How can I keep only the final virtual copy in Lightroom?
Asked 4/5/2013
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2 answers
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I often create multiple virtual copies in Lightroom while experimenting with different edits. By the end, I may have 10 versions I no longer want, including the original, and only one final version I want to keep.
What’s the best way to clean this up? Ideally I’d like to keep just the final edited version without losing it because it isn’t the original master. Is there a way to make the chosen virtual copy the main version, or otherwise preserve the final edit while deleting the extra copies?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
3
If I understand you correctly, you have one image you want to keep, but it's not the 'original image', it's one of the virtual copies. Not a problem. In the Library module, click on the VC you want to keep and go to Photo/Set Copy as Master. Done.
Originally by user19201. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user19201
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. If the version you want to keep is a virtual copy, Lightroom lets you make it the main version: in the Library module, select that virtual copy and use Photo > Set Copy as Master. That promotes your chosen version so you can keep it as the primary image.
If your goal is mainly a cleaner view rather than deletion, you can also stack the versions and collapse the stack.
If you want to remove the extra virtual copies and don’t care about preserving the full step-by-step history, another option is to copy the final edit settings from the version you like, paste them onto the original, and then delete the unwanted virtual copies.
What you generally can’t do is merge all virtual-copy histories into one combined editable history chain. So the practical choices are: make the preferred copy the master, hide extras in a stack, or copy final settings back to the original and delete the rest.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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