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Inspiring
May 7, 2021
Open for Voting

P: Reference View: Swap between Reference and Active photos

  • May 7, 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 1504 views

Simple feature suggestion. Add a swap X/Y (or perhaps R/A or A/R) button in the grey bar at the bottom that allow me to swap the Active and Reference photo when in Reference view. Sometimes I select my reference photo and then open an image in Reference view and I think "hmm, I actually prefer the active one over the reference one", and at that point I want to swap them and alter the reference photo instead. Currently, I have to come out of develop view, re-set the reference photo and then click on the other image again. It would be so much easier if there was a swap button at the bottom like the Library side by side view has. Another use case is that I have my reference photo on the left and make tweaks to the active photo on the right, but then I take things a bit further and think, "hmm, now I want to add that change to the reference photo". I know some people may dismiss this and say "reference means that it's the one you're trying to match to, so you shouldn't be able to change it". I disagree. Sometimes editing is a process of continual tweaking and LR needs to enable that in an easy way.

5 replies

Participant
September 19, 2024

I was searching how to do this, came across a post here and after seeing it was from 2022 I was hopeful, but it was false hope. Post from 2022: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-reference-view-swap-between-reference-and-active-photos/idi-p/12021253 

 

How come this (I imagine) easy feature is not yet added? Or am I missing something? It would make editing to a reference Photo so much easier, while also being able to adjust the reference Photo a little while you make a collection e.g. 

 

Would love to hear if anyone has a workaround to this, or perhaps ADOBE has some answers? 

 

kr Nick

johnrellis
Legend
September 21, 2024
Participant
September 21, 2024
Dear mod,

But this is from 2022? Which I referred to in my comment as well.

Met vriendelijke groet,
Best regards,

Nick Laszlo
Participant
August 27, 2023

agreed also.

Inspiring
May 18, 2023

Yep, completely agree.  Such an easy feature to add I'm sure. 

 

27shutterclicks
Inspiring
August 23, 2022

True, I found myself wanting a swap reference photo often recently.

Inspiring
August 6, 2022

I totally agree with this suggestion. This would be really handy. I have wanted this on multiple occasions.