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.

[Rikk-Flohr: Do not Use]

The path leads to many destinations but who can say which is home.

Relatively few of my images ever reach a singularly "final" state.

[areohbee]

*All* of my images reach a "final (for now)" state, sometimes only once, sometimes many times over...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Two ideas for "Final Images"
1) When you are done editing an image create a snap shot at that point and name it "Final"
OR
2) When you complete an edit, create a virtual copy of that image and stack on top of the original

As for the Auto sync quagmire, I have been using LR since B2. And have been working full time professionally with digital since 2002 (and with scanned negs and other software since 1999). And i have to say this still frustrates the piss out of me! And I just recently did it again. I was on assignment in Argentina for a week. I edited images every day. Got back to my office and exported 2000 images as a library and imported to my main computer. Not realizing I had ALL those images selected I edited a photo. I didn't realize the agony I was about to be in until I thought about how long it was taking LR to edit ONE photo!! GRRRRR Now ALL 2000 images have to be reset to default using Auto Sync because it would be nearly impossible to figure out where each image was left off before the accident!

There needs to be a way to undue the recently changed settings in Auto Sync. As stepping back in the history only affects the current image!! AND I would like something like the image data overlay you see in the upper left corner of the screen in loupe view to show "AUTO SYNC" in the Develop module if it is set.

[areohbee]

|> "When you are done editing an image create a snap shot at that point and name it "Final"

I think this is a common practice now as "lock substitute". The only problem is one must consult the edit-history of each photo to see how it's doing and revert if necessary... I recommend SnapAndMark for people using this approach since it ties the snapshot to the point in the edit-history when it was taken. Otherwise you can't tell by looking whether a photo has been edited since it was snapped, or where in the edit-history corresponds to the snap.

|> "When you complete an edit, create a virtual copy of that image and stack on top of the original "

Very interesting idea. Simple and effective - I should of thought of this myself ;-}

To "unlock" for edit, just delete the virtual copy. When editing complete again, create, label, & stack a "locking" VC. The virtual copy would have to be accompanied by a color to distinguish it from a virtual copy that *is* the final version (as opposed to covering the final version for lock purpose). I like it! Its the only solution of any (even ChangeManager) that will actually keep the final from being edited as opposed to dealing with changes after the fact (as long as stacks are collapsed, that is). Of course there's still some "Sherlock Holmes" effort to determine if settings in locking virtual copy still match the settings in the locked photo underneath - if its still virginal, then they probably match, but sometimes I like to goof around, then put back - at which point the waters are muddied (and anyway one needs to check each photo individually). On the other hand, I suppose one could just *always* delete the locking virtual copy or unstack before exporting... hmm... Too bad the SDK doesn't support any stacking operations other than reading stack info and allowing top or bottom when adding new, (nor virtual copy creation / removal), otherwise this technique could be nicely exploited by a locking plugin.

PS - 'Undo' can be used to revert all auto-sync'd edits - if you catch it in time.

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Hopefully Adobe is convinced by now that it needs to be clearer when adjustments are affecting one vs. many photos.
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-R

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Jack, that's PRECISELY how I would use this!! I do different finishing and effect techniques on various images, both in my fine art and portrait work. I don't want these edits to clutter everything, and I don't want them thrown away. And I already have specific uses for all star and color ratings/categories. This would DEFINITELY be a tremendously helpful tool, and it should be tremendously simple to implement.

HOWEVER, I disagree that "final" means "you can't edit it anymore". I would just want it to require a confirmation that I do want to edit it further before allowing me to do so. Sometimes I need to go back to do "one more" edit, but I don't want to need to remove the "final" label in order to do so because I know myself well enough to know that I would forget to re-apply it at least half the time. 🙂

[Guest]

I would use a feature like that. Select and Reject are not enough. Finished should be added. Maybe even one more that is user adjustable such as uploaded, printed, etc.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yes Final version tag with lock would be ideal. I have too many times accidentally edited a file that was already final and part of a collection and it no longer matches the set.

This could be set also (if user wants) automatically to any images that have been exported, have been part of a web gallery etc. It would warn user that the photo is part of collections so and so and exported yy-mm-dd and force user to make new virtual copy,

[DonkeyPhotez]

Lock images (prevent from any new changes unless un-locked) whenever you feel, would indeed be a fantastic added feature to LR.

But then also, when you include such locked files within a multiple selection
(images to witch you intend to apply a batch alteration),

LR should then warn you with
"Your selection also includes "somany" locked files"

And if you then choose to proceed nevertheless, LR should go ahead to proceed changes to all un-loocked files(as is per default), but hold and
let you see one by one each of those locked files, and let you confirm first

1) "Skip/Dont apply",
2) "Apply"
3) "Apply to a copy" (hard or virtual?)

..and with the additional option :
A) "Re-look after"
B) "Discard look".

with option
"Just this one"
"All"

(or of course other combinations of the above ideas)

Of course with ability to use "locked files" as a filter.

[areohbee]

Kevin - Can you offer any odds that this feature will make it into Lr4-final, or are we more likely talking Lr5 for this one?

