How to export unedited version of photos, but keep cropping/straightening edit in Lightroom?

Answer to the new question :

I don't know any "automatic" method for what you ask. I'm afraid you will have to do it manually.

To be sure that you won't lose anything, you can do the following (no subtlety here) :

1. Copy the cr2 images in a new folder ("B")
2. Import this folder into Lightroom. You have now 2 folders : "A" with the edited images and "B" with the new unedited ones.

For each image of "B" :

1. Select your edited version in "A" and copy the modifications you want to keep (CTRL+SHFT+C on windows).
2. Paste those modifications to the image in "B" (CTRL+SHFT+V)

Finally you can export the images of "B" for your paranoid client... and get a beer and delete everything of "B" to save space.

Original answer to the original question :

In the export options, setting "Format" to "Original" should do what you want : it will export your pictures as they are on your hard drive.

Exporting "original" picture (meaning RAW to me) while keeping some modifications from Lightroom seems impossible, they are not "original" anymore.

If you client use Lightroom, you could try to export "original", which come with a .XMP file containing your modification. You could then try to edit the XMP to keep what you want, as XMP are in the XML format (human readable). More information on XMP here : https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/metadata-basics-actions.html

You can also give him DNG exports and tell him those are the originals...

Go to the History pane in the Develop Module. Look for the event when you only straightened the photo. The photo will revert back to that very edit (unless you had made other edits before the straightening, they'll come too). Then export the photo as jpg. All your edits can then be restored by selecting the event with your last edit (with the "Export-" tag in the beginning. Hope this helps...

I think I found a solution to your problem described by user C Wills in a DPReview Forums post from 2012. I have tried to make a step-by-step recipe of his advice here.

Part one - create an unedited photo to copy all settings but crop factor from:

1. Create an unedited version of any photo in your Lightroom collection with no settings or modifications applied*.
2. Go to the Library Module and select the unedited photo in 1.
3. Select "Copy Settings" (Ctrl + Shift + C) - the "Copy Settings" panel opens.
4. In the panel uncheck the settings you want to keep. So uncheck Crop settings in your case. I usually also uncheck Lens Corrections, Process version and Calibration since I like to keep those settings as well.
5. Press the Copy button in the panel. The panel closes.

Part two - paste the settings from the unedited photo to virtual copies of your photos:

6. Create virtual copies of all the photos you want to reset everything but their edited crop factor (Select the photos - press Ctrl + ')
7. With all the new virtual copies selected (they're selected by default when making the copy) select "Paste settings" (Ctrl + Shift + V)

All settings that you had copied from the unedited photo are now applied to your selected virtual copies. You now have "unedited" versions of your photos with edited crop factor.

*) This explains how to make an unedited version of a photo from an edited version: 1. Create a virtual copy of any photo in your Lightroom collection with the same Process Version as the photos you want to reset (Ctrl + ') 2. Select the new virtual copy, and go to the Develop Module 3. Reset that photo back to it's original state with no changes by selecting pressing the Reset button in the bottom right corner of the right module panels or pressing Ctrl + Shift + R

• Select all photos you want to export as unedited
• Reset Settings
• Sync Settings
• Export
• Undo Edits