Creating Virtual Copies in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
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#56 Creating Virtual Copies
The addition of virtual copies to the digital imaging workflow has been an important milestone. Not only are virtual copies a great new feature, they require a new way of thinking. Virtual copies are nondestructive, and they allow you to have multiple versions of your photos with only a small, insignificant increase the file size (as opposed to creating a real copy of your image, which would double the file size). In addition, you can modify an image in many ways without being concerned about losing information or increasing file size.
With virtual copies the “copies” don’t actually exist; rather, they are metadata files in the Catalog that allow you to display the master image in a new way, without duplicating the image’s pixels and increasing the file size.
To create a virtual copy, select one or more images and choose Photo > Create Virtual Copy, or press Control + ‘ (Windows) or Command + ‘ (Mac). In the Grid view the virtual copy is identified by a page-turn icon on the lower-left corner of the thumbnail (Figure 56).
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