Photoshop default editing: destructive or non-destructive editing?

I'm a newish user of Photoshop for editing images and just wondering out of the box is Photoshop default editing destructive or is it non-destructive editing?  I tried looking up answer to this and on Google just realized how complex this software is.  I read something about "Smart objects".  Which I'm lost about.  

Any sort of tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated.  

Hawkins wrote: I'm a newish user of Photoshop for editing images and just wondering out of the box is Photoshop default editing destructive or is it non-destructive editing? I tried looking up answer to this and on Google just realized how complex this software is. I read something about "Smart objects." Which I'm lost about.
Any sort of tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

I'm probably not much help here, but it's been my experience that the fewer mistakes one makes before pressing the shutter release button, the less destruction will be incurred afterwards.

Hi Hawkins ,

Depends somewhat on whether  image is saved in a .jpg / .jpeg  format or .RAW format .

Generally speaking,  .jpg / .jpeg files  are destructive because when being edited  they  literally change the  original data that was recorded , and in the process of then saving those changes again after editing ,  the original data is lost .

RAW files are non-destructive ,  because when you work (edit) on a  .RAW file ,  the original data itself is not affected ,  but the edit is actually done on a separate "sidecar" file (.xmp) file  which is created by RAW editing program for that purpose .  Once the editing is done ,  those editing changes are logged in the .xmp file for future reference when the image is opened later ,  but the original .RAW file is unscathed and has all it's original ,  camera-captured "glory" .  

As far as "Smart Objects" are concerned, can't help on that one , because I don't normally use them in my editing work .  But I don't believe they are related to the destructive / non-destructive aspect .  Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong .

                          

G'day Hawkins

Dave above is correct re- Raw image editing. Also you / we need to remember one or two things about JPG images as well
ps- I shoot JPG for 100% of the time

The JPG algorithm is very smart and looks at a block of 16 x 16 pixels at a time and reduces what it finds to a math result. In doing so it also reduces the computer / physical size of the image as stored on the card / computer. Once the image is viewed on your computer, the math is reversed, and the image is returned "almost" back to its original in-camera condition.

If you choose the 'best' JPG quality, obviously the final image will be recreated as close as possible to the original image, conversely, if you choose the lowest JPG quality it cannot return the image to original because you have not asked for the best quality to be retained

If you repeat editing to the same image, ie:- edit and save, come back later and edit and save, come back later and do more editing, your image -will- fade away in quality. If you do this with Raw images, you are always returning to the original camera image. What is means for JPG users is (like me) that you create the best image you can at the time of the original exposure, and only do a small amount of image editing (in whatever software you have) and ALWAYS choose Save-As to create a second copy of the image, so retaining the original as needed

Shooting in Raw and editing to jpg for viewing / printing automatically creates a second copy of the original image, as RAW images cannot be viewed or printed without using special software (either the camera maker's stuff or something like PS or Corel or Affinity, etc, etc,)

Hope this helps
Phil