mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

What you are doing does not give you the same capabilities as virtual copies. I'm not sure you appreciate the incredible flexibility that virtual copies provide. It's about multiple virtual versions of the same raw file and the ability to selectively pass on attributes to the different versions and to further make virtual copies of the virtual copies to pass additional attributes to them. All in raw. You could if you wished have several hundred virtual copies of a single raw file with a variety of different paths with different attributes.

What can be accomplished with virtual copies simply cannot be accomplished any other way except perhaps by making multiple copies of the original raw file each with a different name and even then selectively passing on attributes of one to another and having some with one set of attributes, others with another set, and still others with combinations would be virtually impossible to manage and removing selective attributes from different versions would be virtually impossible. Virtual copies opens up a whole world of flexibility.

What you are describing is not the same functionality. It's not about passing attributes to other photographs. And the changes you can make to virtual copies includes all of the features in LR, a number of which are not in Camera Raw. I often use Virtual copies to try out different enhancements combinations to different versions of the same virtual image. Quick and easy, and in the end there is only one physical version of the image. It's hard to understand how incredibly useful this feature is if you have not spent time with it.

I've recently moved on from LR to the new DXO Photo Lab which I personally prefer on a few levels. However I only did that after I confirmed that Photo Lab also supports virtual copies. A lot of Photoshop users seem to believe that Lightroom is nothing more than ACR with a different interface.The Develop module in LR is much more than that.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I am confident that I can appreciate what can be done with virtual copies. The fact is I rarely have need for them. In the case where I might want to see how a photo might look processed a different way, I'll simply rename the .xml file in a manner that allows me to identify it at a later date, if need be. Then, start processing the image again. That works flawlessly for me.
--Bob

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I certainly support whatever works best for you. And I am, of course, not suggesting that the different interface and the additional Develop raw file features that LR provides will fit everyone's needs.

I guess the real reason for my earlier post is that too many PS users seem to believe that Lightroom provides nothing more than ACR functionality in a different interface and therefore adds value primarily as just an organizer. That is not accurate as there other extremely useful Develop module features which work on raw files and are not in ACR. Virtual copies is just one of them. There is a reason, other than file organization, that many experienced PS users edit their raw files in LR as a front end to PS and bypass ACR altogether.

Doowopa Loc: Connecticut

Thanks
Guess I misunderstood the question.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Duplicate.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Snapshots are also available in Lightroom. While similar in some respects, snapshots and virtual copies are implemented and work somewhat differently. Here's a comparison:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/photographylife.com/snapshot-vs-virtual-copy-in-lightroom/amp

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Use the Develop module in Lr Classic CC 2018. It IS Adobe Camera Raw with a better interface (once you get to know it).

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Try using Bridge in conjunction with PSCC. Your imported images will still open in ACR.