Versions
Every photo, video, and audio file can have multiple versions — named snapshots of a complete edit state — so you never lose the original and never have to choose just one edit.
v001: the baseline
When you import a file, Fictura automatically creates v001 — a locked snapshot representing the file with no creative edits applied (rotation/EXIF orientation only). v001 can never be deleted and can never be overwritten; it's always your way back to the untouched original, no matter how many edits you've saved since.
v002 and beyond: your edits
Whenever you save your work in the editor, it's saved as a new numbered version — v002, v003, and so on. Each version stores the complete filter stack that produced it, so switching between versions instantly recalls that exact look without re-applying anything by hand.
Working with versions
- Save your current edit as a new version at any point — you don't have to finish editing in one sitting, and saving doesn't close the editor.
- Restore any version to make it the active edit state, picking up exactly where that version left off, filter stack and all.
- Lock a version to protect it from deletion — useful once you've settled on a "final" edit you don't want accidentally removed later. v001 is always locked automatically; locking any other version is a manual, deliberate choice.
- Delete any unlocked version you no longer need. Locked versions must be unlocked first.
- Regenerate rebuilds a version's rendered output from its stored filter settings — useful if a variant file was lost or corrupted, or if you've changed export settings and want the rendered file to reflect the new settings without redoing the edit.
How versions and variants relate
A variant is a rendered file, and it always reflects whichever version is currently active for that item. Switching or restoring a version doesn't create new variant "slots" — the same jpeg/webp/thumbnail (and their video/audio equivalents) still exist — it changes what those files actually render, so the active version's exact look is what shows up everywhere those variants are used: the media grid, the editor, and any export. Regenerate exists specifically for when a variant has fallen out of sync with the version it should reflect — it re-renders that version's variants from its stored filter stack without touching the version itself.
Version limits
To keep storage in check, Fictura enforces a maximum number of versions per item. When the limit is reached, the oldest unlocked, non-active version is automatically pruned to make room — locked versions and whichever version is currently active are never auto-removed, so you can't lose a version you've deliberately protected or are actively working on.
Versions and export
Export always uses your current active version. If the rendered file for that version doesn't exist yet (or needs to be regenerated), batch export builds it automatically using the correct pipeline for that version — the fast path for the untouched v001 baseline, or the full edit pipeline for a saved v002+ version — so exports always reflect your actual edits without any manual "render" step first.