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Lightroom changes the appearance of my images after import

Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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I dont understand this or why it does it. my preferences has everything unchecked.

I import my images

i see the thumbnails which look fine but when i click on image, it displays on my 2nd monitor and looks perfect. but here is the problem, a second later it makes an adjestment to it which ruins my image, it makes it too bright. its like its auto toning yet i dont understand why it must do this.

my goal is to simply view my image on 2nd monitor w/o lightroom making any adjustments to it.

how can i prevent this or why is it happening?

can anyone please help me...any help would be greatly appreaciated.

Message title was edited by: Brett N

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Engaged , Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

Are you recording images in RAW format?

If so, this post might have the explanation.

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Engaged ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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Are you recording images in RAW format?

If so, this post might have the explanation.

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Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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hiyas thanks for that link, read it but its not quite what i'm looking for.

i'll try to explain in mroe detail.

when i import my raw images, the thumbnails looks perfect.

however when i click on the thumbnail, it displays the image in fullsize on my monitor, which looks perfect...but i notice the scroll wheel, like its processing something than bam it ruins the image, it makes it way too bright.

so i try to do right click, develop reset but it does nothing.

i want the image to look the way it did when it first displayed it.

when i click on my image to view in fullsize the first time, its perfect but a split second later, lightroom does something to it, like its auto toning it.

yet i verify the auto tonig is NOT checked.

is there a way maybe to jsut delete the preferences file all together? manually that is.

i'm so frsutrated because my image is perfect than lightroom thinks it has to tone it when there is no need to.

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Engaged ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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Your photos are perfect out of camera. Then you should take jpeg photo only instead of raw.

In short, whatever you see when you first load your photos in Lightroom are embedded jpg file created by your camera. LR only display it briefly, then LR will give you your "real" RAW file. You can adjust your RAW file to look similar to your jpg. If you're lazy and think your jpg is perfect, then just shoot jpg only.

LR doesn't ruin your photos. It gives you the "real" look of your RAW. There is nothing you can do about it. If you prefer the jpg photo, use your camera-provided-software.

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Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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i disagree

and i think i'm still being missunderstood

its so hard to explain exactly what i'm seeing

if your point is correct, which i dont understand, why does it modify the image?

when i click on my thumbnail it displays it in fullsize

i look at it in fullsize and its perfect just as it is, the exposure and colors are deaad on but then i see "loading" and it then modifys. so now my fullsize image has changed, and quite frankly, ruined and i can't seem to UNDO it. it does not look the way it was first displayed.

I shoot RAW for the obvious advantages, I do HDR and if ya tell to HDR a jpeg file, well the result is terrible.

but if I have a raw file to work with to make HDR than the results are amazing

so telling me to use jpeg really is not a good choice for me.

i want lightroom to NOT ruin my image I want it to NOT tone or do whatever it is its doing.

its applying a change to my image.

if I use windows explorer to look at my raw file, its perfect, if i use LR it makes it look worse.

how to fix this issue?

is there some file i need to delete to prevent LR from doing this?

something is wrong, clearly LR should not be applying changes to a fullsize image.

i understand auto toning on import which is in prefs

my thumbnails looks fine

its the fullsize that changes.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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One other thing, is your monitor profiled/calibrated using a hardware tool like iOne Display or Spyder. Lightroom color working space is a derivative of ProPhoto RGB and the jpeg thumbs from your camera are sRGB a very basic color space. Maybe your monitor cannot display the correct colors/tones from Lightroom.   

Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5, Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; Camera OM-D E-M1

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Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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yes i have a Spyder

its calibrated

i just dont understand why it has to modify the image after it firstly displays it fine

its like Auto toning it

understand this, when i first click on image to view full size, it displays it perfect...than a split second later...i see "Loading..." than it ruins the image

how do i prevent it from doing that second part? i want LR to just display the image as is which is fine but for some reason LR is gay and thinks it needs to auto tone which makes small changes to exposure and brightness.

i try to reset but nothing changes which means i have to go one by one on each image and manually correct exposure and brightness which i find infuriating because it was fine before it made the change.

