Virtual Copies Keep Spawning!

Hey all,
I've been talking to a friend who also used LR and I've noticed that every time she makes a change to one of the images, it generates a virtual copy. Anytime a change is made, no matter how small, another copy is made. She's tried to figure out how to change or even turn this off, but she can't. Any thoughts on this? She'll make a ton of edits but the virtual copies keep on spawning with every change she makes. If she ever deletes one of the copies, all of the virtual copies disappear, even the source image is deleted.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Jake

It wouldn't normally happen. She's probably doing one or more of
hitting the shortcut to create VCs (PC) Ctrl ' (Mac) Cmd '
creating new collections and selecting the box to create VCs
working in Develop in Soft Proof mode and set told the dialog not to show - reset this in Preferences / General / Reset all warning dialogs

Similar Messages

Virtual copies naming issue

When I created a virtual copy of an image in LR3, and then I renamed the images, the virtual copies would have the new name with a hyphen.
i.e if there were two virtual copies associate with the file, the renamed sequence would be as follows jcp0001, jcp0001-1(vc), jcp0001-2(vc), jcp0004
This had the advantage of keeping my file numbers in sync when I uploaded them to my online lab (Pictage) and the client gave me a file name.
In LR4 renaming sequencing doesn't take into account the virtual copies in terms of the chronological # and compensating for the vcs. So the same sequence would be jcp0001, jcp0001-copy(vc), jcp0001-copy2(vc), jcp0002
This has the affect of misaligning my files with those of the online host. I have searched for how to adjust this, but cannot find a solution.
Anyone know of one?
Many thanks in advance!
Justine

The copy names are included in the exported filenames, but the way they are named by LR has changed from LR3 to LR4. The numbered sequence no longer "counts" the virtual copies as taking up a chronological number space. I know it's really confusing to explain!
But think of it this way, LR now counts the first master file as 0001, and the next master file as 0002, but there are 2 virtual copies of 0001. So when I export them, master file 0002 is really the 4th file in the list, and then I have a discrepancy between my hard drive files and the ones online the client is seeing (they see it as image 0004, when it's really file 0002). Does that make the problem clearer?
Thanks,
Justine

How to make copies/duplicates of photos in LR4 - NOT Virtual Copies

Can someone tell me if there is a SIMPLE way to make a copy or duplicate of a photo in LR4. In otherwords, you have a photo image in one folder and you want to make a copy and move it to another folder or subfolder and that copy is identical in EVERY aspect to the original photo and can be edited, manipulated, etc. without affecting the original. I can find nothing on this subject - all I keep getting is this VIRTUAL COPY which is NOT like the original and cannot be moved without the original (Master) going along with it. What's the problem? Every image program I know of can do this. BTW this in on a Mac Lion (10.8.4). Thank you, Brad

Rikk Flohr wrote:
new location - do not rename
Or same (or different) location, and do rename.
I do this regularly, but only for testing purposes. Note: Some people don't want to use virtual copies, because they are handled as "2nd class citizens" by Lightroom (e.g. not saved in xmp, and must tag along with master base copy...).
That said, I agree that care should be taken when having multiple (real) copies of same file, especially if they have the same filename (which I don't recommend, unless you really know what you are doing, and why...).
Rob

Merging virtual copies back into original

Hi,
I'm using Lightroom 2 and have finally got round to creating a single master catalogue from all of my yearly ones.
Somehow during the importing I managed to pull in a load (1400) photos without their develop settings.
This would have been fine if I'd noticed before spending days reorganising my keywords.
Thanks to lightroom being able to detect duplicates on import from catalogue, I've managed to re-import the "developed" versions, keeping the originals as virtual copies. This means I now have a set of 1400 original images with the correct developing changes (and no keywords) - each one has a single virtual copy with no developing but the correct keywords.
Can anyone think of a way of copying the keywords back into the originals for all 1400 photos? I want to get rid of the virtual copies.
Seems like there should be some way of doing this?
Cheers in advance for any advice.
Nick

Hi,
I did originally import the photos from catalogue - the problem is I got out of sync somehow (PEBKAC - I probably developed in the original catalogue and keyworded in the new master one).
However, LR2 thankfully allowed me to reimport the settings for each photo and I used "create a virtual copy" thankfully - otherwise I'd have wiped out my tidied up keywords.
Problem is as below...
               develop settings     keywords
Original       correct                  none (I intentionally deleted the crappy old ones)
VC              wrong                   correct
All I want to do is copy the keywords from the VC to the orig (but for 1400 photos)
Nick

