There have been times when I have decided that the settings that I had applied to the Virtual Copy are better than what are on my Master. In this case, I can quickly apply the settings from a virtual copy to the master, by selecting Photo > Set Copy as Master (in the Library module).
Although it’s easy to find your Virtual Copies by using the Filter options in Lightroom, (use the Attribute filter and click the Virtual Copy icon on the far right),
it isn’t as readily apparent how one can create a Smart Collection that automatically finds your Virtual Copies – but it can be done! In the Lightroom 5 Beta, choose Library > New Smart Collection and under the Match category, choose File Name / Type > Copy Name. Then, set the pull down menu to “isn’t empty”.
When you save a snapshot in the Develop module in Lightroom, that snapshot is automatically made available in every Virtual Copy of the image.
By default, when creating Virtual Copies, Lightroom automatically gives each Virtual Copy a sequential copy name: “Copy 1”, “Copy 2”, “Copy 3”, etc. To create a custom name for each Virtual Copy, in the Metadata panel (in the Library module) type the preferred name in the “Copy Name” field.
Note: to see the custom file name in the Grid or Loupe views, you may need to make a change under View >View Options. In the example below, I have set my view options to “Show Grid Extras: Expanded Cells” and my “Expanded Cell Extras” to “Copy Name or File Base Name”. Note that you can also choose to see both Copy and File name.
For more information on Virtual Copies, you may want to watch this video tutorial (When to use Virtual Copies and Snapshots in Lightroom).
Unlike states in the History panel, you can not simply drag snapshots (saved in the Snapshots panel), into the “before” state in Lightroom’s Develop Module. You can, however, Control -click (Mac) / Right Mouse -click (Win) on a snapshot and choose “Copy Snapshot Setting to Before”.
Often, I find that the default “before” history state (which is automatically created when the file is imported), is not the state that I want to compare to the “after” or current state. Fortunately, to compare a different history state, you can simply drag and drop the desired state from the History panel into the “before” preview area. Note: don’t click on the state in the History panel – that will select that state as your current or “after” state: click -drag the state to the Before image.
• Tap the “Y” key to quickly cycle between the Before and After (current state) view.
• Shift + Y toggles the Split screen preview.
And don’t forget, if you reach a point where you like what you’ve done, but want to try a different direction, Command + ‘ (apostrophe) (Mac) | Control + B (Win) + ‘ (apostrophe) creates a virtual copy of your photograph so that you can explore all of your creative variations.
The adjustments (settings) made to a virtual copy are stored in the Lightroom catalog.
Note: The settings for the Master file are saved in the Lightroom catalog as well, but can also be saved within the original DNG file (or in a sidecar file if working with proprietary raw files) if, in Catalog Settings > Metadata “Automatically Write Changes to XMP” is enabled and/or if Metadata > Save Metadata to Files is applied to files when finished editing images. To save settings in JPEG, PSD and TIFF files, check “Include Develop settings in Metadata inside JPEG, TIFF and PSD files” in Catalog Settings > Metadata.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + “ creates a Virtual Copy.
To apply the settings on a virtual copy to the master, select Photo > Set Copy as Master.
Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + N creates a new Snapshot when in the Develop Module.
For more information about when to use Virtual Copies and Snapshots click here for a video…
• Command (Mac) / Control (Win) + “ to create a Virtual Copy.
• To delete a Virtual Copy tap the Delete/Backspace key.
• To quickly find all Virtual Copies in a folder or collection, in the Grid View click Attribute in the Filter bar and select the icon for Virtual Copies (on the far right).
• To change the Virtual Copy into the master file, choose Photo > Set Copy as Master.
In this Episode of the Complete Picture I will breaks down the differences and point out the advantages of using Virtual Copies and Snapshots in Lightroom 3. Since both features were designed for specific talks, discovering what they do best will allow you to take advantage of their strengths. Click here to watch the video…