[crsouser]

My thought was something similar but not exactly the same as outlined. I would like to go beyond just locking down a single image. I would like to mark as folder as processed/done/complete/final with all of its sub-images.
The 'pick' and color coding of individual images is part of my work flow as generally finalizing which photos were the delivered versions.. it is just looking through my huge library that I would like a library management function and have the folder denote it being marked processed / complete / locked in the library explorer view.

[areohbee]

Regarding the locking aspect of this idea, I'd like exports to be locked if photo not locked. Or at least a prompt must be answered to do so.

[bengineer]

I mark my photos as "Final" versions by placing them into collections. I also tag those photos with the word "delivered".

[DonkeyPhotez]

Benjamin, what we desire is those pics to be protected from accidental further editing...

[DonkeyPhotez]

Benjamin, what we desire is those pics to be protected from accidental further editing...

[DonkeyPhotez]

Work-arownd idea:

Convert 'final versions' into DNG (with or without boxed-in original raw) + make a snapshot called 'Final1' + a reminder that there IS a snapshot (with keyword or colour or star..etc).

That way you know where to come back to (to the snapshot) and are shure it's in the file (versus external XML or/and in catalog only or only as a fragile virtual copy only). (Unless I have things wrong. of course if you have all pics in DNG they will stand out less but this proceedure seems doing the trick, no?

[crsouser]

The work around suggested so far though are a little bit cumbersome and not sure would fit everyone's need. One of the wonderful things about Lightroom that the Adobe team has done is build in features that people can use their own way.

It sounds like people want to accomplish a couple of specific things:

1) Be able to lock / protect an image file from modification (perhaps invoking the native OS's 'file lock' property.

2) Be able to mark a photo processing complete and have it natively filterable across the library and have a single clear cut method to be able to differentiate a folder or files processing status. Unprocessed/Draft/Complete-Final-Delivered to really be able to look at ones library and say.. "Ok.. what is done and what do I still need to work on."
The work arounds so far include...
-Snapshots aren't filterable and are not visible outside of the develop module.
-Key wording is a work around but not quickly filterable like star, pick, stars, and colors.
-Images can be dragged and dropped or built using smart collections but users dont want to have a collection for every shoot.
-Pick / Unpick I think people have built into their workflows.. though for some it is at the beginning to slim down images, some is cleared after purging rejects, and for some it is used at the end of their processing.
-Generating an additional 'final' copy of an edited image is not in most works flow and not something people want to do.
... though none of them accomplish #1.
3) Have a way to track what was actually delivered to a client.
... this can be accomplished through
-Key wording (messy)
-Dedicating a color to it (workable)
-utilizing a combination of stars, colors, and picks (workable)
... though this does not facilitate #1 nor #2
4) Be able to have another piece of quickly available and editable meta data that can be used through the library and utilize all of the features of Lightroom.. and not be a combination of many things to accomplish a single thing.
Having to use multiple work arounds and methods to accomplish things simply increase complexity for trying to accomplish a single task, and make the library less manageable overall; and do not accomplish 1, nor 2-3 efficiently.

So why not just implement an additional set of flags that can be put on images to account for 3-5 different processing status.
Such as : New, In Process, In Review, Distributed, Complete
or Unprocessed, Draft-InProcess, Complete-Final-Delivered

Christopher

[DonkeyPhotez]

Protection-feature is missing ! That's the issue.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

They're a few ways to do part of this request but they are not simply!
I would love a quick key that did a final flag. It could be highlighted maybe with a multi-colored box (Red and Black) around it in thumb view.

Robe Cole comments below I think head in the right direction
- Accept change, but remain locked (allows single edits in case you just want to add one keyword, or increment temperature or exposure by .1... - I find this *very* convenient when keeping files locked via ChangeManager - avoids having to unlock, adjust one thing, then re-lock).
- Unlock - self explanatory

[crsouser]

I think you spamming the same reply 3 times does absolutely nothing for the discussion and only hurts the conversation of building a flexible feature/tool that will meet the needs of all users.

[Rikk-Flohr: Do not Use]

A snapshot does this already Niala. Edit an image. Finish it. Create a Snapshot called Final Edit. No matter what you do your Final Edit is preserved.

[areohbee]

There's a difference between being able to go back when you know you have to, and knowing that you don't have to.

[Rikk-Flohr: Do not Use]

The poster to whom I was responding asked about Protection-not identification. In any case marking a photo final can be done through several methods.

[areohbee]

I think Niala was informing that snapshots ain't cuttin' it - not asking. You may want to re-read his/her previous posts... - it's all about the locking.

[Rikk-Flohr: Do not Use]

I don't need to re-read them. I read them and stand by my comments.

[areohbee]

Snapshots DO NOT protect from accidental further editing (nor does any other method of marking a photo as final). - you can accidentally edit, further, any snapshotted (or marked) photo, and never know you did it, export it, send it to client, and *maybe* one day in the future, realize you did it, but maybe not. That's not "protection", in my book.