Fate of RAW file after "Development"

[Mark Oehlschlager]

Quick simple question here:

When one opens a RAW image file in Photo, makes adjustments, then clicks the develop button, what becomes of the original RAW file?

Do the adjustments made in the Developer mode "destructively" alter the RAW file, or is the original RAW file dismissed with a "developed" copy of the RAW transferred into the Photo profile as a new Affinity Photo file?

Maybe another way to state the question is this: If one wants to preserve the RAW file as shot, does one need to duplicate this RAW file before "developing" in Affinity Photo?

[bestman 8]

3 minutes ago, Mark Oehlschlager said:

If one wants to preserve the RAW file as shot, does one need to duplicate this RAW file before "developing" in Affinity Photo?

affinity does not change your raw file 
i honestly don't know any editor that does change raw files

[Mark Oehlschlager]

@bestman 8 Thanks. So, I suppose Photo releases the RAW file, and moves a "developed" copy into Photo persona as a new file. Is that correct?

[Old Bruce]

1 minute ago, Mark Oehlschlager said:

@bestman 8 Thanks. So, I suppose Photo releases the RAW file, and moves a "developed" copy into Photo persona as a new file. Is that correct?

Correct.

You develop the raw data and save it as an Affinity Photo file, or you can export a .JPEG, TIFF, PNG, etc. The raw file is only ever read, never really opened.

[Ldina]

@Mark Oehlschlager There are 3 possible "export options" in the Affinity Develop Persona.

If Output: is set to Pixel Layer, the RAW processor will bake all your raw settings into the file and deliver a pixel layer to Photo. That's the traditional approach.

If you select RAW Layer (Embedded), a copy of the RAW file will be delivered to Photo along with your converted "Image Layer". This insures a copy is always in your AfPhoto file, but it also inflates the file size.

If you select RAW Layer (Linked), which is my standard approach, Photo will receive the converted Image Layer, plus a "link" to the original RAW file on your hard drive. This works great locally, since you can access your original RAW file, but if you share your AfPhoto file with someone else, and forget to include the linked file, they won't be able to "reopen" the RAW file or re-edit the develop settings.

The big advantage to RAW Layer (Linked or Embedded) is that you can repeatedly make round trips between Photo and the Develop Persona if you want to change your develop settings. The RAW file remains pristine and unchanged in any of the above 3 approaches. If choosing linked or embedded, AfPhoto remembers your RAW develop settings and encodes them into your AfPhoto file for that image. So, you can work on a file, close it, reopen it, then if you so choose, you can double click on the RAW Image Layer in the layers panel, and you will return to the Develop Persona, retaining all the settings you last used to Develop the image.

You can even have multiple instances of your RAW file on separate layers in the Photo Persona if you wish, each with separate develop settings (e.g., one optimizing highlights, and the other optimizing shadows). Then you can blend them in the Photo Persona as desired. Each RAW layer remembers its own Develop settings, but again, this only applies to Linked or Embedded RAW. This feature was new with Version 2. 

EDIT - some additional info: If you rasterize the "Image Layer" Photo receives from the Develop Persona using RAW Lined or Embedded, you will convert it from an Image Layer to a Pixel layer. This bakes in the pixels, as in the traditional Develop approach mentioned above. You can still return to the Develop Persona and make adjustments, but you will be applying Develop Persona adjustments to a pixel based image instead of to an original RAW image, so Develop settings will not be remembered and some will look different (e.g., WB will no longer show color temp in °K). And to return to the Develop Persona from AfPhoto once your Image Layer is converted to a Pixel Layer, you will need to do so using the Develop Persona Icon in the upper left portion of your monitor. Double clicking on a Pixel Layer will not return you to the Develop Persona because it is no longer a RAW Image Layer.

[Old Bruce]

In addition to @Ldina's excellent advice I want to point out that uif you are using Mac OS you need to use the Serif Labs raw developer engine and not the Apple one. Go to Preferences and choose the Assistant section and click on Develop Assistant.