Non Destructive Software

Welshy74

Senior Member
I currently use Nx-2 for my editing and when I make changes on that it automatically attaches a sub folder of the originals so I dont lose them. Does the same happen in Lightroom or PSE as im looking to upgrade my processing software and would be learning so wouldnt want any changes to destroy the original file
 

J-see

Senior Member
RAW files are never permanently changed when you use editors since it isn't a "real" image (you have to export it as one) so you can pick about any editor you like and do whatever you prefer to the RAW and always go back to the original.

May I suggest to give RAWTherapee a try. It's not easy but it is free and can produce better results than Lightroom.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
True, raw files are never modified, but OP did not mention raw.

Yes, Adobe stuff that uses ACR (Adobe Camera Raw... Lightroom, PSE, PS), uses the same method for JPG or TIF as for raw. Meaning that, assuming NOT using the regular File- Save or Save As menu, and instead using the ACR procedures, then the original is always faithfully retained unmodified, and only the change list is saved.

Repeat:

Edit normally in PSE or PS, and selecting File - Save or Save As - DOES rewrite the data, and the original is NOT kept (unless file name is changed in Save As).

But edit in ACR (which can be JPG too), and save its way, and the original is retained, and a list of edit changes are saved. Howver, this then means you have to output a new JPG or TIF file to actually incorporate those changes. Other programs viewing it will see only the original data, so ACR has to output a new changed JPG copy for other programs to see. But this is only one additional new set of JPG artifacts added.

This is called Lossless Editing, meaning nondestructive, recoverable.
 
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J-see

Senior Member
Lightroom and RawTherapee do non-destructive editing to JPEG too but it's possible you have to adjust some settings to ensure that. I don't really edit JPEG so you have to double-check it.
 

Welshy74

Senior Member
True, raw files are never modified, but OP did not mention raw.

Yes, Adobe stuff that uses ACR (Adobe Camera Raw... Lightroom, PSE, PS), uses the same method for JPG or TIF as for raw. Meaning that, assuming NOT using the regular File- Save or Save As menu, and instead using the ACR procedures, then the original is always faithfully retained unmodified, and only the change list is saved.

Repeat:

Edit normally in PSE or PS, and selecting File - Save or Save As - DOES rewrite the data, and the original is NOT kept (unless file name is changed in Save As).

But edit in ACR (which can be JPG too), and save its way, and the original is retained, and a list of edit changes are saved. This means you have to output a new JPG or TIF file to incorporate those changes. Other programs viewing it will see only the original data, so you have to output a new changed JPG copy for other programs to see.

This is called Lossless Editing, meaning nondestructive, recoverable.

Would I need to create a copy/sub folder for editing purposes?
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
For me if I were using .jpg, I would save under a different name to keep the original from being affected. That is using any software.
 

J-see

Senior Member
RAWTherapee saves the changes into a .pp3 file and while you see the JPEG with edits in the program, if you want to use it elsewhere, you'll have to convert it first.

I always convert the originals I work at to a "work" folder. That way my originals remain as is in their own folders.

Lightroom works about identical but uses its album structure.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Would I need to create a copy/sub folder for editing purposes?

No. (you could, but it is not necessary). Adobe ACR edits JPG and TIF (as well as raw NEF). It is lossless edits, which means it saves (in the original file, but elsewhere in it, like Exif is stored elsewhere in it) a list of the changes. It does not change the image data then, does not actually implement the changes (except in the monitor temp copy you see), The file is always still the original image, but it simply saves the list of changes. Other programs viewing the original don't know about that, and they still only see the original data. So then when ready, in ACR, you output a new JPG for other uses (which implements the change list only then). And when you later decide it needs additional edit, subsequent edits simply change the edit (to update the change list automatically), and you discard the first temp output, and output a new one to be used as the edited JPG.

You can change your file associations to cause clicking a JPG to open ACR automatically, but nothing is required to simply open a JPG in ACR. You just "open in Raw" in the normal way (even if it is JPG).

I shoot only Raw, but I edit all my wife's little compact JPG in ACR. She thinks it takes wonderful pictures. :) The ACR tools are simply better and easier, more to the point for editing photos.

For me if I were using .jpg, I would save under a different name to keep the original from being affected. That is using any software.

It is good to have the original, for whatever the future holds. But going back to a saved copy means that you have to start all over on your editing efforts.

If you do lossless edits with ACR, you simply update the change list, maybe make the image brighter, but do not have to change the white balance and contrast again, unless you want to. You are editing the edit list, and keeping what you want of it. You never see any list, you just re-edit the image as desired. At any output, that edited change list starts with the original image again. This is a very desirable whole new world. :)

Just to make it clear, maybe silly, but hopefully clear. Let's say we want to make our image be very blue, too blue, but that's what we think we want. So we do.

Next week, we decide that was wrong, it's too blue, and what we really want is too red. So we change the edit to make it be very red. We keep the rest of it, the crop, and the brightness, whatever. We just make it red now.

Lossless edits means it does NOT have to undo the blue in the data. It is still the original data. It simply changes the blue instruction in the list to be a red instruction. The data is NOT shifted back and forth, it will be changed only one time at final output. This is good stuff.

Raw images do this by default, i.e., ACR is required. A serious part of their advantage.
 
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Welshy74

Senior Member
I dont think my 7200 can work in ACR. When I sesrch for files it says they are empty and now also says unsupported file on view nx2
 

WayneF

Senior Member
I dont think my 7200 can work in ACR. When I sesrch for files it says they are empty and now also says unsupported file on view nx2

OK, would you describe better what the issue is then?

I don't understand "won't work", or "empty files". Not descriptive.

"unsupported" typically means that the camera is a new model, and the raw software has not added it to its camera list yet. This happens with every new camera. A later software version should add it. The D7200 is very new, and for example, Adobe added D7200 only on April 22 release of their raw stuff.

What is the date of the ViewNX .exe file? Older than the camera release?

For raw, you may just have to wait until Nikon adds the camera to ViewNX?
However, I would expect them to be pretty timely.
 
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