Saving an image in ACR as a copy

[pbziegler]

I have switched from using Lightroom to ACR. I used to make virtual copies to work on so at the end of my editing in Lightroom I had the original RAW image and the RAW image processed. How can I save a RAW image I have worked on as a copy in RAW format and still have the original RAW image? I know I can restore the edited one to the original state. I know I can save it as a DNG. Is that smart?

Edited June 15, 2018 by pbziegler

[Damien Symonds]

Hell no, it's definitely NOT smart.

First of all, please explain why you want to do this nonsense at all.  Why do you think you need copies?

Choose your explanation carefully, because my bitch-slapping hand is poised.

[pbziegler]

Here goes. Treading very carefully. Actually this is my problem. For years I would just work on an image until I liked how it looked. Then posted it on the internet and enjoyed all the likes I got. I had my photos on a back up drive and catalogued with Lightroom. So over time most of my saved images ended up as JPEGS. The RAW images I saved as JPEGS so now when I look for photos to use in the course I am shocked to see have few are still in Fuji's RAW. I never use DNG in fact. But I want to make sure as I use Photoshop more and more I don't lose the RAW files. I may not understand that they are somehow preserved because I use XMP files. This is a area I never really paid attention to. So my real question is what is the best way to make sure that I still have a RAW version of images I work on in case I want to go back in the future and work on them again. I do see that I can open a RAW file I have processed and return it to the original unprocessed form but I am not sure how to preserve it as RAW. If I "SAVE" the file it there is no choice I can see to save it as RAW. And if I take it into Photoshop I understand I can't recapture it as a RAW file. Hope that's clear and not worthy of bitch-slapping. I have so many images that are all now in either Jpegs or in the format of some plug in software. I am not going to use the plug in software not that I am in process of really learning ACR and Photoshop with you. BE NICE NOW> I am a senior citizen of a country gone mad.

[Damien Symonds]

You're WAY overthinking this. There's one simple way to ensure you always have the raw file, and that's to not delete the raw file. That's all.

[pbziegler]

And stop using plug ins for processing. So I don’t have to save the file when I open it into PS. You have no idea how pissed off I am to see that hundreds of my images are now on my back up drive and show up in Bridge in some plug in format. I am going to see if I can somehow restore them to RAW but I doubt it. Waiting to activate your Layers course which I bought earlier today.

[pbziegler]

Good news is that On1 Photo Raw saved all the images in RAW. So I still have them as RAW files. Excited to start working my way through the Layers course now that I have abandoned all my old ways.

[Damien Symonds]

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/02/trash-those-jpegs.html

Please don't wait too long to jump into the Bridge Class.  It's really important that we start to establish your whole workflow.

[pbziegler]

Great. It has been my habit to trash all the JPEGs once I post them. I do have many on my hard drive than were never posted. I will need to go into my backup drive to see if I have originals or just jpegs. I have jpegs from iPhone shots I know. I know use a camera app that shoots Raw. I just signed onto Layers. I use Bridge and get around it well enough for my purposes but I will check out what the course covers

[pbziegler]

Hey for $10 and a chance to learn something new about Bridge and to ask you stupid questions how could I pass that up.