Boost your creativity with Snapshots
Store multiple versions of a photo in a single file
One of the joys of converting raw files is that there is a huge variety of creative options. By adjusting simple sliders, you can mix up a different bunch of looks from the same picture, giving you a diverse range of images from the same starting point.
When we start playing with a raw file, we’re not always sure what kind of result we’re looking for, and there could be several interpretations that can be equally strong. That’s why the Snapshot facility in Adobe Camera Raw allows you to record different versions of the same image. The original raw itself never changes, but all the different visual styles will be kept, so you can quickly reproduce the look you like.
Open the Path.NEF image into Photoshop CC: it will load into the Camera Raw plugin. Click the Snapshots tab, then click the New Snapshot icon at the bottom of the panel. In the dialog box, name the Snapshot ‘Original’. You’ve now recorded your first Snapshot, which is how the pic looks straight out of the camera.
Now go back to the Basic tab, and get to work! In this example 1 , I set Highlights to -80, Shadows to +100, Texture to +70 and Clarity to +70. I then selected the Graduated Filter, set Exposure to +1.5, and dragged the grad upwards to brighten the foreground. I added warmth by boosting Temperature to +40, then created a new grad with an Exposure setting of -0.5, and used this to darken the sky. I went back to the Snapshots tab, and created a new Snapshot called ‘Colour’.
I then made a range of different looks, including Black & White, Split-Toned Mono, Moonlight and Retro. Each time I had a finish I was happy with, I created another Snapshot. To output Snapshots as actual image files, all you have to do is click on the Snapshot you want, then click on Open Image. This saves all your Snapshots to your raw file and loads that specific raw conversion into Photoshop. From here, you can then go to File > Save As and save it in the format you require. By re-opening the raw file, you can then select any Snapshot and output that version, or you can use it as a starting point to create another visual style. It’s a brilliant way of working that’s simple to use and quick to apply.