P: Ability to lock photos to prevent further editing

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I'm a relatively newbie to Lightroom and I think it is fantastic.

It does occur to me that pros who have been using Lightroom for a while understand all the issues about selections, settings, copying, pasting, synchronising etc etc.

Like many things in life the people who do things almost as second nature forget what it was like to be a beginner.

The one thing that has surprised me about lightroom is that I cannot find a way of indicating "I am happy with this - I just want to lock it to ensure I don't damage, amend or delete it" through my own incompetence.

[native_photo]

A lock feature to prevent deletion is a great idea and not just for beginners. The Photosafe plugin by Jeffrey Fried is really nice, but it should be added as a simple feature standard in Lightroom... I like using snapshots to save a version of a photo, esentially locking it from future edits.

[native_photo]

A lock feature to prevent deletion is a great idea and not just for beginners. The Photosafe plugin by Jeffrey Fried is really nice, but it should be added as a simple feature standard in Lightroom... I like using snapshots to save a version of a photo, essentially locking it from future edits... But of course; that does not prevent accidental edits of the image (which can lead to trouble); it only locks the snapshot.

[Scott_Martin_]

I think a snapshot is best for this kind of thing. As final as we might think an image is there's always more that you might want to do to an image later. Saving snapshots that indicate what you may have delivered to a client at the time, for example, is very useful for reprinting purposes without limiting future image development.

[areohbee]

I agree Scott - I use snapshots without exception as part of "marking-as-final" - its part of the next best thing work-around-wise to not having a true lock, IMO. However, that does not solve the problem of inadvertent edits.

However, if Lightroom used a simplified/unified targeting scheme, *and* there was some clear difference, even if subtle, when adjustments are being targeted at multiple photos versus just one, I would not make the mistake of inadvertent edits nearly so often, making locking far less necessary.

Reminder: locking does not limit future development, it just means you have to click "unlock" first, or answer a prompt if you don't unlock first. I mean, I suspect the steadiest handed and consistent brained users may never lock - more trouble than its worth, but for the more oopsidaisical of us...

Another idea that can be used in conjunction with snapshots, instead of or along with locking, is photo comparison. For example instead of locking, just take a "final" snapshot, then have a feature that can compare the present state of photos to their final snapshots.

[Scott_Martin_]

While I could see how locking an image might be useful to some I can't help from thinking that the idea of finality is a misnomer. I can't tell you how many times I've seen my clients name Photoshop files "[image name] final.psd" "[image name] final 2.psd" "[image name] final 3.psd". At least we can now have it parametrically! IE, Snapshots named "Final 1" "Final 2", etc. LOL.

Question: If we get rid of the word "final", how could we convey the same meaning?

[areohbee]

"Final" does sound permanent. I prefer: "finished for now"...

[areohbee]

Poor human's "ChangeManager":

- Create a develop preset with any settings (does not matter), and name it something like "Finished".
- Load into text editor and replace the settings with:
settings = {
NoEdit = true,
},
- Save the file & restart Lightroom.

What you have now is a way to tag a photo as "final" by using a develop preset, instead of metadata.

You can search for photos that have this preset applied (or that dont) in library filters or in smart collections.

Options for taking this idea further:
- Create a no-edit develop preset named "Clear Edit History" and use it to clear the top of the edit history list without changing anything.
- Create a no-edit develop preset named "Finish Editing Later" and use it to mark photos as "Not Final"...

Summary:
========
Since Lightroom has "Develop Preset (applied)" as metadata, one can apply null/no-op/no-edit presets to clear the edit history list, and for recording end-of-present-editing-session status.

PS - this won't help with non-develop-settings changes, but hey...

[areohbee]

Poor man's "ChangeManager":

- Create a develop preset with any settings (does not matter), and name it something like "Finished".
- Load into text editor and replace the settings with:
settings = {
NoEdit = true,
},
- Save the file & restart Lightroom.

What you have now is a way to tag a photo as "final" by using a develop preset, instead of metadata.

You can search for photos that have this preset applied (or that dont) in library filters or in smart collections.

Options for taking this idea further:
- Create a no-edit develop preset named "Clear Edit History" and use it to clear the top of the edit history list without changing anything.
- Create a no-edit develop preset named "Finish Editing Later" and use it to mark photos as "Not Final"...

Summary:
========
Since Lightroom has "Develop Preset (applied)" as metadata, one can apply null/no-op/no-edit presets to clear the edit history list, and for recording end-of-present-editing-session status.

PS - this won't help with non-develop-settings changes, but hey...

[Mark Sirota]

That's pretty clever. Is it better than a snapshot? I suppose you can apply it using Quick Develop, which could be handy...

[areohbee]

Snapshots are stored in xmp, so they can weather catalog anomalies. But, you can't search for photos with "thus and such" a snapshot taken, so they don't help with finding photos that have been changed since snapshotted, or those that still need work done...

In addition to the obvious of being able to clear the edit history list (or even just for serving as a visual separator between editing sessions), the NoEdit presets can be used in library filters and smart collections - snapshots can't.

[areohbee]

SnapAndMark - Snapshotting and annotating the edit history list, on steroids...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

How about... not "locked" or "final" but if they add something very similar to version control labels you see in a file version control system. In other words you give the photo (plus any edits up to that point in time) a "label" or "version". You would also always have the original unlabeled baseline photo and the newest unlabeled edits available. (The newest unlabeled edit would always be remembered even if you set the current "view" as one of the other labels or the original image. That newest edit would only be "lost" if you then did more editing after that point in time without actually adding a discrete label for that point in time so it would be remembered later.)

