Snapshots and Virtual Copies in LR3

[Robert Boire]

Hi,

I want to adjust a photo and have not decided yet if it will stay in color or B&W. So I thought I would do something clever... create a virtual copy (the color version), adjust it to a certain point, create a  second virtual copy (the B&W) from the first virtual copy and then continue to modify each virtual copy independently. I created snapshots at certain points for each virtual copy. Problem is - and this really surprised me - is that the snapshots show up in all the copies and the master regardless of where they are made! At some point I could not even create a snapshot in a virtual copy- nothing happened- though that seems to have fixed itself.  I find this really confusing and do not quite understand the logic behind it.

Any thoughts?

R

[luxborealis]

Interesting - in all my years of LR using and teaching, I never knew this. Learn something new everyday.

As to why it does this... Jeff?!? Eric?!? DigitalDog?!? Anyone?!?

[Schewe]

Well, it's obvious...the Virtual Copy is a copy of the original. Adding a Snapshot should add the snapshot to the VC & the original since a snapshot is stored in the image XMP metadata...History on the other hand, isn't. Once you spawn a VC, the original image's history tracking stops for the VC. Note, you can use the command Set Copy as Master in the Library's Photo menu. That toggles the VC into the master and the master into the VC.

The ability to move settings between the master and the VC via a Snapshot is actually very cool functionality. If it isn't working for you, you must have something else going on.

[luxborealis]

Many thanks, Jeff. It is a functionality that is working for me and will start to make better use of!