NFWW wrote:
Rob's response:
Note: in *all* raw processors, raws must be exported as (or saved as) jpegs (or tiff) for external consumption.sounds like it somehow isn't possible to move a raw file without it being converted. Is that really possible?
Sorry I didn't reply sooner. For a while I was getting emailed forum messages for everything, but then on the web only some were there...
Anyway, the way Lightroom works is:
* you import files, raw or jpeg or whatever, and those are not much touched (except maybe xmp metadata gets written to them).
* when you edit metadata and/or develop settings in Lightroom, those edits are stored in the catalog, not the file being edited.
* when you export, the changes from the catalog are combined with the originally imported file, and a new "cooked" file is created and placed in the export destination location.
The above is true, *unless* you export in 'ORIGINAL' format, in which case it does not "cook" anything, and just saves the originally imported file in the export destination.
So you can backup the original using ordinary 3rd party backup software, or by exporting in original format, or whatever (plugins...).
If you want to "move" it within Lightroom (and on disk), and not export it, i.e. not create another physical copy of it, then that's another thing altogether - just drag photos into preferred location (folder), or create new folder (e.g. right/ctrl-click) and populate it with selected photo files...
Clearer?
Rob