Post by michelb on Jun 21, 2019 7:28:05 GMT
Lightroom users like the ability to create virtual copies from an image. The huge advantage is that only the new develop settings are saved without duplicating the pixel values of the original. No need to waste disk space.
In Elements, you can use Alt + Open to keep the original and open a new virtual version in the editor. Then, the new set of develop settings is not saved. To be able to keep both original and version, you would have to make a redundant copy of the original. That's a pity for raw files with 32 MB size like my Fuji ones.
Suggestion:
After you are happy with the new conversion settings you want to keep separately from the original ones:
- click 'Save' to create a copy in DNG format
- Use the lossy compression for the smallest dimension (don't embed fast load data) and give the new name. Be careful to keep track of the destination subfolder.
- Click "Cancel" to avoid overwriting the previous set of edits (or Alt Open, which does not save the new edits)
- Click "Cancel" to avoid overwriting the previous set of edits (or Alt Open, which does not save the new edits)
I checked that my 32 MB RAF file is now only 246 KB...
You can create many alternative edits to a single original without wasting disk space.
You import those variants in the organizer and preferably stack them to keep them together. The thumbnails show clearly the various results.
Now once you have to edit, print or work in the editor on a full size version of such variants, you have to:
- open the chosen lossy compressed DNG
- do a minimal change (sharpening for instance)
- click 'Done'
Now you open the original raw
- select 'previous' conversion and wait for the new set of instructions to be applied.
- Use Alt Open to open in the editor to avoid overwriting the original edits. Note that if you don't want to risk forgetting the Alt Open, you might also save a lossy DNG version of the original in full size 
.
.