Inspiring

Question

How to delete edited files in Lightroom Classic ?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
January 31, 2022
4 replies
1337 views

I cannot find how to delete edited files in batch . I edited a group of files in edit in Exposure. Lightroom created copies of it and now all of them have the ending edited in the collection that I created. So now i have 120 files, the originals and the edited ones. I don't like the edited and want to delete them from the colection ,from the catalogue and the disk. I can manually select them one by one and delete but I have not found a way to select in one click only the edited one. All the options of the sort order always put the files together (original and edited one) so the only option I have is to click 60 times and delete. There must be some simpler way to do this that surely I am not aware .

Can someone please tell me if there is a way to batch delete those copies or my only option is to go one by one? Thank you

Windows

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susanl7866380

Inspiring

If I am right in what I think is happening, when you export a file to a plugin and then have it sent back to LR, it comes back as a copy with the same name but the addition of "edit" in the file name. For example, IMG001.edit. jpg. If this is what is happening, in the library mode you can go to filter, text, and have it sort out those filenames for you. In other words, if you want only those files with edit in the file name it will pull them up and you can then select them all and delete them all at the same tim.

M

mastixAuthor

Inspiring

Thank you. Yes that seems the way to go.

It would be great that in the "sort" option in the low section it could be an option to select only "edited" files. Would be quicker and more intuitive, but searching that text tag works so at least there an option. Thanks

R

richardplondon

Community Expert

It may be a matter of opinion / interpretation, what should be considered an "edited" file.

Not least, the automatic addition of "-edit" to these plugin-caused filenames may be hard to distinguish, from when images may have been sent out to e.g. Photoshop for external editing: with the resulting new files also - by default - receiving that same "-edit" suffix.

So, to eliminate all images across the whole Catalog that have this suffix, may take things too far. A safer way is to make e.g. a smart collection which allows easy review at any time - or, to save a viewing filter that searches any single folder or any single collection for just those images within this narrow context, that include this suffix in their filename. Another consideration is that more than one suffix may get included, e.g. the externally edited 'imagename-edit.tif" may itself then again get externally edited, resulting in a new file 'imagename-edit-edit.tif''.

Personally I find it cleaner and more powerful to (where possible): rather than invoke a plugin to directly employ one or another 3rd party utility - routinely send to Photoshop instead. Then as/when I wish to, employ the PS filter version of this same utility, inside that context. This allows additional layer based techniques to be used as well - and, all within a more unified and consistent workflow IMO, than if various kinds of external editing LrC workflow were going on in parallel.

Randy Hufford

Community Expert

It does not make sense the way you are decribing this issue. Lightroom CLassic does not make duplicate files that are adjusted unless you create them. Please let us know how you got duplicate files, thru export? maybe screen capture what you are seeing?

M

mastixAuthor

Inspiring

Yes it does duplicate files if you edit in another program like Exposure from inside Lightroom if you choose to make a copy instead of rewrite over the original ones.

M

mastixAuthor

Inspiring

No that was not what I meant. I did already that but nothing happened. No surprise here because when I go to the folders where the originals are stored there are now new files with the appendix edited.

What I did is to launch a plugin (Exposure) from withing Lightroom. Created a collection of 60 images selected them all edited in Exposure. Exposure opened. I batch edited all and hit save. All the files started saving (it took quite some times so I no virtual settings but real copies with the editing embedded in this new copies that Lightroom calls them "Edit" or "Edit2" if you do it 2 times. As I said if I go to the original files I can see both of them

Now I want to deleted all those copies, that have the same name but the difference is that at the ending of the name they have "edited" attached and have obviously the new look.

The problem is that in the collection the edit version is beside the original and any of the filter option seems to work to separate them so I could select the 60 "edited" at once and delete. If they would be different file types i could filter by that but that is not the case as both are Tiffs.

This is because "Sort" does not have any parameter that works, not even edit time which is weird because one is original and should have an older edit time that the newer edited copies. Whatever. As I said none of the filtering option can separate originals from copies and that lets me with the only option to select one by one those 60 files that have the word "edited" and delete them from collection,catalogue and folder.

This works for 60 files but with 6000....

dj_paige

Legend

Select "All Photographs" or a specific folder (as needed), then use the Filter Bar in Lightroom Classic, select Text, then select Filname, then Contains, and then edited

and then you can delete all the files that were found this way.

melissapiccone

Community Expert

This ^^^^ or just delete them outside of LR and then sync your folder to update it.

Melissa Piccone | Adobe Trainer | Online Courses Author | Fine Artist

dj_paige

Legend

When using Lightroom Classic, edited files really don't exist unless you export them. You didn't say you did an export.

If I am understanding you properly ...

What I think you want is a way to reset all the photos back to their unedited state. If so, in the Library Module, select all desired photos, then in the Develop Module turn on Auto Sync (click on the Sync button near the bottom right), then click on Reset, then turn off Auto-Sync.

Deleting the photos is not really the answer.

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