Lightroom is a love and hate thing. it would be nice if it just did not try to think so hard and jsut leave my image as is.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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What camera are you using? Are you using any special settings e.g. Active D Lighting?

Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5, Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; Camera OM-D E-M1

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Mentor ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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ninjapimp wrote:

i just dont understand why it has to modify the image after it firstly displays it fine

This is the most frequently asked of the frequently asked questions:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/358016?tstart=30

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Community Expert ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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Lee, this was linked in the very first response by martin-s.

Regards, Denis: iMac 27” mid-2015, macOS 11.7.10 Big Sur; 2TB SSD, 24 GB Ram, GPU 2 GB; LrC 12.5, Lr 6.5, PS 24.7,; ACR 15.5,; Camera OM-D E-M1

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Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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active d lighting is disabled on my nikon d800

i read the link and as far as i understand it, it pertains to importing and thumbnails.

i've already imported and thunbnails have been processed and look fine to me

what i dont understand is when i open or view image large, it appears perfect, jsut the way it should be but moments later i see LR doing some kind of process. my best guess, its auto toning it.

it makes a small adjustment which IMO ruins the image that requires me to manually readjust it

i can't develop reset, when i try this nothing happen the image will not revert.

to clarify, when i first import my images, in raw format, i see LR auto tones them...even though the auto tone feature is unchecked in pref. but i dont mind as the change is okay, it does not ruin the thunbnail image

that link posted am i'm miss understanding it???

i read it as importing and affecting thumbnails, but what about full size image?

for about 1 ro 2 seconds when my image is disaplyed in full size its rendered perfect, than about another second passes, i see loading...and then the image is screwed.

so what 'm trying to get is if image was perfect why does it have to ruin it and how to stop it from doing this if the image was rendered perfect in the first place.

is it possible LR has corrupt preferences and auto tones regardless??

is there some file i can manually delete via windows explorer to perhaps prevent this.

if LR renders the image perfect but than changes it, i wish to stop that and i believe it can be done since its an extra step its doing.

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Mentor ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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That post applies to thumbnails, small and large previews.

Your camera turns the raw data into an image, according to the camera's algorithms and settings.

LR turns the raw data into an image, according to Adobe's algorithms and the settings you choose.

These are different images.

When you first import, you see the camera's image.

When time is available, LR renders its own image.

If you think some auto tone is going on, look at the settings on the image in question in Develop, and see if you see anything different than the defaults (all zeros in the Basic panel, for example).

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Participant ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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readin the link i find this

If you are constantly altering the settings for images a certain way, it may

be that you should create a Develop preset

is it possible there is a Nikon authorized preset for nikon d800?

in other words is there an official preset i can downlaod and install into LR so it renders my RAW files exactly as they appear?

i assure you when i click on them to view full size, it displays them perfect but then LR decides to render them wrong. which i'm baffled, because it display its perfect but a second later i see, loading, than bam ruins it.

i have tried applying devep presets but i just can't get it right and when i do get it right it only works on some images and find myself having to spend more time tweaking the preset than actually wotking on my image.

which is why i do ZERO auto toning or develop presets on imports.

i want my image as original as possible with no modifications.

sometimes a develop preset works but it seems like a crapshoot

i'm starting to think there is no workaround for this dilemma and i'm in the same boat like everyone else, just gota deal with this crap.

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LEGEND ,
Sep 13, 2012 Sep 13, 2012

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The OP still doesn't understand the whole concept of what Lightroom is doing. Every raw image includes a JPEG preview. Lightroom displays that preview when it first loads the raw image. That JPEG image has been modified by different camera settings. The camera is what modified the file. Lightroom ignores those camera settings and builds a preview of the "raw" data captured by the camera. Again, your camera is what applied the settings to that JPEG preview.

