Versions

Save any number of versions of a photograph and switch between them or ORIGINAL in the version picker.

The picker is in Develop’s control band. Click a segment to select it. The selected version is remembered across launches and used in Grid, filmstrip, Loupe, Compare and export.

When the segments no longer fit across the band, the picker becomes a menu button naming the selected version. Its menu lists ORIGINAL and every version, with a checkmark beside the selected one, and Manage Versions holds each version’s compare, rename, copy, apply and delete commands. On iPad the panel’s picker turns into a menu in the same way.

Opening an undeveloped photograph with D creates its first version. Import alone creates no empty recipes.

ORIGINAL. Select ORIGINAL to view and export the photograph as shot while retaining saved versions. Sliders and canvas tools are disabled until a version is selected. Hold / for a temporary before-and-after without changing the stored selection. Switching versions rebuilds the panel and clears its edit undo stack.

Switching to ORIGINAL reverts a Photos rendering on departure only if Frames published it during the current session. For a rendering from an earlier session, use Revert in Photos. Switching between versions alone does not republish them.

Add a version. Click ＋ to duplicate the selected version. Under ORIGINAL it creates a blank version. While / is held, it copies the selected edit and ends the temporary original view. A photograph holds any number of versions.

Automatic names are Edited, then Edited 2, Edited 3 and onwards. Older automatic Edit names are updated when opened; custom names are preserved.

Rename and delete. Right-click a segment to rename or delete it; when the picker is a menu button, the same commands are under Manage Versions. Deleting a version with edits requires confirmation; empty or reset versions delete immediately. Deleting the selected version selects the segment to its left, or ORIGINAL if none remain. Version deletion cannot be undone.

Copy and paste. The same menu has Copy Treatment and Paste Treatment, acting on the clicked segment even when another is selected. Paste preserves the current selection. Replacing a version containing edits requires confirmation and names the target.

Paste supports ⌘Z when the complete previous recipe, selection, preview, edited state and timestamp can be restored. Otherwise the status bar says it cannot be undone. Develop undoes slider edits and treatment pastes in their order: paste, adjust a slider, then press ⌘Z twice to reverse both.

Pasting from another photograph requires a local destination original to check supported RAW controls. The command is unavailable without it or with an empty clipboard. A stale menu action is rejected with an explanation. Pasting between versions of the same photograph remains available.

What transfers. Within one photograph, the entire recipe transfers, including crop, repairs and decoder pin. Across photographs, unsupported or photograph-specific settings are omitted and reported: crop, repairs, decoder pin, unsupported RAW controls, HDR without a gain map, and layers with no remaining adjustments. Lens profiles also require a matching lens. Applied looks retain their settings and strength.

A version with an unreadable recipe can be repaired by pasting another version over it, even while the editing panel is disabled.