David your explanation makes perfect sense and your right I could have merely checked in my original folder after making a virtual copy to see if there was an additional raw file added. Duh:) I guess I will just have to fiddle around to find which method of making duplicate, although varying in style, images from the same original. Thanks again to all who took the time to assist me in better understanding what is going on here.</p>