Retaining Virtual Copies

Something Sean McCormack wrote about losing data, made me wonder why can't LR save virtual copies.
If LR could write a VC xmp file to go alongside the main XMP file or better if LR could write the VC data into the main XMP file, then the problem of losing VCs if one need to rebuild catalogues would be solved.
If one could also save collections data as a text file to reimport in case of catalogue failure/corruption/back up problems, that would be good too.
In fact a single export button for all prefences, setttings, presets, collections, keywords would be great.
[For all your products in fact as it's such a time consuming task to redo all one's personal settings and tweaks. PS lost them all the other day, for no reason that I can think of. Don't recall PS crashing or anything.]
Even if you carefully back up your LR catalogue, you are stuffed if what is backed up is also damaged. I have some corrupted images, also backed up to two other places, but all the back ups are also damaged too as the original files were damaged by 'disk error/bad cable connection'. I only discovered this a couple of years after the files were last accessed and needed to use them again. So even if one did back ups where you gradually replaced the data, you'd only find out too late. Ironically you are more likely to caught out by this if you back more often.

Have you tried extracting the page (Tools > Pages > Extract) and then inserting it (Tools > Pages > Insert from File)?
It would also be possible to do with a script that makes the page a template, spawns it as a new page, and then deletes the template. This could be made into a custom menu item or toolbar button if you need to do this sort of thing a lot.
Here's some code that will add a duplicate page of the one that's currently being viewed just after it:
// Duplicate the current page
createTemplate("t1", pageNum).spawn({nPage: pageNum + 1, bOverlay: false});
removeTemplate("t1");
This code can be run from the interactive JavaScript console (Ctrl+J) by selecting all of the lines and hitting Ctrl+Enter, or Enter on the numeric keypad.

Option to add Virtual-Copies to DNG -exists?

Option to add Virtual-Copies to DNG -exists?
..or only "convert virtual-copy-into-DNG" ?
( ..Not what I consider acceptable option :
Evolved (history)states of virtual-copies could be copied back temporarely to the original file's history, then "save as a snapshot" (then not forget that you do have such snaphots), then come back in its history stage befor pasting/or synchronizing and perform an insifignant change -in order to keep different versions of that photo...)

Same problem here.
/usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware: /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libpng12.so.0/libpng12.so.0: no version information available (required by /usr/lib/libgdk_pixbuf-2.0.so.0)
/usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware: /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgcc_s.so.1/libgcc_s.so.1: version `GCC_4.2.0' not found (required by /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6)
/usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware: /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libpng12.so.0/libpng12.so.0: no version information available (required by /usr/lib/libcairo.so.2)
/bin/bash: /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgcc_s.so.1/libgcc_s.so.1: version `GCC_4.2.0' not found (required by /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6)
/usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware: error while loading shared libraries: libexpat.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
However, when running as root vmware works, but browsing for a VM does not.
(vmware:7926): libgnomevfs-CRITICAL **: gnome_vfs_uri_unref: assertion `uri != NULL' failed
(vmware:7926): libgnomevfs-WARNING **: Cannot load module `/usr/lib/gnome-vfs-2.0/modules/libfile.so' (/usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgcc_s.so.1/libgcc_s.so.1: version `GCC_4.2.0' not found (required by /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6))
Permissions/path/module issue?

Lightroom virtual copies question

One of the advantages of virtual copies is thet you can have several copies, each with different processing for later comparison. Is there a consensus as to where you can keep notes unique to each virtual copy of the processing used.? The ol' mind sometimes leaks too much to remember what I did to each virtual copy and the history list is sometimes too cryptic to help.

