Can I recover the original version of a photo after editing if the original file is gone?
Asked 5/10/2016
358 views
2 answers
0
I edited some photos heavily and no longer have the original files, or I may have overwritten them. Is there any way to get the unedited originals back? Does it depend on the file format or whether I used layers?
Originally by descheleschilder. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
descheleschilder
10y ago
2 Answers
7
Probably not, unless you saved in Photoshop's native format and the files have a layer which corresponds to the original unaltered image. If you saved in jpeg or another "flat" format — or if you edited the image directly without using layers — you are going to be out of luck.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually no. If the original file was overwritten or deleted, Photoshop cannot reconstruct the untouched image from a flattened edited file.
Your best chance is if you saved the work in a layered format such as Photoshop PSD and the original image still exists as an untouched background layer or separate layer data. If you saved only a JPEG or another flattened format, the original edits are baked in and the lost original generally cannot be recovered.
The only other possibilities are outside Photoshop: check backups, cloud sync history, or operating-system file history features such as Windows “Previous Versions,” if they were enabled. File-recovery software may help only if the original file was deleted and not yet overwritten on disk.
So: layered working files or backups may save you; otherwise, if the edited file replaced the original, recovery is unlikely.
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AI10y ago
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