In Adobe Lightroom, you can easily duplicate a photo with various edits using the Virtual Copy function. Here’s how to use virtual copies in Lightroom: What are Virtual Copies? In Lightroom, a virtual copy allows you to create a duplicate of a photo without actually duplicating the file on your hard drive. This means you can apply different edits, settings, or metadata to the same original image while keeping the original intact and unaltered. Crucially, VCs allow you to visually compare the effect of various edits on what’s essentially the same photo, without the huge file sizes of TIFFs. It’s an essential feature of a parametric editor and critical for…

Virtual copies are commonly used in Adobe Lightroom, although their usage may vary among different photographers and workflows. Here are some reasons why many Lightroom users find virtual copies beneficial: Common Uses of Virtual Copies in Lightroom Experimentation: Photographers often create virtual copies to experiment with different editing styles or techniques without altering the original image. This allows for creative freedom and exploration. Multiple Versions: Users frequently create virtual copies to produce different versions of the same photo, such as: Colour vs. black and white Different crops or aspect ratios Various exposure adjustments or colour grading Client Options: When working with clients, photographers can create virtual copies to present multiple…