Virtual copy or snapshot?

[jljonathan]

What's the best way to handle organizing the original image, edited versions and print versions.  Virtual copies or snapshots?
Jonathan

[pegelli]

I think both can work, but the "design intention" is to use snapshots for maintaining different stages in PP so you can easily go back and use virtual copies to store different end-products (like B&W and color, different crops, print version, ....)

[NikoJorj]

I think both can work, but the "design intention" is to use snapshots for maintaining different stages in PP so you can easily go back and use virtual copies to store different end-products (like B&W and color, different crops, print version, ....)

Ditto ; for print versions, I'd even simply use print presets unless there are proofing adjustments (which ask for a virtual copy).

[jljonathan]

Ditto ; for print versions, I'd even simply use print presets unless there are proofing adjustments (which ask for a virtual copy).

Do you mean print templates? I don't see presets in the print module. And, how would the the templates be used? Select an image, go to print, choose the template and print? So then the template would  exist as a format for any image that I wanted to print in that formatted way. Printed-Gone. No saving the print as a virtual or anything. As you both pointed out, the virtual copies seem to be intended for end uses, softproofing to PS, or another distinct edit like b&w etc. Do you ever use the snapshots for anything?
Thanks again
Jonathan

[madmanchan]

There are some key differences. Examples:

You can see all of the VCs for an image in Grid view (i.e., side by side). So you could, for instance, see a color rendition and a B&W rendition (a virtual copy) side by side in Grid View. If a master image has 10 virtual copies you could see all 11 renditions (master + 10 VCs) all side by side. This also means you could select all 11 versions and print them in batch. You cannot do any of this with snapshots.

Snapshots are saved as part of the image XMP and can be shared with Camera Raw. For example, if for a given image you create 3 snapshots, save the metadata to the file (sidecar XMP) and then load the file in Camera Raw plug-in, you'll see the same 3 snapshots in CR plug-in. You cannot do this with VCs, which are internal to LR only.

[NikoJorj]

Do you mean print templates?

Yes, templates, that's it.
On my system (WinXP SP2, epson R1800 driver v6.52)  they contain all Lightroom print settings AND driver settings, so it's really a click-and-print thing, very neat.

Do you ever use the snapshots for anything?

Rarely - I've sometimes used them while developing, when I had something I was already satisfied of but wanted to improve, or when I wanted to have a reference state at hand while tinkering, but that's something also doable with history (which OTOH is not saved in the XMP, so history could disappear after a LR crash or can't be seen in CameraRaw as Eric pointed).

[Nat Coalson]

I prefer virtual copies for variations on a single image like you described. Much easier to manage than snapshots, including the ability to look at them all in Survey view.

I very rarely use snapshots; when I do, it's just during the processing of a single image when I suspect I'll want to quickly jump back to a previous state. Even then, using History is nearly as easy. So overall I don't see a real workflow benefit to snapshots.