# Edit photo and then what



## mar685 (Mar 26, 2015)

I've just started "playing" with LR as I eventually will move my Aperture pix to LR.  I have a few photos in LR and was trying to edit them.  Editing was easy and impressive, but what happens next, i.e., how do you save the picture or move it to somewhere else--file, catalogue whatever?
Thanks,
Martin


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## Replytoken (Mar 26, 2015)

Welcome to the forum!  You may want to start by reading this "sticky" thread: http://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/showthread.php?8288-The-Starter-Kit  It should answer many questions and help you get a feel for LR.

Good luck,

--Ken


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## clee01l (Mar 27, 2015)

Ken has pointed you to the starting out info.  LR uses a method called Parameterized Image Editor (PIE). Image adjustments are saved as instructions in the LR catalog file. When you want a derivative image, you create it by merging the instructions with the original image date to create a resulting image.  If you want a physical file for posting on a website of a slideshow you create this new file using LR's export or Publish function.  Since you can create a new derivative at any time from the original file and the image adjustments stored in the LR catalog, there is no need to keep a derivative file locally.  Publish services are designed to post a physical copy or the adjusted image to the website and not retain a local copy.


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## mar685 (Mar 27, 2015)

*After the editing, then what?*



clee01l said:


> Ken has pointed you to the starting out info.  LR uses a method called Parameterized Image Editor (PIE). Image adjustments are saved as instructions in the LR catalog file. When you want a derivative image, you create it by merging the instructions with the original image date to create a resulting image.  If you want a physical file for posting on a website of a slideshow you create this new file using LR's export or Publish function.  Since you can create a new derivative at any time from the original file and the image adjustments stored in the LR catalog, there is no need to keep a derivative file locally.  Publish services are designed to post a physical copy or the adjusted image to the website and not retain a local copy.


Clee01,
Thanks for your reply.  Not sure I understand it completely but do get the idea.  I need to play around more with LR before I transfer Aperture to it.  mar685


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## MarkNicholas (Mar 28, 2015)

mar685 said:


> I've just started "playing" with LR as I eventually will move my Aperture pix to LR.  I have a few photos in LR and was trying to edit them.  Editing was easy and impressive, but what happens next, i.e., how do you save the picture or move it to somewhere else--file, catalogue whatever?
> Thanks,
> Martin


Look at it, email it, print it or publish it.


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## mar685 (Mar 28, 2015)

MarkNicholas said:


> Look at it, email it, print it or publish it.


Thank you for your reply.  Obviously have to look more deeply into meaning of some of the terms, e.g., PUBLISH.  mar685


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## Tony Jay (Mar 29, 2015)

Just to make even more explicit what Cletus was saying:
In Lightroom there is no need to 'save' an image.
Because Lightroom is a parametric image editor (PIE) all edits, crops etc are stored as commands in the catalog (read database) and are keyed to the image in question.
Lightroom, as a consequence, never alters the original image that was imported into Lightroom.

Lightroom uses pretty nifty algorithms that update previews of one's images in real time as editing is done. At all times the equation is like this: original image data + edits = current preview.

By the way the term 'import' in Lightroom-speak means record a reference to the location of an image stored somewhere, usually on a hard drive, and then also record all the metadata associated with that image in the catalog, again keyed to the reference of that image.

When an image is exported or published the edits made to an image are "baked in" to a derivative image, usually a JPEG or a TIFF. Again the original imported image is never altered.

Tony Jay


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## mar685 (Mar 29, 2015)

*Edit and then What*



Tony Jay said:


> Just to make even more explicit what Cletus was saying:
> In Lightroom there is no need to 'save' an image.
> Because Lightroom is a parametric image editor (PIE) all edits, crops etc are stored as commands in the catalog (read database) and are keyed to the image in question.
> Lightroom, as a consequence, never alters the original image that was imported into Lightroom.
> ...


Tony,
Thanks for the explanation.  I'm still in Aperture so used to the edited version going back to the folder it came from.  Marty Malkin


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## Imagenomad (Mar 30, 2015)

mar685 said:


> Tony,
> Thanks for the explanation.  I'm still in Aperture so used to the edited version going back to the folder it came from.  Marty Malkin



I'm surprised at this statement. Aperture is in principle, identical to Lightroom in that it's a database with a parametric editor. 

What do you do that means an "edited version [goes] back to the folder it came from"? Do you mean that you have your Aperture preferences set to create a new Version if an editing step is applied? If so, whilst that option cannot be automated in Lightroom, you can if you wish create a "Virtual Copy" (absolutely identical to an Aperture "Version", except when it comes to stacking or Albums/Collection behaviour) upon which you perform your editing steps. This is automatically added to the Lightroom database.


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## mar685 (Mar 30, 2015)

Imagenomad said:


> I'm surprised at this statement. Aperture is in principle, identical to Lightroom in that it's a database with a parametric editor.
> 
> What do you do that means an "edited version [goes] back to the folder it came from"? Do you mean that you have your Aperture preferences set to create a new Version if an editing step is applied? If so, whilst that option cannot be automated in Lightroom, you can if you wish create a "Virtual Copy" (absolutely identical to an Aperture "Version") upon which you perform your editing steps. This is automatically added to the Lightroom database.


When I edit a "master' on Aperture 3.4, the edited version shows up next to the master so you always have the former.  And if you re-edit the edited form, that version is also saved.  I should call them "Projects" not folders.  Hope that helps.  Martin


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## Imagenomad (Mar 30, 2015)

mar685 said:


> When I edit a "master' on Aperture 3.4, the edited version shows up next to the master so you always have the former.  And if you re-edit the edited form, that version is also saved.  I should call them "Projects" not folders.  Hope that helps.  Martin



My assumption was correct then. In your Aperture Preferences, you've probably ticked the box that says to make a new Version if an edit is applied. 

In Lightroom, you have to manually create your new "Version", known as a "Virtual Copy". The shortcut is Cmd-' and once you've created this, you can edit it as you would in Aperture with your copy/Version next to your "untouched" original/Master.

Just for clarification, in both Aperture and Lightroom, your original image as well as any Versions or Virtual Copies are always, in reality, "untouched" as the edits are stored in the Library/Catalog and not applied to the image pixels until that image is exported or printed.


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## Patrick1 (Apr 5, 2015)

As someone who is pretty new to Lightroom, maybe my more simple minded answer will help.  I should probably say that I don't use Lightroom to organize things, use my own cataloging system.  I just use the Export option under the File menu once I have finished editing.  This will open a dialog box that lets you choose all sorts of options, including re-sizing if you wish, file naming, where the file will go, and putting on a watermark.  I have it set so the edited file will be placed in a sub-directory under the original folder.  If you do multiple edits, Lightroom will append a different number to the end of the file each time you save it so you don't overwrite anything.  You can also created presets that allow you to do certain things with each Export, like maybe downsize the file for e mailing, or watermarking, etc.


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