How can I copy pictures in Lightroom into another folder?

[STEINS-ART]

Hi community 🙂

I've got a "stupid" question O:-)

I'd like to copy some pictures in my catalog into a new folder. How can I manage this within lightroom classic (Win10 PC)?
If I create a virtual copy, I can't move this. 

Thanks for any idea 🙂

Sigi

[dj_paige]

There is no such thing as copying photos within Lightroom.

You can move the photos to a different folder. You can make a virtual copy of a photo. But you cannot make an actual copy in another folder.

Since you are working with a database (that's what Lightroom Classic is, a database) and not a file browser, there is no need to make copies. The question I have is: why do you want to do this?

[STEINS-ART]

Thank you very much for your fast answer. Yes, that's what I assumed :'(

The reason is quiet simple: I store all my pictures by the event they were taken (context; by date)

However, I want to copy the best of them to a "rights proofed" folder in order to publish them.

Tagging the pictures with stars or colors already have different meanings in my catalog.

And I don't want to move the pictures in order to keep the context.

Best would be a virtual copy, I could move to a different folder, where the virtual copy stores as well the origin folder for reference, e.g right click > find master picture

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

I want to copy the best of them to a "rights proofed" folder in order to publish them.

This is exactly why collections were created and placed into Lightroom Classic. You don't use a folder, you use a collection.

OR

This is exactly why keywords were created and placed into Lightroom Classic. You don't use a folder, you use a keyword.

Lightroom Classic gives you many different ways to accomplish what you want. The only time this doesn't work in Lightroom Classic is if you insist it has to be a folder.

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

As dj_paige explained, you cannot copy an image to another folder and that would not be a good idea anyway, because that would mean two different edits. If that is exactly what you want however (maybe one color version and one B&W version), then you can use a virtual copy for that. Virtual copies have to remain with their original as long as you work with folders. You cannot have the original in one folder and the virtual copy in another one. You can do this in collections however, so maybe you should start using these. 

[Bob Somrak · Accepted solution]

You can in a round about way copy an image using the same filename to another folder using Export/Original with the target folder different from the original and "Add to this Catalog" checked.   As DJ and Johan said this is a VERY bad practice and you should be using Keywords, Labels, Collections or Virtual Copies instead.  If you make all these real copies you will have a mess in a hurry.  

[STEINS-ART]

Ahhh 8-) Thank you very much for all your feedback !! 

Yes, I guess a collection would fit my purpose best 🙂

[richardplondon]

Just to confirm though, a Collection shows the exact same "live updating" image that is also seen when you view that photo in its folder. Altering it in either place, is to alter it in both. This may be what you want.

But if you want your special Collection to retain an unchanging 'record' of the editing for those images at that time - you can add to this Collection as a new virtual copy, which becomes independent of the starting image so far as editing. This virtual copy will necessarily be seen also in the Folder alongside the master version it derives from. But you can stack this virtual copy so it sits out of view 'underneath' the master version. And in any case a Snapshot, or the History, can later retrieve a particular editing 'moment' if desired.

[JohanElzenga]

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