In my opinion, the first thing to do when starting to use Lightroom is to adjust one of your images so that it looks right. Then, set those settings as the default settings for your camera. Those settings will then be applied whenever new images are imported into Lightroom. Of course, there will be certain situations where you will need different settings for different lighting situations. To accommodate those situations you can create presets.

The people who have tried to explain what is happening to your images are not misunderstanding the situation. You are misunderstanding what must be done to make Lightroom work for you rather than you having to change everything that Lightroom does. Take the time to create your own set of defaults. Then you will be much happier with the way Lightroom works for you. If you don't want to do that then you are going to have to do a lot of unnecessary corrections.

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New Here ,
Mar 15, 2016 Mar 15, 2016

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Hi I get this. I took some amazing sunsets using my Sony A77 MK 2, the camera setting was vivid sunset , however when I bring them into LR or indeed adobe photoshop raw it converts them to the original lighting set up as first seen in the image, not the Raw version. I didn't understand why it did this, I thought it was a program issue, but after reading these threads, it would have been better to just use a basic raw shot and make adjustments myself in Camera Raw or LR rather than allowing the camera to do it. I will try to take some more using the camera settings but in Jpeg rather than RAW and see what the difference is.

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Mentor ,
Sep 14, 2012 Sep 14, 2012

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ninjapimp wrote:

is it possible there is a Nikon authorized preset for nikon d800?

Your camera has a zillion different possible settings for the way it renders the images.  Adobe has provided a few "camera matching profiles" installed with LR for those that actually want the camera's image, and also want to shoot raw.

Camera Calibration panel, Profile: box, select whatever you currently have selected in-camera.  This won't include any adjustments you've made in-camera to sharpness, contrast, saturation, or whatever else Nikon allows you to change, including D-lighting and such.

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LEGEND ,
Sep 14, 2012 Sep 14, 2012

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is it possible there is a Nikon authorized preset for nikon d800?

Yes, it is called Capture NX2. It does everything you have been asking for. But it doesn't work with Lightroom.

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New Here ,
Nov 29, 2012 Nov 29, 2012

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I was pretty seriously dumbfounded by what LR was doing with my RAW's so thanks everyone here.

The basic preset LR uses to display raws really doesn't do anything. It just shows the RAW. In my case, to get the images to look more 'normal', I needed to set the noise reduction to get rid of the noise. In develop mode: Luminance ~13, detail ~50, contrast 0. All of a sudden all the shots look 'normal' - especially shots with a dark background, that previously were filled to the brim with noise, now look nice.

My understanding is that this can be saved as a preset and applied to everything.

On another note, I have 3 monitors - two new viewsonics and a 8 year old apple cinema display. The raws look 10x better on the cinema display with no extra work, making me think my cheap 22 inch displays don't hit the full color spectrum - especially with dark gradients. So if you have some cheap 22 inch monitors, and your pictures look problematic, that might be why as well.

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New Here ,
Jul 28, 2016 Jul 28, 2016

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Hi,

I think this is a global problem with Lighroom, it is none of the things you explained! I have been shooting raw for over 12 years and used tons of applications for RAW editing, Lightroom has a bug in how it uses the engine to interpret the camera settings from the raw file. I have just got off the phone with Adobe support team and it is very unfortunate that the company tries to justify this serious bug by discussing unrelated technical aspects of color management etc... This is purely a lightroom bug and Adobe should be held accountable.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 28, 2016 Jul 28, 2016

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salmanm500 wrote:

Hi,

I think this is a global problem with Lighroom, it is none of the things you explained! I have been shooting raw for over 12 years and used tons of applications for RAW editing, Lightroom has a bug in how it uses the engine to interpret the camera settings from the raw file. I have just got off the phone with Adobe support team and it is very unfortunate that the company tries to justify this serious bug by discussing unrelated technical aspects of color management etc... This is purely a lightroom bug and Adobe should be held accountable.

