Manually Creating Version Sets

When you edit a photo in Photoshop Elements, the original and edited copy are linked together in a version set. If you already have an original and an edited copy when you import the photo into Elements, however, there is no straightforward way to link the two together. If you're determined to do so, however, there is a way to do it.

The trick is to create an edited copy using Elements, and then replace that edited copy with the edited version you created outside of the Organizer. Here's the step-by-step process:

1. If you imported the edited version, remove it from the catalog (select it and press Delete, but don't check "Also delete selected items from the hard disk").
2. Select the original photo in Elements, right-click on it, and choose Auto Smart Fix. You're making a version set, and an edited version that you will shortly delete; the purpose is just to make the catalog think there is an edited version.
3. In Windows, delete the edited version you just created. It will have the filename of the original with "_edited-1" appended.
4. If it isn't already in the same folder as the original, move the real edited version (the one you created outside of the Organizer) to that folder.
5. Rename the edited version to "_edited-1".
6. Back in Elements, right-click on the version set and choose Update Thumbnail.
7. To confirm that the version set was properly created, right-click on the thumbnail and choose Version Set > Reveal Photos in Version Set. You should see your original and the edited version.

You've now "tricked" Elements into recognizing the edited version as being part of a version set with the original. It is a little tedious, but you can perform these steps on multiple photos at the same time. You can also extend this method to create version sets with multiple entries.