New Masters vs. New Versions

Question

OK, I understand that when you choose to edit a file in an external editor, Aperture creates a new master file, therefore the file you edit in Photoshop loses its association with the version from which it was originally created.
But when you then edit that same image in Aperture after having already edited it in Photoshop, does Aperture create a distinct master then as well?
For example, say I take an image into Photoshop to add soft focus and vignette, then after saving/closing and moving back to Aperture I later decide that image needs a little noise reduction and edge sharpening. When I perform these adjustments, Aperture creates another version rather than editing the existing version that was opened in Photoshop. This behavior is perfectly acceptable to me, as long as I know how it keeps track of these in its master/version architecture. Once I've flattened a Photoshop file then added sharpening and reduced noise from within Aperture, I really don't need the Photoshopped version anymore because the final image is in Aperture, while the Photoshop version is just taking up precious space.
What I need to know is if the newly created Aperture version relies on the Photoshopped master version to create itself? Can I delete the Photoshop master once I've made additional adjustments in Aperture afterwards without adversely affecting the version I want to keep? It's difficult to tell because the warning dialog is a bit scary when it says:
"Deleting the selected versions will move 10 master image files to the trash. The versions and all associated metadata will be permanently removed from your library and vaults.
You won't be able to undo this operation OR any operations performed since you opened Aperture.
Do you wish to continue?"
What I've done to cause this dialog to appear: I have selected a stack of 10 images that were edited in Photoshop and attempted to delete these versions from the library. Before I click "remove" I need to be certain that it won't also delete the 10 versions I edited in Aperture after having returned from Photoshop.
Anyone have experience with this?
iMac Intel Core Duo   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   2 GB SDRAM - 256 MB VRAM

Answer 1

Do not delete masters. Aperture does not create new
masters. There is no such thing as a new master from
an older one. Masters are untouched files that never
get duplicated (unless you export one and then
re-import it).
Version are all the other "files." Masters are the
original RAW files. (Or TIF/JPEG/PSD files you
import.)
At least that's how I understand Aperture works.
That's how I understand it as well. But the interesting thing is that as inside travels said, when I opened in external editor (CS2), made changes and saved, a new version .psd file was created. I then made a copy of that as a new version, and now if I go to delete any of the versions either the psd file or the version of the psd file or the original "master" file, I get a message that says deleteing this file will delete 3 masters and all versions. I thought perhaps because the files seemed to default to stacked that if I unstacked that might change it, but it didn't. So now I'm afraid to delete any versions for worry of deleting master files as well. The prompt also says the action is irreversable. Is this how the program should behave???