Adobe Lightroom Export question

[Photog82]

I shoot RAW (Canon 7D) and import my RAW files in LR, make my edits, export as JPG and also, just incase I want to go back and tweak my edits I export the file as "orginal" which if I understand it correctly, LR makes a copy of my .cr2 file. I compared the original CR2 file to the copy LR makes and see a slight color difference but that's all.



Is it safe to delete the original CR2 files from my camer and keep the "original" copy the LR makes when I export?

[Daniel Browning]

Is it safe to delete the original CR2 files from my camer and keep the "original" copy the LR makes when I export?

Yes.

[Rocco]

Well, if I have it right... You don't even have to export as original. (which will be .CR2) when it imports the files it saves the CR2 files in the designated folder then all of the edits are saved to the catalog file, with the original file untouched. It doesn't apply the edits until the export stage, but even then the original file is untouched. That's the beautiful thing about lr, it's editing system is non destructive.

If your goal was to backup the originals, simply back up the catalog and the folder the originals are stored in.