Sunday, July 13, 2025

Digital Copies & Snapshots Strategies • PhotoTraces


If you wish to study easy methods to duplicate a photograph in Lightroom, you could learn this text.

To duplicate a photograph in Lightroom, choose the picture you wish to duplicate within the Library or Develop module, right-click and select the Crate Digital Copy possibility. Lightroom will create a brand new set of modifying directions referred to as Digital Copy with out duplicating the unique RAW picture.

Most of my Lightroom articles are the results of me answering questions that I obtain from readers on my weblog. After I see a sure query requested repeatedly, I write a devoted tutorial or an article on the subject. Right this moment’s tutorial is not any completely different as I deal with the incessantly requested query, “How do I duplicate a photograph in Lightroom?”

After I see this or an analogous query, I instantly know the photographer who posted the query is comparatively new to Lightroom and doesn’t but absolutely perceive how this system works or handles photographs.

Once we edit photographs in Photoshop or an analogous modifying program and we wish to create one other model of our work, we usually use the SAVE AS command to duplicate the file earlier than we begin engaged on a brand new model.

In Photoshop, once you begin modifying a 25MB RAW file, you’ll be able to find yourself with wherever between three to 5 modifying variations which can be over 1GB every in measurement by the tip of the method. That is precisely how the picture modifying workflow ran earlier than Lightroom was launched.

One of many causes Lightroom was created was to alter the ineffectiveness of Photoshop modifying as a result of this system was not suited to processing a big quantity of digital photographs.

Lightroom Non-Harmful Modifying

Lightroom was constructed on the cornerstone of nondestructive RAW modifying. The RAW file is a mix of voltage knowledge collected from every pixel of the digital sensor. To see the illustration of the info, you want a RAW converter. For those who shoot JPEG, the digicam’s picture processor interprets the info collected from the sensor and converts it right into a JPEG picture.

Whenever you shoot RAW, the method of changing knowledge collected from the digicam’s sensor is finished by Lightroom. It takes the uncooked knowledge and interprets it based mostly on a set of parameters often called a profile and creates a visible illustration within the type of a JPEG preview.

For instance, once you transfer the Publicity slider to +1 within the Develop Module, Lightroom creates a JPEG preview that’s one cease brighter. The unique RAW file stays untouched; the one factor that’s modified is the JPEG preview.

That is referred to as Nondestructive Uncooked Modifying.

How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 1How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 1
The RAW picture with the XMP file with modifying directions.

Due to nondestructive uncooked modifying, Lightroom customers can take pleasure in some distinctive functionalities that substitute picture duplications.

The best way to Duplicate A Photograph in Lightroom

Listed below are 3 strategies of easy methods to duplicate a photograph in Lightroom, leveraging nondestructive modifying.

1. The best way to Duplicate Photograph in Lightroom With Digital Copies

Whenever you experiment with modifying and wish to create a unique model of your picture, Lightroom creates a digital copy as an alternative of duplicating the picture. The digital copy is nothing aside from a brand new set of modifying directions for the unique picture.

In Lightroom, choose any picture, Proper Click on (Choice-Click on on Mac), and choose the Create Digital Copy possibility. Within the filmstrip, the digital copy will seem subsequent to the unique file.

creating virtual copy in library modulecreating virtual copy in library module

Now you can edit each variations independently and create completely different modifying variations. As an alternative of duplicating the unique RAW file, Lightroom creates two units of directions and creates the JPEG previews based mostly on these directions.

virtual copy can be found in the image filmstripvirtual copy can be found in the image filmstrip

What’s a Digital Copy?

Digital copy in Lightroom is a characteristic that permits you to save your work as a brand new model with out duplicating the unique picture. As an alternative, Lightroom creates a brand new model of the XMP sidecar file the place it retains modifying directions. Whenever you bounce from one digital copy to a different, the unique picture stays untouched quite than Lightroom hundreds acceptable XMP sidecar directions.

You possibly can create a vast variety of digital copies for a similar picture. Due to nondestructive modifying, the unique RAW picture by no means adjustments; what adjustments are the modifying directions which can be saved within the textual content file (.XMP file), which you’ll find subsequent to the unique RAW picture.

2. The best way to Duplicate A Photograph in Lightroom With Snapshots Panel

Regardless that the Digital Copy is a really helpful performance, I favor one other choice to create a number of modifying variations—the Snapshot.

See additionally: Utilizing Earlier than and After in Lightroom

On the left facet of the Develop Module, you can find the Snapshot Panel. At any time throughout the modifying course of, it can save you all of your modifying steps and changes as a Snapshot.

How to Duplicate A Photo in Lightroom With Snapshots PanelHow to Duplicate A Photo in Lightroom With Snapshots Panel

The Snapshot performance lets you create intermediate steps throughout the modifying course of that you would be able to bounce again to at any time. On this case, the snapshots function milestones in your Historical past Panel.

I take advantage of Snapshot performance otherwise. I solely save my full modifying variations as Snapshots. As soon as I end modifying and I like what I see, I reserve it as a Snapshot and rename it as “Lightroom Modifying Formulation.” Subsequent, I hit the Reset button and begin modifying from scratch to create one other variation by cropping it otherwise or utilizing a unique shade remedy. When I’m completed, I reserve it as a brand new Snapshot and begin over once more.

How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 2How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 2

When utilizing the Snapshot performance, I can have 10 completely different modifying variations of the identical picture with out ever making a Digital Copy. I discover this strategy a lot neater in relation to picture group.

Bonus: Duplicating the Authentic RAW Photograph On Export

If for some purpose you wish to duplicate the unique picture, there may be an possibility in Lightroom for that as nicely.

You need to use the EXPORT command. As soon as the Export Module is activated, choose the ORIGINAL possibility from the FILE SETTINGS part.

And hit the Export Button.

How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 3How to Duplicate a Photo in Lightroom: Virtual Copies & Snapshots Methods 3

The best way to Duplicate a Photograph in Lightroom: Conclusion

As you’ll be able to see, Lightroom presents us 3 distinctive methods to duplicate any given picture in Lightroom. The Digital Copy and Snapshot strategies make use of the facility of nondestructive editings the place the unique picture file at all times stays untouched.

The third technique, duplication of a picture on export, is predicated on conventional file dealing with once you replicate an authentic picture.

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