Virtual Copies Question

I've made a couple of virtual copies of a photos and now I create a web page with them. My question is that when the web page or flash web page displays the photos all of the virtual copies have the same name as the original. Is there a way that the virtual copies can have a unique name?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
thanks,
foutjo

Look at the Metadata pane on right side of Library. Under the Filename is a spot for Copy name. Go use it!
Don
Don Ricklin, MacBook 2Ghz Duo 2 Core running 10.5.1 & Win XP, Pentax *ist D
See LR Links list at my http://donricklin.blogspot.for related sites.

Similar Messages

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

LR3 - Questions regarding virtual copies with different exposures and Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop

Hello,
I'm currently testing LR3. I have a master copy and 4 virtual copies with different exposures selected in LR3. I tought to myself that I could simply use the "Edit / In Merge to HDR Pro in Photoshop" option and tune the resulting HDR image in Photoshop but it seems that Photoshop doesn't take in consideration the exposure changes I've made on the virtual copies in LR3. The 5 images are identifical in the HDR Pro tool.
Is there something I can do to about it ? Maybe there is a step I've forgot in my workflow or something ?
Maybe I could simply export the master and virtual copies to JPEGs and then import these in the Photoshop HDR Pro tool but I don't think I would get the same results right ?
Thank you for your help.

Depending on the image ISO and overall content, you can get some pleasing DR pickup using this routine over simply hitting the fill light slider up and the exposure slider down. I never really liked the PS approach since it seemed to require too much tweaking inside PS. I have experimented with LR/Enfuse and Photomatix plug-ins and have settled on Photomatix for my HDR exposures (both "real" with multiple images and "fake" with a single image as you have described). I think LR/Enfuse is donation ware so you might want to start there. In both cases, the resultant image still needs a little adjusting back in LR after it is automatically imported into the Library.
Jeff

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.

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

(Finding and) deleting virtual copies

Hi.
Somehow I have managed to create virtual copies of 1000 or so photos. This happened (I believe) while trying to clean up a collection folder. So what I want to do now, is to sort out - and isolate? - the virtual copies created accidently. I tried using Library Filter/Virtual Copies and the sorting by edit time, but still it seems it will take some time to find the ones that were made virtual copies by intent and those which weren't. As I also have done quite a lot of editing work prior to this accident, I'd rather not go back to a previous back-up.
So, to sum it up: what is the best way to find only the virtual copies created since, let's say 10 o'clock this morning?
Thanks in advance,
ole k

I may be a bit slow, but I still don't quite get this: LR is able to sort (in Smart Collection) by Added Order, but there is no way of seeing when the VC was actually created?
Please also see my last question rgd. what I should put in the box next to "Contains". (o or 0 or nothing?). Whenever I make a VC, in the metadata list i t will be called "Copy 1". This means that my smart collection will include both the VCs that I've made intentionally and those made by mistake, right - I mean as long as it's got "Copy #" in the name box? In case, I can't quite make the number of files listed match with what I'd expect to find there, but if you suggest that using this method and then sort descending (why not ascending?) and then deleting, I'll trust you and do just that.
BTW, you (John) were absolutely right about the source of this confusion, I had - of some reason - checked the box next to Create Virtual Copy in the Create Collection menu. Needless to say, it is no longer checked . . . . .
ole k

Can I label virtual copies?

Hi,
I'm looking for an easy way to handle virtual copies and what I'd like to do is to put a label on each VC but there is no way to do this. Say I have an image that thas been processed to my satisfaction and I'd like to have one VC be a 5x7 crop and another an 8x8 crop. I'd like to label the VC as such (e.g. sunset 5x7 and sunset 8x8). Otherwise, I can't tell quickly what each VC represents. This gets more time consuming when I have 6 or 8 VCs of the same image.
Perhaps there is a better way?
Thanks,
Tanguero

Thanks, this was helpful and got me on the right track. I did have to look up where the 'copy name field' existed and how to get to it as I wasn't familiar with it, but it did work.
Another related question is whether I have to be in the Library mode in order to modify the copy name field? My workflow is such that I'd like to create and label 3 or 4 different crop VCs while staying in the Develop mode. Is there a way?
Thanks,
T

Virtual copies are not synchronized in a second Lightroom catalogue although metadata are written in XMP and synchronization with metadata was selected

Dear community,
I operate one Mac with Lightroom 5.7 that is configured to store all metadata in xmp files. The Lightroom catalogue is stored locally on the Mac and only contains references to the images and their xmp files that are stored on a network device. There is another Mac with the same configuration having a separate local Lightroom catalogue and access to the same images on the network device.
At a starting point, both Lightroom catalogues are identical - they refer to the same images on the network device and contain the same metadata.
When I update image properties on the first Mac, these changes are reflected in the xmp file. After using the option "synchronize" with activated "metadata synchronization" on the second Mac, the modified image properties are visible on the second Mac. This is fine.
However, when I create a virtual copy on the first Mac, I realize that the corresponding xmp file gets updated. However, even after synchronization, the virtual copy is not visible on the second Mac. I may modify image properties of the original image and get these modifications replicated to the second Mac, but the virtual copies remain on the first Mac.
What needs to be done that also virtual copies get synchronized?
Thank you very mich for your support.
Best regards,
Peter

I do not doubt that File Export / File Import will work to transfer the virtual copies.
My question was related to the fact whether the imported folder should not previously exist on the second Mac.
Consider the following situation:
time = 0:
first Mac: folder A is in a first status
second Mac: folder A is in a first status
time = 1:
first Mac: folder A is in a second status, export folder A in second status
second Mac: folder A is in a first status, import folder A in second status
My question is: What happens with these two folder A on the second Mac? Does folder A in the Lightroom catalogue of the second Mac gets overwritten? Do I receive an error message because folder A is already present in the Lightroom catalogue?
I understand your answer that everything will be fine on the second Mac if there is no folder A at all at the second Mac while I import the new folder A. Under this assumption, I can import folder A and it will show the second status. Clearly.
My question is only related to the fact that there is already a folder A on the second Mac, with the same images, but with different metadata and/or virtual copies.

Virtual Copies and Exposure Setting

I've read that the SDK is for export/web/metadata, so apologies for asking a question when I the answer is probably no...
What I'd like to be able to do is write a plugin that would enable me to select an image in the library, and then automatically create virtual copies, with each copy having a variation on the exposure settings, in effect creating a bracketed set, which I can then export for exposure blending.
Is this type of functionality feasible right now?
On the LR/Enfuse plugin guide it says that when batch processing LR/Enfuse can re-import the blended result image into the source image stack, which gives me hope that the SDK can do things with the Library module.

No, it's not possible to do this with the current SDK. The limitation you'll hit with what you're proposing:
You can't create virtual copies of photos via the SDK.
You can't change develop settings via the SDK.
I've noted these as feature requests for future SDK enhancements but I can't make any promises about when/if it might appear.

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 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

Virtual Copies Question

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