How come this "non-destructive photo editor" is totally destructive?!?

[DirkBelig]

Whenever you edited with the Nexus 4's photo gallery app it would save it as a copy, leaving the original behind. Andrew's article about the new KitKat version mentions it's non-destructive, but I've discovered that when I've edited photos, it's NOT saving copies, but replacing the originals with the new edited versions, destroying the original in the process. I'm lucky I didn't nuke anything important, but I don't get what's going on here? How come everyone is calling this new editor "non-destructive" when it's totally destructive? And why doesn't it look like the pictures? It looks like the old N4 one, but now makes hash of your originals. Anyone else seeing this?

 

[N4Newbie]

I experimented with this only briefly, so your mileage may vary...

Snap a junk photo, open it in Gallery, tap the Edit button. Tap the color mode button at the far left (three intertwined circles) and then select something obvious like "B/W". Tap Save to save the changes.

You appear to be correct in that the original image is gone. However, open the image again (the B/W one), tap Edit, tap color mode, and this time tap None, then Save. Your original image has been restored.

Now, for the bug (again, not fully tested): if you save the image with changes (let's say B/W color mode), close the Gallery app, re-open the Gallery app, select your photo, change it back to full color, and hit Save... the app locks up on "Saving picture to camera..." The only way I have found to get out of this is to hold the power button for a few seconds, select Power Off to shut down the phone, and then restart it. It appears that the image saves properly however the phone locks up in the process.

 

[Gekko]

i don't edit pics often. but i prefer it when photo editors make it idi0t proof ie make it almost impossible to save changes over the original without renaming the file.

 

[N4Newbie]

i don't edit pics often. but i prefer it when photo editors make it idi0t proof ie make it almost impossible to save changes over the original without renaming the file.

My guess is that the photo is not being changed at all. Instead, the original photo sill exists along with instructions for recreating the edits on the fly. That would explain the ability to restore the photo to it's original form as I described above.

 

[N4Newbie]

In fact, it appears that the original image is being saved. Use a file manager to explore the DCIM\.aux folder...

 

[Gekko]

My guess is that the photo is not being changed at all. Instead, the original photo sill exists along with instructions for recreating the edits on the fly. That would explain the ability to restore the photo to it's original form as I described above.

yeah i guess i like something a little less hidden and a little more straightforward. like have 2 distinct files - Original and Edited1, Edited2, etc.

if i recall correctly one of new Windows 8 (on PC) photo editors does the same thing - it's a blurry line between original and edited copies. i don't like it! it's confusing and unsettling.

 

[N4Newbie]

yeah i guess i like something a little less hidden and a little more straightforward. like have 2 distinct files - Original and Edited1, Edited2, etc.

if i recall correctly one of new Windows 8 (on PC) photo editors does the same thing - it's a blurry line between original and edited copies. i don't like it! it's confusing and unsettling.

I don't disagree with you. For the same reason, I am not terribly pleased with the integration of SMS/MMS into Hangouts. I'll deal with it, but would have preferred that they remain separate - or, at the least, that those of us not interested in the wider functionality of Hangouts be given the choice to continue using the straight SMS/MMS Messaging app.

 

[Gekko]

I don't disagree with you. For the same reason, I am not terribly pleased with the integration of SMS/MMS into Hangouts. I'll deal with it, but would have preferred that they remain separate - or, at the least, that those of us not interested in the wider functionality of Hangouts be given the choice to continue using the straight SMS/MMS Messaging app.

yeah i would like to see an official Google "SMS/MMS" App downloadable on the Play Store. BUT that would go against their unification strategy and cost more development resources. i would have no problem with the Hangouts app for SMS/MMS - IF the UI was better and everything worked exactly the way it should.

 

[DirkBelig]

Please take complaints about Hangouts to another thread.

In fact, it appears that the original image is being saved. Use a file manager to explore the DCIM\.aux folder...

