# Reusing Development Settings



## keithz829 (Jun 27, 2012)

Is there a way to use the development settings from one file on another file that are not sequential?  I haven't been able to figure out if this is possible.  I know I can use the settings from the file immediately before the one I'm working on, but that isn't what I want to be able to do.

Thanks for any advice on doing this.


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## Chris_M (Jun 27, 2012)

The easiest way I know of (the gurus will know other ways), is to create a "Preset" from your current settings.
That way you can apply the preset to individual or groups of photos.

Just hit the + sign on the right of the Presets panel, give your preset a name for easier identification,
and select which settings you want saved in the preset, click the "Create" button and you're done.


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## Mark Sirota (Jun 27, 2012)

The preset works if you'll use those settings regularly. If this is just a one-off, I'd recommend just syncing the two files. Select both, with the source file the "most selected", and press "Sync Settings" in Library or "Sync" in Develop. Either is at the bottom of the right panel.


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## Chris_M (Jun 27, 2012)

I know and use that method Mark, I just couldn't easily formulate "how-to", which is why I tipped on the gurus...


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2012)

Also, if it's a one-time copy of develop settings that you are after, you can drop down to the ribbon of image thumbnails at the bottom of the develop screen and select the image you want to copy from.  When it's loaded on the screen, go back to the thumbnails and select the one you want to copy to.  Now, the image that you want to copy from is the 'previous' image and you can copy the settings by just hitting the 'Previous' button.  I use this all the time if I want to copy settings from an image that's just a couple images back from the one currently on the screen.


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## keithz829 (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks for the information.  I thought what I wanted to do was possible, but just couldn't figure out how.  I'll try both methods and see which works best for me.


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## Victoria Bampton (Jun 27, 2012)

Or copy and paste.  I tend to use that more when the photos are further apart.


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## keithz829 (Jun 28, 2012)

Copy and paste sounds interesting and may be what I am looking for. How does one go about doing a copy and paste in Lightroom? Would I copy the history from one file and paste it in the second or what?

Is there anywhere I can go to find out more about using copy and paste?


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## Victoria Bampton (Jun 28, 2012)

At the bottom of the left hand panel in Develop you'll find the Copy and Paste buttons.  When you click on Copy, you'll get the same kind of dialog you'd get for Sync.  The difference is, if the photos are a long distance apart, you don't have to keep scrolling back and forth to find them.  It also means that you can reuse the copied settings on other photos later, without having to go back to find the source photo.


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## keithz829 (Jun 28, 2012)

How exceedingly simple and easy to use!  This is exactly what I was looking for Victoria.   Thank you very much.


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