Notes is something I really need. If LR created a place for us to store such notes, it would not be in the metadata and would not follow the image out of LR. Maybe that's OK. However, it isn't an issue because they don't provide anywhere for notes.
Since I really needed to know what I do with various photos outside of LR (usually PS), I started using the metadata field Special Instructions (called Instructions in LR) for putting in notes. These fields are all pretty imited in length. Special Instructions is one of the longer one at 256 characters. So I don't give details, just the general direction of what I did.
Note, if you do this, it just might show up in displayed metadata information. For example, flickr displays this field. I figure people don't need to know EVERYTHING, so I strip out this field before I upload. I was doing other metadata munging anyway to merge my location fields into description, so it wasn't a big deal for me.
Judy

Finding all "virtual copies" in my database

For a couple months now, I have been using virtual copies for certain tasks which I now realize would have been much easier done if I had chosen to use snapshots instead. Now i have dozens of virtual copies of my RAW images scattered all over the place, and I can't seem to find a way to quickly gather them all up into one place so that I can deal with them...Is there a way to do this, or does it really have to be done by manually going through my entire collection of images and keeping an eye out for the page curl icon on each virtual copy's thumbnail? Please advise...Thanks!

Disagree John
I'll pollute my keyword the way i like. I don't use KWords a great deal, but for this situation it would provide the ideal solution, so the user does not have to keep chopping and changing between modules as one edits there images.
That is what keywords are for. To allow the user to filter/view there images according to there own desires. I create a keyword "virtual copy" for all my VC, but it is annoying to have to go back to the library from the develop module to do this for each individual image.
Also, VC and greyscale are 2 particular and unique editing option provided in the develop module within LR, that require DB management in bulk.

Can not find virtual copies in Windows folder.

I can not remember to have encountered this before, so here I go: I just created a virtual copy of some photos from my summer holiday, and all works well. But when I needed to access these photos going the Windows' way (Windows/My Pictures that is), the virtual copies do not appear in my YYYYMM folder. Going back to LR though, they will appear there with a /Copy 1 extension. RIghtclicking the VC, then "Show in Explorer" will highlight the original in the folder, the VC still not being there. Part of the frustration is that I can not remember this happening before (or maybe it has), so I'm wondering if I by accident have changed any settings.
Running LR 4.1 on Windows 7 64-bit.
Thanks in advance.

Andrew Rodney wrote:
richardplondon wrote:
My only point, was an observation that there is very little actual practical difference between a virtual copy and a "master" ANYWAY.
So you have 1 master (an actual raw) and 10 VC’s. What happens to the VC’s if the master gets corrupted?
If your master has say Adobe Standard as the DNG Profile but the VC has a custom DNG profile, what happens to the VC if that profie goes missing or gets corrupted? Try it.
If by "master", you mean the Raw file on disk, then if that is corrupted (something I have never yet experienced IIRC; although I still backup against this possibility) then certainly, all images derived from that will suffer. However adding VCs does not increase the absolute risk of that. The way I was using "master", was to refer to the one LR metadata set which, unlike a VC metadata set, currently asserts a functional link to the source file. If that LR metadata set were to get corrupted, (something I have never yet experienced either IIRC, although I still backup against that possibility too) then I might be glad of a VC which I could immediately promote to that role and status instead.
Certainly bad things may happen to a VC if a required external file is lost or changed - but these are exactly the same bad things, as if the exact same events had happened for the "master" version alongside. I do take the point that there is protection in redundancy - no question - and also that instantly written-out metadata is a useful separate backup of one's work (as I mentioned, I'd be glad if VCs could get the same thing too somehow, someday).
One-to-many dependency on a single source file can make some good things happen too,though, which may be judged worth any potential added risks. Say deliberate changes are newly made to a Photoshop edit on which several LR image versions are based. These updates will ripple through all virtual versions automatically; whereas if these versions had instead been fully independent, the same changes would need to be made repeatedly to get the same result; assuming one wants all these versions to reflect the changes; which is (should be; needs to be) the realistic expectation, when one has opted to use a cluster of VCs in the first place.

Are Virtual Copies saved in Backups? How do I insert a backup into an existing catalog?