You could then edit the photo again after that label is set but you would never lose anything done up to that point. If you use the RESET button it would ask you if you wanted to go back to the original baseline image before any editing or to one of the label points you have made or even back to the newest unlabeled edit.

Plus perhaps allow you to visually compare label points. (So compare the original untouched with now... or compare the edit of 7-29-2011 with now etc... select one as the "current".) This would allow continual editing and fussing with total ability to then review and decide what was the best and set it as the "current" view.

You could also select multiple photos and create the "label". And you could select multiple photos have them all migrate back to a common label if desired. But even if you did that you would not lose any newer edits on the files... that would still be available if desired later.

EXAMPLE: So you would have a set of wedding photos. You label all photos in that set as "Proof Set Given to Bride 2011-08-11" and you can continue to edit. You can then return them all to that snapshot in time and/or roll them forward to a newer snapshot in time if the newer edits looked better.

Anyway... just my ideas.

[areohbee]

In the mean time, a lot of this is doable now via a disciplined snapshotting regimen and maybe a plugin or two, e.g.

for bulk snapshotting:

- SnapAndMark
- TPG Snapshotter

(and of course ChangeManager)

Good ideas...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Another idea: Regardless of what solution, that is IF any type of solution is created by Adobe for freezing/version control/etc. the "Photo has Develop adjustments" badge can use a different color to mean different things.

Example:
White: It was edited.
Red: It is locked.
Green: It has a checkpoint/version.

BTW: Thanks Rob... I am investigating the plugins you suggested. I'm a noob and only loaded Lightroom a week ago... give me time to figures stuffs out. But regardless of the merit of those plugins, it might be preferable to have Adobe implement something in a newer version anyway; at least in a basic way.

NEW EDIT: Or maybe not... one of the nice things about Lightroom is that it is clean and easy to get into... if they add too much it can be discouraging for new users... might better to let them slowly add plugins as needed.

[areohbee]

Good ideas Keith - a clear indication of lock-state would be essential, although for myself, I'd prefer an icon (or color) for "unlocked", since 100% of my photos ultimately get locked. I think Adobe can come up with a great solution without making Lr seem more complex. i.e. if a user hasn't ventured to lock their photos yet, it would work the same as now.

I was just thinking about things like autosync or other batch adjustments - what if a few of the selected photos are locked? - I'd say highlight the offending photos, and bring up a prompt? - You can't change locked photos - do you want to unlock them?, exclude them?, work on a virtual copy of them instead? ...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

i like the idea of being able to "lock" an image to prevent editing.

pat d, as far as marking "final", wouldn't this work.

1) Create a metadata tag called 'my projects'
2) Under 'my projects' create a 'project name' metadata tag for each project.
3) For each image in a project, add the appropriate 'project name' tag during import.

I have two tags that I use to mark "final" : 'Client Pick' and 'Final Pick'

With these tags, I can now:

1) Find all images for a given project.
2) Within a project, identify images that are either my 'final' set and/or the set that the client picked.
3) Find all 'final' images across all projects (or any subset of projects).

This is an example of the power of metadata.

I also have metadata tags 'On Flickr', 'On my site', 'On Facebook', etc. With these, I can find all images for a given project and see where I have published them.

hope this helps.

[areohbee]

When you say "metadata tag", I assume you mean "keyword"(?)

Some people shy away from using keywords for such stuff, forgetting that they can be made non-exportable if they are only to be used for such "internal" purposes.

Others use custom-metadata for such stuff instead of (or along with) keywords...

Anyway, because its already so easy to mark things with metadata like this, I have also assumed that the primary thrust of this Idea is really the "lock" aspect.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Rob,

Yes. Sorry for mixing it up. I wanted to say Keyword rather than metadata tag.

[areohbee]

OK. I think pat d's primary objection was just that "project final" keywords kinda get lost when mixed in with the rest. He wanted something more specifically purposed, I think.

I'd also like to see the notion of groups of related photos extended, e.g. (read down aways): http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

This would allow photos to be associated for projects or other purposes without requiring additional metadata assignment or additional collections..., and one could stack all photos in a group, any group, or expand them, which is something you can't really do now using keywords or collections.

[Neus_de_Saavedra]

Yes! It would be great to be able to lock a file to avoid deleting it per accident.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I think this would be absolutely phenomenal, especially for people who like to experiment with different finishing techniques on the same image. Genius!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

It would be useful if a given image in Lightroom could be "locked" - the effect would be that no further edits could be made to that image without first unlocking the image.

The idea is that once you have completed editing an image, you could "lock" it to prevent any inadvertent further changes - essentially marking it as a final image. You would make a virtual copy of that locked image in order to create a new, further edited version, while still ensuring that the "final" for a given purpose was protected from further changes.

[MadManChan2000]

Snapshots effectively do the same thing, so that you always have a way to "get back to" where your stated "final edit" was.

[Scott_Martin_]

Agreed, I think Snapshots are the key and the idea of anything as being "final" is a lost cause/ false notion.

[areohbee]

Its not just about having a way back, its about preventing the need to go back, and/or knowing when/if you need to go back...

The notion of "final" (for now) is a *very* useful one - after marking/locking, attempts to edit in the future require approval.

Summary: Right now a photo has only one state:
- Anybody can do anything they want to it, on purpose or by accident, and although there are a multitude of ways to go back, there is no way to detect the need to go back - no way to distinguish inadvertent edits from intended edits.

This proposal is to add another state:
- I'm done for now. In which case you know it hasn't changed. If you want to edit it again, then do - but you'll have to answer a prompt first, that's all.