Why I Stopped Duplicating Layers for Every Retouch (And What I Do Instead)

Why I Stopped Duplicating Layers for Every Retouch (And What I Do Instead)

When I was first learning Photoshop, I duplicated every layer before touching anything. It was practically a reflex. Open file, hit Command-J, breathe. Nobody ever explained why we did it. It was just the rule, passed down from tutorial to tutorial like a photographic commandment. It took me years of freelance work, and honestly a few bloated, chaotic PSD files sent to clients, before I started questioning whether the habit still made sense.