Are Virtual Copies saved in Backups? How do I insert a backup into an existing catalog
I deleted a tif image file that I didn't intend to, which had several LR virtual copies created from it. The virtual copies had a lot of important history that document my print preparation edits. Are these virtual copies saved in the LR backups?
If so, how can I insert them into the catalog I am using? I have made a lot of edits in the two days since my last backup and don't want to lose that history either. Do you suggest I make a current backup before retrieving files from my last backup? I know I'm supposed to go to the backup location and open the last backup, but how do I blend that with the current work from the last 2 days?
Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks, Tom

Rob,
That was exactly what I was after. However, I'm still having trouble getting the virtual copies imported. The master file was in my trash, I restored it to the original hard drive folder. Before I got your message I re- imported it to LR but of course LR came up with a new name since I was importing from and saving it to the same folder in LR. And of course no copies. This may have been a mistake, but before starting the procedure you described, I re-named the master file (it seemed that the import from backup would re-create it so I didn't want a conflict).
Then I did what you said and used the 'Import From Another Catalog' feature. I found the virtual copies in the backup and checked them. But when the import completed, the it gave me file names xxx/Copy1, xxx/Copy2 but there was no image or history or metadata. When I tried to find the folder containing the files, it said it couldn't be found. So I missed something in the settings. When I tried again, there was a warning saying the file(s) exists in the catalog and its settings differ. I went ahead anyway and the message I got was "No Photos in previous import"
Here's what the import from backup shows:
A box with catalog contents and all the folders and files within them, that you can check.
A New Photos section, which gives 2 file handling choices: a)add new photos to the catalog without moving them or b) don't import new photos
A Changed existing photos section with 2 replace options: a) nothing or b) Metadata and develop setting only. If you choose this you can check a box to preserve old settings as a virtual copy.
Not sure what to do. I changed the master file back to its original name, but that didn't make a difference. Suggestions? Thanks, Tom

No warning when deleting a Master image that is linked to Virtual Copies?!

Scenario: I am trying to clear out old images to free up storage space, so I go back though thousands of images looking for weak . unrequired shots.
Problem; when dealing with "mass deletions" it is near impossible to detect which images are "Master copies" from which I have any number of Virtual Copies. And when you hit delete you might well be ruining Virtual Copies without knowing it.
Surely there is a way to warn you that pics, X, Y & Z are linked to Xcopy1, YCopy1 & Zcopy1 etc, and give you an IMAGE SPECIFIC option to see those copies and make a choice of delete the master or not? I can't beleive Adobe think its user-freindly to have people trawl through each image to check before a deletion?
I know others have expressed similar concerns, and it seems a REALLY glaring omission in an otherwise decent ptoduct.
Comments from Adobe staff more than welcome.

eddybaby66 wrote:
Your response implies that you know how another person wishes to use the product, and it is clear that you do not know this. Being so prescriptive is no way for Adobe to look at an issue like this either.
your responce to the observation from the above forum member is a little inelegant and harsh. It is a very good way of telling you where there are VC's of images, but as you said, your methods are your own. Doing things your way and then asking for help and then biting like that is, well up to you how you reply to those offering help and positive suggestions
I dont' expect Adobe would be so prescriptive and +1 your comment and request is a very valid one

Create several virtual copies at once. Looking for a workflow of exporting 650 photo's in two versions

Hello,
i have photographed a wedding and i have 650 finished photo's. All came from a 5Dm3 of 5Dm2. All are in raw. The color versions are ready. I have created a preset to convert all 650 edited version to B/W. The key is i will not edit the curve and other light and contrast sliders because, and cropping for that sense since these are all done already. So to make it more simple, i need to silver 650 photo;s in color and B/W. The color versions are done.
I am looking at three workflows:
1 create virtual copies of the 650 photo's, filter them out, apply the b/w preset/ make some small tweakes and export the B/W version
2 export the color version to a 16 bit tiff, import those and the apply the b/w preset/ make some small tweakes and export the B/W version
3 make an extra copy of the lightroom library and then apply the b/w preset/ make some small tweakes and export the B/W version
In option one i do not know how to create 650 virtual copies at once. It seems i can do this only one photo at a time which is to time consuming
In option 2 this is an extra batch and consuming me much more hard disk space
in option three this is workable but i rather stick to one library
Any help in this?
Thanks!!
Ronald

Go to the library module, grid view. Highlight all your images and create a new collection. One of the options when you create the new collection is to make new virtual copies. The collection will consist of virtual copies of all your original files. Then, just work with the collection and create your black-and-white images. The virtual copies can be exported just like the regular images. So you can export color and black-and-white versions.

Location of virtual copies on a Mac

I made virtual copies for some of my pictures in order to do different crops.
While I can see the results in Lightroom, I am unable to see the file (or the .xmp if that's the result).
They seem not to be located in the same folder. but where???
Any idea?

