pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

It's big issue even if inadvertent and you wipe out your original. Thank you, but I would prefer and edit tool that keeps me from doing dumb thinks. Not everyone has the same background as you. In case you did not know "Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements are the two most common editing software packages on the market and they are both examples of destructive editing applications."

CliffMcKenzie Loc: Lake Athens Texas

Why does Lightroom not have "save as"? The answer to this, Grasshopper, will start you on a long journey of the enchantment as why Adobe has both products.

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

Totally agree with you !

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I always save to the same folder to keep all the <same> images together. I don't like "spreading them out". The new name defines it. I don't overwrite the original either.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Lightroom DOES have 'save as'. It is just not labelled as such.
The export button does it. It brings up a dialog wherein you can specify the output name and format and even the location.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

It is a HUGE issue for some folks who are absent minded or prone to accidents. "Non-destructive" means the original file is preserved, NO MATTER WHAT, unless you deliberately delete it.

The mere existence of many file recovery software tools is a testament to how common unwanted data loss can be.

At the lab where I worked, we used Photoshop for retouching on 12 workstations used on two shifts. We had people delete files accidentally on a daily basis, until we made all the source files accessible to retouchers READ ONLY. After that, they had to rename a file to save it.

photoman43

Well stated! I only use RAW processors that are non destructive. I currently use DXO PL6. I often go back and tweak a previously processed image.

CliffMcKenzie Loc: Lake Athens Texas

In accounting, in construction\development is called Work in Process (WIP), when the product is finished "export" or sold. LR follows the WIP process. At any time you can reverse the process (see Development\History). When it is finished you "export" it. Once you export it you cannot reverse the process.

My next class starts in late July.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I started with the first version of Photoshop, long before Lightroom came along. I learned how to use it non-destructively using layers. Photoshop does things I can't do in Lightroom, and I pay attention to what I am doing and have never lost an original file. When I am done with the layered file I still Save As and keep the original RAW file.

AlanZ

I always save two sets files on two different media's. Hard drvie, flash drive or even on SD cards and never touch one.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Actually, LR keeps the history so you can actually go back and modify the edits. (1) that does not do anything to an image you exported; (2) If you go back to a point in the history and modify it, you lose the history of the edits past that point.

However, you can produce a virtual copy in LR. That locks in the history. You can then go to the original and modify the history. You lose the history past your modification, but you have preserved that in the virtual copy. You now have two versions of the image.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Following best practice with PS you can go a long way toward a fully non-destructive raw workflow, but you can't attain 100%. Photoshop is only partially non-destructive and there are situations where it will bite you in the *ss and force you to unnecessarily do work over in order to make a change. That's enough for me to avoid it.

CliffMcKenzie Loc: Lake Athens Texas

You have to ask yourself a question, why does LR exist in light of PS? Most responses you see here in defense of "save as" are original PS users who cannot answer the question. They never transitioned to LR for image processing. Kelby several years ago said he used LR 90% of the time. I would say in light of LR continued development, it is about 98% of the time.

Your last statement regarding Virtual Copy is misplaced in the "save as" vs "export" argument. In LR, you use Snapshot in Development module. The history is not baked into the image. When you use Virtual Copy you create an entirely new original at that point in time.

[By the way, thank you for your responses. I start teaching again shortly and it really helps for helpful debate to get ready]

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

I think 98% may be overly optimistic, but regardless it's not 100%. I still don't achieve 100% using C1 but I'm way out ahead of LR and that's why I left LR in 2013. Recent LR development hasn't changed that for me. LR is a 100% non-destructive parametric editor and as such supports my goal of a 100% non-destructive and non-linearly re-editable raw workflow. But for that to work you have to be able to complete your editing in LR and there's the rub -- specifically re-touch, cloning and healing work.

MJPerini

The Term 'non-destructive' comes from the early days of digital. It is not the best term, but it is what we have.
In the beginning RAW files were not available. Cameras shot raw data but output JPEGs. Then as people began to experiment with post camera conversion, RAW converters were born. Like Adobe Camera RAW.
Photoshop is a pixel level editor. Once you change the pixels, they are changed. Thats why the Photoshop photography mantra was "Always work on a copy' and keep your originals secure.
The first "non- destructive' image editor was (I THINK) Apple's Aperture, which was followed by Lightroom
Both of those, separated the originals, created a 'Preview' and used "Recipes" or instruction sets as overlays and applied them on output. So unless a mistake is made in safeguarding the original, "Destructive / non-destructive editing is pretty much a non issue.
Most Photo editing applications work this way now so it is hardly ever a problem unless editing and re saving JPEGs (which re-apples the compression algorithm)
So no Photo editing application HAS to be 'destructive' some can be if you do not take care to safeguard your original.
In any piece of software , it is important to understand how it works and what it does to your file at each step, so you can use it the way that works best for you, and so you always remain in control.