Adobe Lightroom HELP!!! (Saving & Exporting)

[prodigy2k7]

Okay so, im not sure how to ask this so ill make an analogy...
Photoshop:
Start a new file/Open a JPG....
Save your creation as PSD

24 hours later......

Open PSD, work on it again...
Export to JPG

24 hours later......

Open PSD, make more modifications when you thought u were done :P
Export to JPG again...


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How do you do this in Lightroom?
I current did some PP to my JPG files, There are 16 files I did PP on, that were in a folder with like 100 images. What is it called, that I use to save this... (lightroom PSD kind of thing) so I can only up these 16 pictures again and start off where I left off....

Also how would I start over with the bare JPG files again if I wanted to without re-selecting them from the original folder?

Does all that make sense? I hope...

What is a collection? Is that like a PSD in lightroom?

Where is my lightroom "library"...

I heard there are files for each picture that shows what modifications have been done...Where are these?

Any sites that explain how lightroom works when it comes to import/export library etc....? I need to know the in and ours of how this prorgam works. Photoshop PSDs are easy to work with. How does lightroom work? lol....

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[tempra]

In lightroom, import the files that you want into either a new location (if you're importing from card or camera) or import at their current location (on your computer)

This brings them into the library, when you go to develop, any changes that you make are actually stored in a database and not on the images themselves, it's a non destructive editor, so if you change something then close and open LR the changes you made are still there and the history of changes is still available to step back or completely remove at will.

When you want to save what you have done for print or web or whatever, you need to export them to another directory which will save your images in the format that you require with the changes applied in LR. Then you have a copy of the altered image and the original still available in LR that you can revert back to original and carry on editing if you so wish.

That explain it a bit clearer for you?

[prodigy2k7]

Okay, where is this "database" at?

[prodigy2k7]

Ugh well...I did this:

I went to
C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\My Pictures\Lightroom
and double clicked on "Lightroom Catalog.lrcat" I got some of my old lightroom photos I played around with... I didnt care for them so i deleted the folders they were in...Now I dont have anything in lightroom...I think somehow I deleted my current lightroom project... I am so bummed!

[prodigy2k7]

Ugh I learned my lesson!