How do I stack virtual copies with their masters and put the virtual copy on top in Lightroom?
Asked 10/11/2016
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2 answers
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In Lightroom, I create virtual copies of a batch of RAW files so I can preview and rate them with a different look, such as black and white. After reviewing, I may have several virtual copies rated while the original master files remain unrated.
I want to know:
- Do virtual copies automatically get stacked with their master, or is there a way to do that in bulk?
- If I have many stacks, how can I make the virtual copy the top image in every stack so I can work with ratings or metadata more easily?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
1
A1. You don't say which version of Lightroom you are using, but in the current version at time of writing (CC 2015.10) what you describe in Q1 always happens by default. If I select either a single image or multiple images and create virtual copies, each virtual copy is stacked with its master. In fact, as far as I can remember that's always been the case. Have I maybe misunderstood your question?
A2. If you only have one virtual copy of each photo, this is quite simple:
- In the Grid module, enable the Attribute filter (from the Library Filter bar at the top) and next to Kind click the Virtual Copy icon (the middle one of the three).
- Use either
Ctrl+Ato select all your virtual copies, or the usual multi-select methods to select just the ones you want (Ctrl+click,Shift+click). - Turn the Virtual Copy filter back off. You will now see all photos again (masters and virtual copies) but with only the virtual copies selected.
- Now hit
Shift+[(or from the menu, Photo > Stacking > Move Up In Stack) to move all the virtual copies to the top of their stacks.
For some reason, the more obvious function Move To Top Of Stack (Shift + S) doesn't work on this sort of multi-selection: it only affects the highlighted/actively selected image.
If you've got multiple virtual copies of each image then the Move Up In Stack bit will still work, it just gets harder to only select the last virtual copy of each image.
Originally by user3644. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3644
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In Lightroom, virtual copies are normally stacked with their master automatically when you create them, so you usually shouldn’t need a separate bulk command for that.
If you want the virtual copy to be on top of each stack, you can do it in bulk from the Library/Grid view:
- Turn on the Library Filter bar.
- Use the Attribute filter and, under Kind, click the Virtual Copy icon to show only virtual copies.
- Select the virtual copies you want.
- Use the stack command to move the selected item to the top of its stack.
If you only have one virtual copy per master, this works cleanly across all selected images. If you have multiple virtual copies per master, you’ll need to select the specific copy you want on top before running the command.
So, in short: stacking with the master is usually automatic, and putting virtual copies on top can be done by filtering to virtual copies, selecting them, and moving them to the top of their stacks.
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AI9y ago
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