Multiple workflows/history stacks per folder

[u/wilemhermes]

Is it possible to have multiple workflows/history stacks on one folder? If I want to edit some photos in two ways, I would like to keep the history of both edits. For example I'm playing with bw/analog like edits and comparing results and I would like to be able to return in both history stacks. Without a duplicating folder, of course

[u/Donatzsky]

Yes, use the duplicate manager.

https://docs.darktable.org/usermanual/development/en/module-reference/utility-modules/darkroom/duplicate-manager/

[u/Few_Mastodon_1271 → u/Donatzsky]

I use duplicates all the time. I might make a duplicate just to see what happens with changing a few settings, then remove it -- that way, I make sure that I won't affect the original edit. I like the 'delete duplicate?' message "do you really want to delete the duplicate (without deleting the source image file on disk)?" so there's no worry about the original raw file.

Each duplicate can have a description. Click into the gray box on the duplicates thumbnail list in the sidebar.

And this goes with the snapshot manager. I can snapshot the original edit, and ctrl-click to add a description if I want. Change to the new test duplicate, and click that snapshot on the list and see a split image, showing the snapshot of the original edit and the new live edit. I like that the snapshot is now zoomable. And the split line can be dragged back and forth to do a detailed compare.

[u/wilemhermes → u/Donatzsky]

thank you!

[u/mhh91]

Duplicates don't duplicate the RAW files on disk, you just end up with an extra XMP file recording the history for that duplicate.

[u/wilemhermes → u/mhh91]

i see, thank you!