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Usually I create a new version of my file every time I make some important change, just to be sure to got a copy from everything. To stay organized I always add a number at the end of the file. For Example

• Testclip_v01_1.tvpp
• Testclip_v01_2.tvpp
• Testclip_v01_3.tvpp
• Testclip_v01_4.tvpp
• etc.

In After Effects there is a function called "Increment and save". If you use it it will add a number to your filename or if their already is one it gets incremented. And of course the file gets saved under the new name.
I guess this could be a handy function for TVPaint too.

That's exactly how I work and it has saved me so many times. (The downside, though, is that you end up with a huge amount of data)
I think it's a very sensible request; +1!

Unless I don't understand something, this is what happens if you have Multi-Backup activated in your preferences. Each time you make a save, TVP will create a backup copy of each save with a unique name (it's the date, hour, minute and second that is added)

Not really. Multi-Backup creates a backup-file every ....hmm... I don't know the timespan, but let's say every 10 minutes. So you end up with 5 backup-files, no matter if you changed something important or not.
Sewies and my approach is to use the SAVE AS... function every time you change something important (merge several layers into one for example), so you got a file from every state of your work, to go back if you need to.
The downsode is, as Sewie mentioned you end up with a huge amount of data, but you can always keep your current work-file small, cause you can delete everything you don't need at the moment and if you would need it surprisingly, you could open up the old file.
It's a bit similar to the mulit-backup, but manually and over a longer time-span, so you need to decide what you need to keep and when to increment, but you got a lot more control over the save-state.

Hmmm... there is something strange about the Save Tab under preferences. You are right that it doesn't say anywhere that you can save manually, but it actuality does work that way. I know this, because I use it. I guess I have inactivated the auto-save (as it was once called) by inactivating the Save Alarm. But try it for yourself. If you have a zero in the Multi-Backup window, give it a number, like 5. Then press save 6 or seven times and you will see only five saves which circulate and this works with just manual saves. The labeling is confusing though.

But having Save As designed to rename each save would have to be an option, correct? Because if that would not be the case, I wouldn't like it because when I use Save As it means I want to overwrite a sitting file with a new file I just created to REPLACE the old one.

have you tried to embed the "project_incrementalSave" script from Madsjuul in a custom button ?
it looks like what you're looking for ...

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8653&p=78531

project_incrementalSave(divider,part,ask)

Code: Select all

 
//Saves an Incremental file of current TVPP project in the same folder as the currentProject.
//Find the PArt of the current file name with the "divider" and the "part" variabled passed to the function

//lets say we have a file called thefox_Q002_S002_v02.tvpp
//And we want to increment the "v02" part. We would calle the function like this
//project_incrementalSave("_",4,1)


FUNCTION project_incrementalSave(divider,part,ask,minimumDigitLength)
	LOCAL name slash dir newName myReturn
	//CHANGELOG
	//2014-11-11 project name can start with a number like "0001_v01.tvpp" without the leading zeros disappear when saving
	project_isSaved()
	IF CMP(result,"1")1==1
		name = project_getName()
		slash = tvp_getSlash()
		name="/"name
		dir = project_getParent()
		string_incrementalPart(name,divider,part,minimumDigitLength)
		newName = dir""result
		IF CMP(ask,"1")==1
			tv_Request "Increment and save : "newName" |Save|CANCEL"
			IF result
				tv_SaveProject newName
			END
		ELSE
			tv_SaveProject newName
		END
		myReturn = newName
	ELSE
		myReturn = 0
	END
	
	result = myReturn
	RETURN result
END

Lemec was the first one to have scripted an "incremental saving" command,
but it was long time ago, and I've lost its trail ...