Today’s Question: When using virtual copies [in Lightroom Classic] to create different versions of the same image, how do you recommend organizing these in terms of the intent for each version?
Tim’s Quick Answer: I think the Copy Name field that serves the purpose of identifying virtual copies is a perfect option, and by simply updating the text in this field you can keep track of the intent for each virtual copy you create.
More Detail: When you create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic you’re simply duplicating the metadata for the source image so that you can maintain different versions of the same source image. This is most commonly used to have different interpretations of a single image in the Develop module.
For example, you might optimize the original image in color but then create a virtual copy to create a black and white interpretation. You might then create another virtual copy based on the black and white version and then apply a sepia tone or other color tint to that version.
Especially if you create more than one virtual copy for a single image, and if there are relatively subtle differences between the virtual copies, it can sometimes be tricky to keep track of the purpose for individual virtual copies. For example, if you optimized the original image without cropping, and then created a virtual copy for a version with an 8×10 aspect ratio, it might not be immediately clear why the two versions exist.
When you create a virtual copy in Lightroom Classic the Copy Name field for that virtual copy will update to reflect the number, such as “Copy 1” and then “Copy 2” and so on. When there is text in the Copy Name field, that text will appear after the filename for the image, such as being shown above the filmstrip on the bottom panel for the selected image.
But the Copy Name field can be edited, so you can update the text to something much more meaningful than “Copy 1”. Based on the examples above you might, for example, update the Copy Name field to “Color”, “Black and White”, and “Sepia Tone” for the various versions of the image.
Note that the Copy Name field can be directly searched by selecting it from the first popup on the Text tab of the Library Filter bar. If you’re consistent in how you update the Copy Name field, this can make it easy to locate specific versions of images at a later date.
