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Then I cp -r .git /tmp/abpic.git (a good place to save a backup:). I rm the 154K jpg, and also change one text file.

Then I cp -r .git /tmp/abpic.git (a good place to save a backup:). I rm the 154K jpg, and also change one text file. I also rm -r .git.

I wanted to make OP's third change: change a file plus two new 'picture' files. I did, but now I have:

]# git log
commit deca7be7de8571a222d9fb9c0d1287e1d4d3160c (HEAD -> master)
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 17:56:18 2020 +0000

    didn't add the pics before :(

commit b0355a07476c8d8103ce937ddc372575f0fb8ebf
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 17:54:03 2020 +0000

    Two new picture files
    Had to change btext...

commit fad04538f7f8ddae1f630b648d1fe85c1fafa1b4
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 10:51:51 2020 +0000

    btext: more

commit 0bfc1837e20988f1b80f8b7070c5cdd2de346dc7
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 08:45:16 2020 +0000

    added 3 files with 'add .'
]# 

So what did that Your Name Guy do exactly, in his two commits, shortly before 6 pm?

The last commit's details are:

]# git show
commit deca7be7de8571a222d9fb9c0d1287e1d4d3160c (HEAD -> master)
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 17:56:18 2020 +0000

    didn't add the pics before :(

diff --git a/picture2 b/picture2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d00491f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/picture2
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1
diff --git a/picture3 b/picture3
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0cfbf08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/picture3
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+2
]# 

And to check the second-to-last commit, whose message announces two pictures:

]# git show @^
commit b0355a07476c8d8103ce937ddc372575f0fb8ebf
Author: Your Name <[email protected]>
Date:   Sun Feb 16 17:54:03 2020 +0000

    Two new picture files
    Had to change btext...

diff --git a/btext b/btext
index a4a6c5b..de7291e 100644
--- a/btext
+++ b/btext
@@ -1,3 +1 @@
-This is file b
-second line
-more
+Completely changed file b
]# 

This happened because I tried git commit -a to shortcut git add ., and the two files were new (untracked). It showed in red with git status, but as I say git is not less tricky than tar, or unix.

"Your debutante just knows what you need, but I know what you want" (or the other way round. Point is it's not always the same)

A overview would be:

An overview would be:

Instead of manually timestamped tar files you have commits with a message and date (and an author). Logically attached to these commits are the file lists and contents.

Simple git is 20% more complicated than tar, but you get decisive 50% more functionality from it.