LR Collections always change original file?

You are slightly mistaken.

LR does Not change your original file.

Any Edit you do on any file in LR is just displayed over the original file. And Overlay of the edits.

At any time you can remove certain edits or all of them or View the original look of the image with the Before and After system.

Collections are just Lists of image file names. Just like you sitting down at your kitchen table and make a list of books on your book shelves on a piece of paper. None of the books are In that list. None of your images are In LR Classic Collections.

In my option there is No reason to create a virtual copy of any image you want to edit.

The virtual copy system was implemented so you could do different edits on the same base, original, image without having to make an actual Physical copy of that image.

Sure you can use it in any way you like. Sure you can make a virtual copy of any and all images you plan on editing so your original image looks exactly the same as it di at time of import.

Try this.

Take a JPG image stored on your hard drive and imported into the LR Classic catalog.

Make some Wild Edits to that jpg image, Over saturate it, Add a lot of sharpening whatever.

Now open the File Manager for the OS you are using and find that original JPG file and open it in the OS built in photo viewing program. you just have to double click on it to do that.

You will see the original JPG has not been changed in any way by the LR edits. It will look exactly the same as it did before you edited it in LR. That is because LR Does NOT change your original images.

The only time the edits you make on an image is Burnt into that image is if and when you Export it and the process of exporting create a New image file with a New Name. So your original image file is still that same as when it was taken.

Best of luck to you.

They are just Links as you suspected.  The way around this is ceate virtual copies of the photo in Folders and just put the virtual copy in the Collection.  

Hi Silvia,

OK, this one is going to be fun. Right-click on your image and look for the option "Create Virtual Copy." It's just below middle. That is exactly what it sounds like it is: virtual. You can do anything you want to that image and it will not affect the original. And, it's only a few kb in storage size because, are you ready, it's virtual. But it will stay and remain in the catalong and you can print it, you can export JPGs or TIFs from it. Whatever you want to do with it.

Have fun, go crazy!