How does on get Aperture to rename edited versions of a file

Question

When I edit a photo, I would like Aperture to apend the edited file with a number, as in the way Lightroom does, how do I accomplish this?  The reason for this is to look at the name and know which file is which in the editing process.  If Aperture handles this in another way, I am open to this.  Example as follows: Imported file = MMC_993 imported into a project.  I would like the various edits of MMC_993 and each edit there after to be MMC_993_x when x=an additional number or letter.

Answer 1

Lightroom and Aperture work much the same way. There is a Master file which is never touched and is always viewed through another file. In Aperture, these files are called Versions. Every Master has at least one Version. I am not familiar enough with Lightroom to understand exactly what LR is doing, but there are a few options in AP that are very close:
-- As Frank said, there is the "Create new Version when Adjusting" options. It works, of course, but it tends to proliferate Versions to little purpose.
I prefer one of these approaches, which you envoke manually:
-- Duplicate Version: This gets you a new Version WITH all of your Adjustments to date, or,
-- New Version from Master: As you would expect, this gets you a pristine new Version, with no adjustments. Much like a "revert" command.
The new file will be a Version not a Master and the name will be "Original Name - Version 2" This seems to be exactly what you want.
As far as naming goes, you can, of course, name as you wish. The way Aperture works, I never bother to rename files; I simply don't find the file name to be useful. The one exception might be making a new Version and wanting to remember WHY I bothered to make the new Version, so I might append notes like: "Postcard Layout" or "8x10 print." I suspect that a B&W conversion might be self evident, even to me.
Others use file names and Aperture has lots of tools to rename files, etc.
Hope this is helpful.
DiploStrat