What Is A Virtual Copy?

Virtual Copies are such a useful feature of Lightroom. All photo edits in Lightroom are tracked as non-destructive instructions. So… wouldn’t it be cool to have different sets of editing instructions for a single original photo? That’s what a virtual copy does. Creating a virtual copy makes a duplicate set of editing instructions from your original set, without duplicating your photo file. They are fast, lightweight, and save hard drive space.

Read my article on Lightroom virtual copies for more details.

Managing Virtual Copies

Virtual copies present their own asset management challenges. In my workflow, it is not unusual for me to have several different versions of an image. By default, Lightroom gives each new virtual copy a generic name like “Copy 1” or “Copy 2”. However, you can use the Metadata panel in the Library module and rename the copy to anything you want. Often times for me the virtual copy name relates to a project I’m working on, or a specific treatment or crop. Use whatever description makes sense for you.

Furthermore, the virtual copy name can be presented in both the Grid and Loupe view. Use the View > View Options menu in the Library module to configure the Grid and Loupe view. There are a variety of ways to display photo metadata in each view. The options that include “Copy Name” are ones that include the virtual copy name. For the Grid View, I prefer “Copy Name or File Name” so that only the file name or the copy name (but not both) are shown. My library views are most often sorted by Capture Date, the photo file and virtual copies are all shown together, and the file name or copy name arrangement makes it easy for me to distinguish between an original file and a virtual copy. For the Loupe View, I prefer “File Name and Copy Name” so both the file name and copy name (if applicable) are shown.

Pro tip: Try Stacks to group original images and virtual copies.

Once you have name and configured your metadata views, it is much easier to distinguish between the various copies of your images. Notice in the Grid view below, the original RAW file as a file name (ending in .ARW) above its thumbnail, and the virtual copies have a simple, descriptive name. In the Loupe View, the virtual copy name is shown after the file name.

What happens when you’re looking at the original photo file? There is no copy name present. It’s just the file name itself!

Stay Organized

Using descriptive names for your virtual copies and setting up the Grid and Loupe help you keep organized and manage “virtual copy sprawl". Give it a try!