What are you talking of????

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LEGEND ,
Jul 29, 2016 Jul 29, 2016

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salmanm500 wrote:

Lightroom has a bug in how it uses the engine to interpret the camera settings from the raw file.

There is no bug.  By design, Lightroom DOESN'T interpret the camera settings for raw.

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New Here ,
Jul 29, 2016 Jul 29, 2016

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Thanks for taking the time to reply to me, unfortunately I have to disagree! RAW files CANNOT BE DISPLAYED without some sort of interpretation and settings being applied!!!! Simply because raw data does not mean ANYTHING! Its like I tell you the distance is 5 km! and you should ask me from where are you measuring this distance from, it is physics! Hence the necessity to have RAW engines to interpret a RAW file according to the manufacturer's programmed setting! And that engine must include your cameras RAW settings otherwise the interpretation will be off calibration. This camera setting is the way Lightroom should interpret that RAW file for that specific camera. In this case, Images from Canon EOS 5DS are substantially altered upon import to Lightroom to give false (lower) exposure, contrast and also inaccurate color balance. I have been shooting RAW for over 12 years and used Lightroom since it was launched first time and used it with over 6 different cameras and this is the first time I see such strange phenomena, which I believe its specific to 5Ds RAW files and few other cameras. I have always had perfect matching color balance, exposure etc... across all platforms used to handle RAW files. I seriously hope Adobe improves their quality control measures in code writing and updates. What is even worse is the support not being able to address the problem properly and not having half the knowledge of most pro users, I have to show them links in internet forums that many others are facing the same problem and Adobe is also keeping quite about this so far!!!

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LEGEND ,
Jul 29, 2016 Jul 29, 2016

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Hence the necessity to have RAW engines to interpret a RAW file according to the manufacturer's programmed setting!

But Adobe products do not do this. Adobe products use their own defaults to render the RAW. If you want to emulate the camera's settings, you must use the camera manufacturer's software.

This camera setting is the way Lightroom should interpret that RAW file for that specific camera.

I understand that is what you want, but you will not get this in Lightroom.

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New Here ,
Jul 29, 2016 Jul 29, 2016

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If your statement was true, not a single professional photographer would have adapted Lightroom usage in their workflow since it would be impossible to introduce manual adjustments to achieve the same balance and calibration as you shot in the camera unless Lightroom does that accurately and automatically. Camera manufacturers work for years to get the camera color and exposure balances right, and you expect that Lightroom does its own interpretation and every user does this calibration by their eye and a monitor? And my question is that supposedly you are right! how come after 12 years of usage all of a sudden the photos being imported do not match the exposure and color balance of the camera?!!!! This has never been of an issue! Bottom line, I am confident that NO software can interpret RAW files as they wish, again it is just physics of how sensors work, they need to respect the exact calibration curves of the camera manufacturer, I would be even more upset if Adobe has never done this properly as you said, Lightroom should be able to at least do what it was doing before and not step back in quality. I have already asked Adobe support to remove my Lightroom subscription until this is resolved as it is impossible to use it for any thing that needs accurate light and color balance, a professional photographer without conflict of interest and enough knowledge would certainly agree with me here. I think it is more productive to ask Adobe to work to resolve the problem. Customers will ultimately stop using whats not fit for the job, no matter how much justification is provided that the software is as it should be.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 29, 2016 Jul 29, 2016

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If your statement was true, not a single professional photographer would have adapted Lightroom usage in their workflow since it would be impossible to introduce manual adjustments to achieve the same balance and calibration as you shot in the camera unless Lightroom does that accurately and automatically.

But my statement is true. And thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands? I don't really know the number) use Lightroom extensively.

You can argue all you want that Lightroom must use the camera settings to render the photos, but it does not. And I doubt it ever will. And that doesn't stop people from producing beautiful photographs using Lightroom.

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