diff --git a/system/Images/Handlers/GDHandler.php b/system/Images/Handlers/GDHandler.php
index 12ea4e1a72e2..01c05384c744 100644
--- a/system/Images/Handlers/GDHandler.php
+++ b/system/Images/Handlers/GDHandler.php
@@ -56,9 +56,6 @@ protected function _rotate(int $angle): bool
         // Rotate it!
         $destImg = imagerotate($srcImg, $angle, $white);
 
-        // Kill the file handles
-        imagedestroy($srcImg);
-
         $this->resource = $destImg;
 
         return true;
@@ -87,9 +84,6 @@ protected function _flatten(int $red = 255, int $green = 255, int $blue = 255)
         imagefilledrectangle($dest, 0, 0, $this->width, $this->height, $matte);
         imagecopy($dest, $srcImg, 0, 0, 0, 0, $this->width, $this->height);
 
-        // Kill the file handles
-        imagedestroy($srcImg);
-
         $this->resource = $dest;
 
         return $this;
@@ -192,7 +186,6 @@ protected function process(string $action)
 
         $copy($dest, $src, 0, 0, (int) $this->xAxis, (int) $this->yAxis, $this->width, $this->height, $origWidth, $origHeight);
 
-        imagedestroy($src);
         $this->resource = $dest;
 
         return $this;
@@ -281,7 +274,7 @@ public function save(?string $target = null, int $quality = 90): bool
                 throw ImageException::forInvalidImageCreate();
         }
 
-        imagedestroy($this->resource);
+        $this->resource = null;
 
         chmod($target, $this->filePermissions);