Lightroom 4: How to export files as RAW/DNG with history?

Question

Say I have a file with the following history:

Export
Crop
White Balance: Custom
Auto-Tone
Import

If I then import the exported file, the copy has all the changes but none of the history. If I don't like the crop or any of the other previous changes, I can't revert back to the original file. How do I go about exporting file history?

Answer 1

Export it as part of a catalog. Select the files you want to export with complete history (and more), then say File > Export as Catalog.

You can then import that catalog as a subtree in a different Lightroom catalog, and all will be preserved.

If the photos will be going into Lightroom on a different computer or you need the new copies to have a fork in their development history, tell Lightroom on the source computer to export copies of the raw files along with the catalog.