So instead of your original photo being left in the gallery as it was before, it is being taken to the digital version of an undisclosed location, a folder that isn't visible by default unless you use a third-party file manager and explicitly set it to show hidden files/folders that start with ".". Well, this is certainly some unacceptable, user-unfriendly BS.

 

[Zapped]

@DirkBelig - You don't have to hunt for the original image. You can just open it up again in the built-in photo editor, select the menu in the upper-right, and hit "RESET". Or use "Show Applied Effects" to review and/or alter the previously-applied effects one-by-one. Embrace the change

 

[DirkBelig]

Riiiight.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[DirkBelig]

It appears the ONLY non-destructive thing you can do is crop; that makes a copy of the cut-down image. Everything else nukes your original. This. Is. Bullsh*t.

 

[XSSIVE]

If you want an edited and an original version then don't hit save when done editing, hit the three dot menu on the top right and choose "export" this will save the new edited version right next to the original as a new image leaving the original as it was. Then just exit the editor without saving.

 

[DirkBelig]

You really don't get the problem here, do you? The way the editor used to work has been replaced with a method that DESTROYS YOUR ORIGINAL PHOTO WITHOUT WARNING...unless you know how it was changed!

The fundamental problem is that Andrew Martonik's WORDS don't properly explain how the new editor works like the VIDEO does. It's only in the VIDEO that we are told that the old Save function has been replaced with the Export process. The ability to Reset the changes by tapping the pencil icon and then Reset from the three dots menu isn't intuitive and it's only explained in the VIDEO.

I was looking at Zapped's screenshot and wonder where the heck he was getting that menu and it's only after watching the VIDEO - not reading the WORDS - that I see that when Zapped wrote, "You don't have to hunt for the original image. You can just open it up again in the built-in photo editor, select the menu in the upper-right, and hit "RESET," he didn't mention "tap the pencil to get into editing." If you just "open it up again" you don't get the options he referred to and as I've repeatedly said, there is nothing in the app and nothing in Andrew's WORDS which educates as to how the editor is different.

This is both Usability101 and Writing101 stuff. If you need a training video to explain how your app works, your app is poorly designed; get a Help file, people! If you can't WRITE the critical information because you either want to force video views or just ASSume that people will watch the videos, so why bother completely writing things, then you're failing as a writer. In pieces like this, it's not about expression; it's about communication or in these case, the lack thereof.

 

[Mooem]

The original image is not really "destroyed". As he explained in the article, if you ever want to go back to the original image then you can reset your edits without any harm. To me, saying it destroys the original implies you can't get it back. But I agree perhaps he should have explained that a little better in the written article that making edits will replace the original unless you later use the "Reset" option in the menu.

That means when you're done with edits, not only can you now save them as a preset filter but you can also export a full resolution image that you've edited to the Gallery. If you ever want to go back and edit your image again, you'll have the option to reset it back to the way it was or apply new filters and adjustment.

 

[iammai]

My favorite photo was broken after I saved it in a built-in photo editor on Nexus 5.
I had rotated the picture a few times and cropped it.
The thumbnail went all dark grey and I cannot reedit as it says it cannot open the image.
When I shared it with other device, the I can see half the image. The other half is in grey.
Do you know how to recover the image?

Thanks.

 

[nikon300]

First of all for those of you who are not saving original photos, make it a habit to save because for those of us who actually take time going to school for photography- (that'd be me)-take pride in photography and it is not easy. vs those who take "snap shots" of life. Anyway-people who do editing on their phones -folks if you don't know you better ask somebody. Those photos have lost an extreme amount of quality-therefore when a individual would really want to display their "snap shot" indeed will look like garbage because it has been edited time and time again. As far as non-destructive software Lightroom 5 is a WONDERFUL software. I am in the process of learning Photoshop. Kinda expensive but worth it..

 

[N4Newbie]

... I am in the process of learning Photoshop. Kinda expensive but worth it..

Lol. That's like saying the known universe is "kinda big".