# Editing in photoshop but not loosing history



## alaios (Oct 1, 2015)

Dear all,
I picked one photo from my lightroom that I wanted to edit over my photoshop... that I did. I closed and saved the file and so far everything good.

I wanted to ask you though why when I edit once more this image from lightroom to photoshop my previous photoshop history is lost... can I do something so I can keep my history and at the same time see my photo in lightroom.

Is not that possible?
Regards
Alex


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## Johan Elzenga (Oct 1, 2015)

Photoshop only keeps the history as long as the file is open, so after you close it and go back to Lightroom it will be gone.


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## alaios (Oct 2, 2015)

and there is no workaround for that??? How I can keep then a non complete job that I could perhaps edit a next day.
Does lightroom support previewing psd files?


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## Johan Elzenga (Oct 2, 2015)

No, there is no workaround for that. You can obviously keep a non complete job (by saving it) and start working on it again the next day, but you can't save the history panel for a closed file. The only option would be to leave everything open and running all night.


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## johnbeardy (Oct 2, 2015)

alaios said:


> and there is no workaround for that??? How I can keep then a non complete job that I could perhaps edit a next day.



The way around it is to use the best modern Photoshop techniques. For example, always use Adjustment Layers and never apply an adjustment directly to a pixel layer. Any pixel-changing work should always be on a separate layer, so when you do any cloning or content-aware fill, work on a copy or blank layer and use Sample All Layers if available. Apply filters as smart filters. And so on. This way you can always fine tune or reverse all your work in subsequent sessions, and it doesn't matter that the history undo is unavailable.

Note that Photoshop can log history into the file itself. It's enabled by a Preference / General, and you can view a record of your activity in File Info.

John


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## alaios (Oct 2, 2015)

Thanks layering is a smart idea indeed. I do not have my working pc with me but I guess that when I edit a raw file to photoshop (through lightroom) this is a tiff file that also does not save the layers information once you close photoshop. 
Is there a way to fix that?


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## johnbeardy (Oct 2, 2015)

Nothing to fix - by default, the layers are saved.


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## Johan Elzenga (Oct 2, 2015)

Just make sure that you choose 'Edit original' if you choose to edit the image in Photoshop any further. Any other option will generate a new copy, and that copy will indeed have lost its layers.


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## mcasan (Oct 19, 2015)

The same going from LR to Perfect Photo Suite.   Make sure to use a Smart Photo with PSD format.   Later you can send the edited image back to Perfect Photo Suite and open any of the previously created layers, filters...etc.   All of that work is saved in the smart PSD file.  That should be also true if you go from LR to PS and in PS invoke other plugins like the Nik Collection.


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