How to export virtual copies

I took a bunch of images for a family member getting married.
Once in LR I created some virtual copies so I could use some presets and not mess with the original.
Now I want to export all the DNG files but the virtual copies will not export. Any ideas why or how I can export the copies?

Thanks
R.

When you click on/select a virtual copy and click the Export button (Ctl-Shift-E) what exactly happens? Start with just one image selected...

if there are only a few virtual copies to deal with, you can use the Sync or Copy...Paste features to apply develop settings to the originals, do the export, then re-set the originals to the proper history state.
another way to approach this in future is to use "Snapshots"-- after making edits, create a snapshot, export as needed, go back to original history state as desired. the snapshot will always be available later. this avoids having to make virtual copies which for your export process seems to be getting in the way.
or... if you really need two DNG's for these images (one unedited and one edited) copy the original image file on the disk and import that new file into LR, apply the develop settings from the virtual copies via Sync or Copy...Paste.
i hope this helps...

When I select both copies, the original and the virtual copy with the changes, both export but the virtual exports with no changes.


R.

rickp1 wrote in post #11470684
When I select both copies, the original and the virtual copy with the changes, both export but the virtual exports with no changes.

R.

This is why I asked you to just select and export one virtual copy -- if, as I suspect, it converts correctly, then I imagine that Lightroom has a different process for DNGs that is not "working" for the virtual copies, but I really don't know, mainly because I've never worked with DNGs.

But, if the standalone virtual copy correctly converts, then the next step would be to ensure that a batch of them convert. Then, assuming that works correctly, the only thing I could advise is to have a routine of exporting DNGs separate from virtual copies, although that would suck.

Like I said, I never work with DNGs. When working with CR2s they export side-by-side with virtual copies just fine. I'm not sure how the DNG might be different -- maybe someone here who uses DNGs could check this out on their setup.

tony good point if I understood it right.

When I export the virtual copy to jpg and not dng, the virtual copy export fine with the changes.

This still sucks though, because I need the files in their raw format, not converted. When I import them I import to DNG so I wanted to keep that format so I could work on them later.

But i guess you're right, it's a DNG export issue.

Hang on -- are you trying to export the virtual copies to become DNG files? That's interesting if you are -- I've never considered doing that. I just work with virtual copies as that until I'm ready to export as a file for final use (Web, print, sharing, etc) and have no need for a Raw file from it.

So if that's what you are trying to do I can imagine (although I don't know) that there is an issue with LR even being able by design to do that. The DNG is "constructed" from the actual Raw file, whereas the virtual copy is simply metadata, so for LR to somehow take that metadata and "re-marry"it to the Raw file data is likely not going to happen.

I'd say if you really want DNG copies of the Raw file, each with different processing versions you may be stuck with just exporting the one version, reworking the original into the second version and exporting that second version.

Of course this is all speculation since I may be misinterpreting what you are trying to do and also because I just don't work with DNG, so I'll wait for your response!

I shoot in RAW. When I import my images to LR, i convert them to DNG.
For the few images I wanted to change the look (for example to B&W etc...) I created a virtual file, which LR did as another DNG file. LR named the virtual file the exact same thing as the original one and stacked it as 2 of 2.

When I tried to export it, I chose the "Export to DNG" option. That's what failed. If I choose export to jpg, then it worked.

Let me know if this is a bit more clear?

You're suggestion about it possibly being a DNG issue was correct IMO.

R.

I think you are not understanding what a Virtual Copy is. It is not another file, either DNG or CR2, It is nothing more than a set of notations in the catalog, that's why its called "virtual" and not a real copy. If you export to a rendered format, the editing that is associated with it is applied. If you export as a DNG the original RAW data is copied, nothing more. The sacred first principle of all RAW converters, including LR, is that RAW data is never changed, only used as the basis for a rendered file.

You right, I was just trying to express another file, not another physical file.

what I'll end up doing then is burning the original files through filer (using a mac) then I'll export the virtual copies as jpgs so I'll have a copy of those as well. Then i can have a separate copy of the files for the girl.

It's shame, I thought an export would export everything.

R.