Edits on a copy photo were saved as edits to the master photo upon save from photoshop

Report · Jan 25, 2025

All, I made two copies of a photo as I was editing different versions. I was working on Copy2. When I saved Copy 2 from photoshop editing all three files were updated to the Copy 2 edits. Becuase I flattened the image prior to saving the layers were committed and I am unable to get the original file back. I have not deleted the file from my camera so I still have an original file but this is quite troubling.

The file in lightroom shows the "copy" version in the name but when opened in photoshop it appears to drop the copy. When I export the file it is not keeping the copy name and just exporting the original file.

The file I was working on was copy 2 in lightroom classic and opened into Photoshop to edit. Saved in Photoshop and the system updated all filed to the new edits.

Please advise

Report · Feb 02, 2025

Virtual copies in Lightroom Classic are exactly that. They are a virtual copy, not a duplicate. A virtual copy allows for a different set of edits to the same image. LrC edits are a non-destructive set of instructions, meaning the edits live in the LrC catalog, not in the image file..

There is one image file on your hard drive, and two sets of edits in LrC. When you opened the image and edited in Photoshop, you edited the one image. That is why both versions reflect the Photoshop edits, because they are both the same image.

Report · Feb 03, 2025

Hi Theresa thanks for the information but that is not how my LRC functions. When I make a copy I can open that copy in Photoshop and edit it separately from the master file. When i open it asks my if I want to open as a copy as an original or a copy with LRC edits. When I select open as a copy as I did in this case hence the "copy" in the name it made edits to the file and I flattened the image and saved the image as a PSD. That is when the original file not the copy was also changed and it became an edited version with the new edits to include the flattened file that one can not edit out.

Report · Feb 03, 2025

When you open the image with "copy" and save it with your edits, the file should get renamed to -edit.tiff. Your screen capture shows that both versions have the same name. This tells me that you did not actually edit a copied image. Instead, you edited the original jpeg and those edits are reflected in the virtual copy.