14 DAY TRIAL // Apple took a long time to implement editing options in its Photos app on iOS, and when it did, it left some users clueless as to what happens to their original photos.
If you use Photo Stream, there’s no reason to worry about duplicates, that much is certain. Which means that even if you mess up some photos with bad edits, you can still find the originals tucked away somewhere on your iDevice or on iCloud.
But what if you don’t use Photo Stream or iCloud to keep tabs on your photos? What then? Well, it’s easier than you might think to remove all edits from an image if you somehow realize that the original had more feeling. Here’s the entire process explained, complete with your editing actions, and the subsequent repairs.
How to revert to the original photo
iOS 8 makes it easier than ever to edit an image: i.e. crop out the subject, apply filters, tweak colors and lighting, and make other minor adjustments. You just shoot, hit Edit, and a whole world of opportunities opens. That is, if you aren’t satisfied with the lighting, the alignment of your subject, etc.
So you did all that. And you also hit the Done button. All your changes are now saved over the original image. With no (apparent) way to turn back, right?
Well, there’s this handy Revert button that pops up in the bottom left corner if you’re so clever as to go back to the Camera Roll, access that photo and hit Edit once more. As it happens, Revert becomes an additional “editing” option for images that you’ve already tampered with, but might want restored to their initial form.
The actual steps are: unlock device > Photos > Camera Roll > choose (edited) image > Edit > Restore.
In the filter-crazed world of mobile photography, you’ll find that some images look perfect simply left untouched. Think about that when you upload your next Instagram.
