Destructive vs. Non-Destructive Editing Workflow

If you’ve read some of our post-processing articles, you might have heard the terms Destructive and Non-Destructive editing mentioned. But what exactly do they mean?

What is the difference between a Destructive and Non-Destructive workflow? Why does it matter, and what should you be doing?

In this article, I’ll answer that and more. I’ll show you the differences and explain how one will significantly improve your processing workflow.

What is a Destructive Workflow?

If this is the first time you hear about these two terms, chances are that you’re currently using a Destructive editing workflow.

Working destructively means applying all your adjustments to a single layer or a set of merged layers, which prevents you from refining your edits later on.

Let’s say you want to increase the contrast of your photo. Go to Image -> Adjustments -> Curves, apply a simple S-curve (darkening the shadows and brightening the highlights), and click OK.

Now, you realize you added more contrast than you’d like. Since the adjustment was applied to your base layer, the only way to change it is to Undo the adjustment. That means you also need to Undo any adjustments made after it.

The problem with this is:

1. You have to redo all adjustments made after your mistake
2. You only have a certain number of Undos stored
3. All edit history/Undos are lost when you reopen the file

While applying the adjustment directly onto your base layer does the job, it is extremely restrictive regarding further processing.

What is a Non-Destructive Workflow?

As you might have guessed, a Non-Destructive editing workflow is the opposite of what is described above.

Instead of applying every adjustment to the base layer, use Photoshop’s Layers and Masks and apply them individually.

Back to our contrast example, the non-destructive method would be to create a Curves Adjustment Layer. This creates a separate layer dedicated to only this adjustment.

If you want to go back and refine the settings, you select the layer and refine the curve. There’s no need to undo anything, and there’s no need to delete adjustments made afterward (as long as they’re non-destructive, too).

What Workflow is Best?

You might already have guessed that a non-destructive workflow has many advantages and is the better option.

The reason is that you can quickly go back and fine-tune your adjustments at any time during your workflow. You don’t have to undo and redo everything just because you made a mistake early on.

A non-destructive editing workflow also gives you a better overview of what has been done to the photo, especially if you’re good at naming your layers and groups.

If you save the file as a PSD or TIFF, you can save the image with all layers intact. That means that all your layers are accessible even after closing and reopening the photo.

Tips for Editing Non-Destructive

While non-destructive editing is rather quite forward once you get the hang of layers and masks, there are a few guidelines you should be following to make the most out of it:

1. Create new layers—Every adjustment should be made on a new adjustment layer. Avoid adding multiple adjustments to the same layer.
2. Use Adjustment Layers—Photoshop has different types of layers, and not all are considered non-destructive. Merged Layers, for example, disable the possibility of making changes to any layer beneath. When you need such layers, for example, when using the Nik Collection, you should convert them to Smart Objects. These destructive layers should also be used at the beginning or end of your workflow.
3. Use Layer Masks—The beauty of layers is the masks you can attach to them. Most adjustments don’t benefit the entire photo. Quite often, you want to apply them to only specific parts. Using Layer Masks allows you to selectively apply the adjustments to the areas you want.
4. Save as PSD / TIFF—One major advantage of a non-destructive workflow is that you can return to the photo and refine your adjustments at any point. Even after saving and closing the photo, the layers are still accessible when you re-open it. For this to be the case, you need to save it as a PSD or TIFF file and check the Include Layers option.

Conclusion

Non-destructive editing workflows are perfect for any photographer who wants to take complete control over their processing. Such workflows allow you to go back and fine-tune or change your adjustments at any point, even after closing and re-opening the photo.

By working non-destructively, you don’t have to rely on undoing everything you’ve applied since your ‘mistake’. You don’t have to start over every time you’ve done something wrong.

What category does your editing workflow fall into? Destructive or non-destructive? Let us know in a comment!

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