Does Lightroom Change original JPG/TIFF photos upon export?

[wideangle]

Let me get this straight.

If you have edited photographs in TIFF/JPG format and then import then into Lightroom so you can later search for these photos by keywords - if you export them from Lightroom does the original file stay the same? That is - does the original file that LR links to does not get touched upon exporting?

[ricktas]

Lightroom doesnt really 'edit' any photos. All edits you do are stored in the XMP sidecar file. LR leaves your files alone, nothing is changed about your original file at all.

If you right click any photo in lightroom and choose export to photoshop (etc) you should get a pop-up screen that asks, export original, export with LR edits. You just click which radio button you want and away you go.

[wideangle]

Lightroom doesnt really 'edit' any photos. All edits you do are stored in the XMP sidecar file. LR leaves your files alone, nothing is changed about your original file at all.

If you right click any photo in lightroom and choose export to photoshop (etc) you should get a pop-up screen that asks, export original, export with LR edits. You just click which radio button you want and away you go.

Thanks Rick. So you are saying that the export option, regardless of export settings, does not in anyway change the original linked files. So I take it, that it is always just exporting the original photo edits as a copy to a new location of your desire?

[pjc]

Just to clarify things a little...

If you r-click Edit then you get the options Rick mentioned.

If you r-click Export (or choose Export from the Library view) you _will_ be creating a new, additional, independent copy of the original with the edits made in Lightroom baked into it.

[ricktas]

Thanks Rick. So you are saying that the export option, regardless of export settings, does not in anyway change the original linked files. So I take it, that it is always just exporting the original photo edits as a copy to a new location of your desire?

exactly. Lightroom does NOT alter any photo!

[Ms Monny]

thats what I love about LR!!

[wideangle]

Thanks for the replies.