Keeping Track of Editing

[Styx Photography (SP)]

I use a Nikon D80 SLR. I normally always take the pictures in RAW files that way when I'm editing the pictures the RAW file is always the original and I don't have to worry about making a duplicated for JEPEG. When i'm finished editing the picture and save the changed version to an JEPG file & send it to the client. Sometimes they would want me to make slit or huge change to the picture. That at times causes me to back tract and struggle to remember how the hell did I get the picture the way it was before. What's the best way to keep track of call the changes you made to a picture just in chase you should have to make more changes to a picture?

Example:
The client wanted the tatoo removed but then change their minds and want it back. But yet the picture had when through a large amount of changes mainly the color, contract, saturation and so to bring back the tatoo you'd have to make it to where the tatto matchs the color changes made to the change version of the picture.

[epoh]

I save the file as a PSD as well as a JPEG. That way all the history and layer info is intact.

[Styx Photography (SP)]

So even if you shut down Photo Shop as well as your system it will save all in history?

[Steelsun]

Save a master psd in photoshop and learn to do editing in layers and masks.
When you do things like levels/curves/etc, do those in adjustment layers instead of through the top menu - that way they can be tweaked easier.

When you do all that, then most things can be changed easily without having to redo a bunch of steps afterwards.

For example when removing a tattoo - duplicate the image, on the duplicate mask out everything but the tattoo area, use that remaining part to edit.
Then you can also "turn on" and "turn off" the tattoo as needed.

It takes a bit to learn, and some practice, but in the long run (or even the medium run), you'll save time when you go back to change something (especially true when you learn to use adjustment layers)

[Styx Photography (SP)]

thanks alot brian. you've been alot of help. i'm watching turtorial about photoshop to better my images.