There are loads, see here, but they usually only read bits from the xmp data. AFAIK only LR and Bridge will read everything that LR stores in xmp, but there may be others. As it is an open format I would expect to see greater usage of it being made, as tends to happen with most Adobe developed formats, unless somebody writes a better open format, in which case Adobe adopts it and abounded its original (as has happened with PSD). In the meantime it is the only way to transfer processing data around in image files without making permanent changes to a file, so we have to live with it!

Virtual Copies search and export...

Hi,
The underscores I'm using in my filenames seems to be messing up the sort order. So I want to replace the underscores with dashes. LR can't do this in its rename utility, afaik. If I do this externally, then I need to re-associate the images in LR's database with the files on the disk. I have about 5000, so don't want to do this on a file-by-file basis. However, if I remove all the images from the LR database and re-import everything, I'll lose the virtual copies, won't I? (I can export the metadata and keywords to sidecar files, so won't lose them.)
So here's my first question: Is there a way to export the data for a virtual file to an associated sidecar file that LR can later read back in? My other thought is to convert all the virtual copies to tiff files (eat a lot space that way). Either way, I need to find all my virtual copies. So my last question is: Is there a way to search for, or filter on, just virtual copies in LR?
Thanks,
Michael

re virtual copies, the answer is No is 1.0 but Adobe understand the problem and I'm hopeful you'll see a method before long. For now, you have to do something immediately after VC creation - add to a collection, mark the IPTC instructions, or add an appropriate keyword.
The sort order shouldn't be messed up by underscores. I assume they are in a consistent position in the filename - I use yymmdd_012345 quicl description.ext. Are you sure you are sorting by filename - see the toolbar (T) in Library.
John

Virtual copies not visible

Oh God, can some one PLEASE help me???I can't contact Adobe by phone,m too late and it says everyone else busy, try later...right.
I DID review as much as I could possibly read, and NOTHING is of help.
1. Made virtual copies, count goes up, can't see them in grid in library, develop, or in loupe. Thought they were stacked, but when I went to Photo>stacking> the rest is all grayed out...can't do anything. "set as master copy" also grayed out,. Read somewhere "preferences for lightroom might be corrupt"???? I tried to do the thing in the library to correct the preferences,:(on moubntain lion 10.8.3), but in the user file there is no library...so I then looked up how to find the hidden library, but I can't find the stuff to do THAT!!! And, there IS a library on my hard drive, but when I open THAT up, there isn't anything about preferences.
I JUST bought this 2 mos ago--how can it have corrupt preferences when I only just started using it???--used it once, then discovered diddn't have right processor in old computer...bought a new computer...took several weeks to get (bought increased ram)...now I am just using for first time today. Started importing, but they are all coming up missing photoi (when I had lightroomn installed on old computer, I deleted uit and pics), then reinstalled and it was migrated over to this new computer. I looked up how to massive transfer missing photos and there is NO folder with a question mark, so I have to do hundreds and hundreds manually--can I tell you I am really hating LR4.4????? Right now I am hating photography and LR and I am beyond upset. I got back from vacation a month ago, and STILL haven't been able to process my pics!!!
Disgruntled King Tut's Mom---p.s.PLEEZ help be4 I have a nervous breakdown !!!

thanks...very strange. so first, I found a thread that said could have corrupt preferences...the short of it: caslled Apple support--he showed me how topull out the hidden "library (it wasn't that easy as it was written on a webpage here). I found LR preferences and they were corrupt--there was almost nothing in them. Followed instructions on webpage here, and redid them and it looked QUITE different!
Thwn by accident I discovered that if I click on ALL photographs, the virtual copies were there, but not in the 2013 folder specifically. don't understand that. I later closed out and restarted, and now they are everywhere they are supposed to be, so I think it was the corrupt prefderences. Also, now the mouse is working on the actual photo again......VERY odd.
However, I am afraid to download anymore pictures because of what has been happening...the question mark, then another box telling me the metadata has been changed by both LR and another application, and do I want LR to import settings from disk or overwrite disk setrtings with those from the catalog? I have no idea what this means...what does it mean, disk?. or from catalog? Does it mean there were these pics still somewhere else on my computer and LR is confused? I sure am. The drink sounds very good......
CAN ANYONE HELP??
King Tut's mom

Virtual Copies Keep Spawning!

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