To clarify Dave’s answer, you can click on the snapshot at the top of the history palette to restore the image to it’s initial state. You can click on any level of the history (as far back as it goes, normally 20 steps) to see the image at that point.
The history is not stored when a file is saved, so if you have closed the file, you cannot get back to a prior state.
I was also looking at file revert, but unfortunately that only reverts to last save.
Thanks, guys. I tried the history palette as suggested, but not until after I had already closed the file. This will be a lesson to me to be more disciplined in saving my images as I progress with adjustments.
I have just a couple of rules – never format your hard drive unless you mean to do it, and always save progressive changes as separate file names (WIP1, WIP2). Any file that has had destructive filters applied, I always keep a copy of the original untouched layer with the image.
I never flatten anything without first saving it with "Layered" in the name.
It’s more a matter of workflow than anything.
" hope they follow my suggestion in 8.0 and offer a "Save with History" option. I’m sick of accidentally flattening, applying too many filters or merging text layers."
Not sure but I think I remember somebody asking for this years ago and Chris Cox saying that the file sizes would be enormousΒ
I could be totally wrong (maybe he will correct me here if I am) and even if I am right, it might not be as much of an issue today with the size of newer hard drives so who knows?
Photoshop stores the history in such a way that you can step back and forward very quickly. This may require many times as much storage as the actual image size, so yes, that’s still a big issue. But it would be feasible to store the original and final images plus an action consisting of everything you did in between. The disadvantage of this, of course, is that it might take a very long time to back up one step.
You are all going to hate me, I know it…
This sounds like you want a "track changes" option like they have in MS Word for tracking editing changes. Have you ever used that feature? I have, many, many times; the file size gets enormous. Just think what would happen to an image file!
Just to clarify, we are talking about every step in the history pallet, not snapshots.
How many clone edits did you make? How many times did you cycle through the different blending options on a layer to find the right one? How many times did you try "this" sharpening technique only to abandon it for "that" sharpening technique? What about painting?
What we’re talking about here, as far as I can tell, is "history mangement". So now you have to tell the history pallet, "okay, DO (or don’t) save my clone stamping, or healing, but do the opposite with painting, oh, and do it for THIS image only, because this one is special".
You DO know that there’s a 2 gig limit on file size right? How long do you think it’ll take before you hit that with your first 8×10 2400ppi scan?
<shaking head> I know you will think of a lot of ways that this could be implemented, but I just don’t see it as feasible OR useful. You know how the program works, plan around it – isn’t it far easier to save each image in it’s own discrete folder, and every change you want to save, you save the entire file? That’s what it amounts to anyway, as far as I can tell.
Sorry fellas, I don’t see this as a viable feature.
Peace,
Tony
I don’t hate you, Tony π as a matter of fact I agree with you, and your earlier statement about workflow, and using multiple versions of the file. In fact, if there is one thing I miss in Windows generally, is file versioning. I used this a lot back in the pre-PC days on a VAX workstation. The filename included, after the extension, a semi-colon, and a number representing the version of the file. Each save created a new version.
So what I do with my image files, is save just before doing any major changes – I can then mess with that particular change/edit (addressing your "what if I try this" process), and save again when I’ve finished with that technique. Each save has a modified filename, indicating at what stage of processing the save was made at.
As stated, it’s just workflow and file management discipline.
cheers
Klaas
Dave,
this was a good discussion, up to about post 10 or so when the trolls came out from under the bridge
Troll? I happen to be post #11, so I’m included by default. I don’t think that my remark was "troll-ish" at all.
I don’t disagree that Hanford’s idea is interesting, but my point was about thinking through the details. I, for one, do not need save history states as a separate feature; in my mind it’s about workflow and cognition. I already have a Save History States feature, called File|Save As.
I mean this argument is like asking MS Word to save it’s entire undo list.
This is the first time I’ve ever been lumped in the troll category – I’m surprised that a differing opinion would be categorized as such.
Troll? I happen to be post #11, so I’m included by default. I don’t think that my remark was "troll-ish" at all.
didn’t mean you tony. π i was speaking of the sidetracked discussion about adboe not being responsive to users. anyone reading the thread can see where it started to go off track. please accept my apologies for lumping you in w/trolls. wait a minute… how do you feel about billy goat stew? <g>
you meant the one in the Feature Requests forum, not this thread – is that right?
ayup! π
I thought it was a little uncharacteristic of you to call me a troll in public
baaaas-tad yes. troll, neva! π
