wet3843

Having a senior moment.

I know I have in the past copied a photo file from one folder to another, leaving the original photo in the original folder, but for some reason I am unable to do this now. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

When you import an image into Lightroom it is your ORIGINAL image. Copies are not necessary as the original image is not touched. You can MOVE the original image but not copy it to another folder.

You can also create a VIRTUAL COPY of the image, you can also create a snapshot of the original image at any point in the editing process, while in the develop module. Snapshots are accessible from the left hand pane when in the develop module.

I my workflow in Lightroom, I would have 1 ORIGINAL on my disk, sorted using metadata, with possible Virtual Copies sitting elsewhere or stacked with my original. If I need to group images for some special reason, I make use of COLLECTIONS within Lightroom.

The whole point of Lightroom as a Digital Asset Manager is to forget about typical Windows file management and make use of the powerful internal database Lightroom uses.... 1 Original file, never touched, unlimited Virtual copies using no disk space, edits stored in the database used when a file is exported (original as the base, saved edits applied to generate the exported file.) If you need special groupings, simply put grouped files into a collection, again issues no disk space, its basically a virtual group.

FWIW : I have 60,000 images in my Lightroom catalog. 1 Catalog and 1 original file for every image, no duplicates. Many collections to group specific images together, the rest sorted and almost instantly accessible via a search using the metadata of the image file....



If you REALLY REALLY want a copy of an original image you would need to export it, then IMPORT it into another folder with a different name.

Jerry G Loc: Waterford, Michigan and Florida

Right click on the file you want to copy, then click copy, right click on the folder you want the copy to be in, click paste. This is best done with two windows open. The problem with this method is you now have duplicate files with the same name that can be edited independently from each other. Renaming the second file would solve that problem.

Bullfrog Bill Loc: CT

Make a Virtual Copy and put it in the other folder or use collections.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Virtual copies are not real, so they cannot be moved or copied.... a VIRTUAL COPY is a representation of the master file. It only exists in the catalog and in computer memory....



There is NO copy command in Lightroom on the right click menu - if you are talking about using Windows File Manager to copy the file then you are explaining how to screw up the Lightroom catalog. As a side note, copying a file in the file manager will not allow Lightroom to edit it, as it will not display or find it unless it is reimported.

Again, IN Lightroom, there is no need to maintain copies of files.... the ORIGINAL master file is NEVER touched or changed by Lightroom, any changes to the file are generated from the original by applying parameters to display what it would look like with the edits applied, to completely bake those edits in and make them actually change the file, an EXPORT must be done, the export takes the parameters, applies them to the original master image and create a new version where specified by the user. The original file still remains untouched on disk.

If a user wishes to group certain files together, the options are

1. Import them or move them into folders based on the grouping criteria.

2. Export an original, rename it then reimport it into Lightroom, placing it within the appropriate folder.

3. Group images logically, using Lightroom's collections - this is a virtual process that does not involve moving any files.

The major hurdle with learning and using Lightroom often is the refusal to forget manual file management, and try to outsmart the database. In most cases, the user loses and spends lots of time trying to fix the "problem", and finally gives up on Lightroom.

All my editing sessions begin and end in Lightroom, not by browsing a folder structure with a file manager. I do not move/copy/change images without launching Lightroom. That way, Lightroom knows what I am doing and can adjust it's catalog appropriately.

BTW - I have never lost an image, had a catalog issue or cursed at Lightroom in almost 5 years....

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

That’s a very good answer!!👍

wet3843

Thanks everyone for your help. Have been able to move forward.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Oy Veh!!!!

A recipe for disaster. Not to mention LR does not have a copy function. You can make a dng version, though.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

Read this carefully it is good advice!

Extending the discussion a bit, consider the file structure and names as see by the OS to be used only outside LR and never changed without telling LR. The OS file structure is primarily used for ease of managing backups. BTW since LR edits or organization never modifies the original files you can backup them exactly once.

Wait! How do you organize and find your stuff if not in the folders? I want to say one word to you. Just one word... COLLECTIONS. Collections can be arranged in a hierarchy as can folders of images. A Collection Set can contain Collections or Collection Sets as can Folders. But while a single image file can be in only one folder a single image can only be in one or many collections.

Once upon a time I imported images into folders labeled with the date taken plus text describing the event or venue which I believe is a common method. For example 2018-10-20 Grandmas Birthday. A few years ago I switched to just the date as the file name and have LR add the images to a collection named the event or venue. I have found collections easier and more useful than keywords.

The memory usage of collections is negligible. A raw file from my current camera averages 35 MB per image. The catalog entry for any sized image is about 7 KB per image or virtual copy. Including an image in a catalog uses just a few bytes. So few I have not been able to estimate the size. I believe using catalogs as the primary organization tool.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

Virtual copies are not in folders and point to the same file as the original file. Copying an original file makes no sense which is why no copy function is in LR. Exactly what would it do?

JD750 Loc: SoCal

"If you REALLY REALLY want a copy of an original image you would need to export it, then IMPORT it into another folder with a different name."

You can also export to a folder of choice and thus skip the import step. I do this frequently when exporting to my /ShootName/output_files folder.