9 Replies Latest reply: Jul 13, 2012 10:33 AM by Brett N RSS

    Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography

    Matthew A Kraus Community Member

      This problem is specifically related to using LR & PS to process Infrared images. I apologize if this forum may not be the correct place to ask this question.  I am having problems processing Infrared Images when using LR & PS.  I take my IR images with a 530 IR conversion to a Canon G12 camera.  I learned early on Adobe products don't play well with IR images (they come in magenta when importing ) so I bring IR images shot withmy G12  into my computer with Canon Digital Photo Professional and then work in LR & PS from there. 

      If I then directly open this imported image from my hard drive into Photoshop and try and do adjustments such as blue sky adjustments with a red/blue channel swap, it works fine, just as I would expect.

      (If you are not familiar with IR processing, I understand this introduction and question will not make sense)

      But when using Lightroom, I sometimes have issues. I always import all my images into LR. Even with IR images, after using DPP to bring them to my computer, I import them into LR for cataloging purposes and to make other potential adjustments. Then my usual workflow is to move photos from LR to Photoshop via the "edit in" command. This opens a dialog box giving a choice of "edit a copy with LR adjustments" which is the default option and the one I always use, or "edit original".

      Here's the interesting thing I finally discovered.

      If I send the photo from LR to PS using the "edit a copy with Lightroom adjustments" option, I get a bad blue sky effect, where the sky is green and the foliage is pink instead of the sky being blue and the foliage yellow. But if I send it to PS using the "edit original" option, the blue sky effect works fine.

      So there appears to be an issue when tring to send IR images from Lightroom to Photoshop. Any thoughts?

      Thanks,

      Matthew Kraus

        • 1. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
          Brett N Employee Hosts

          When you choose "Edit Original" LR send the file untouched or adulterated in anyway to Photoshop. If you use "Edit a copy..." LR renders a copy of the file with any adjustments (or even without adjustments) and sends to Photoshop. So if LR is having trouble processing your IR files, then when you use "Edit a copy..." you should expect to see the same.

           

          Could you send me one of your files to test this with? Send it to bnemecek [AT] adobe [DOT] com.

          • 2. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
            Matthew A Kraus Community Member

            It seems that the 2 files that reach PS, "edit a copy" and "edit original" are different once they reach phtoshop.  I am not making any LR changes, so I would have expected them to be the same, but they must not be because PS responds to them differently when I try channel mix adjustments. I will forward a file to you at the suggested address.  This will be an 8 bit tif that was originally a CR fle that was brought into my computer as a tiff and then imported into LR and resized down so could email it

             

            Thanks,

             

            Matthew Kraus.

            • 3. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
              Brett N Employee Hosts

              Thank you for the file. I'll take a look and reply.

              • 4. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                Brett N Employee Hosts

                At first I noticed a difference, but then I realized the Edit Original was sending the file as 8-bit (because the file is 8-bit). But the Edit with Adjustments file was 16-bit (because the default settings are to do a 16-bit ProPhoto conversion when sending). Once I corrected my External Editor Preferences, I see two of the same file. So check your preferences to make sure a converted file is going to end up the same as the original.

                 

                Additionally, you mention using Channel Mixer to create a blue sky effect. Can you send me that preset so I can test further, right now I've hit a bit of a dead end (unless the above resolves things).

                • 5. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                  Matthew A Kraus Community Member

                  Thanks so much for working on this.

                   

                  I fear the behavior you noticed was just due to the fact I cheanged the

                  file from 16 bit to 8 bit so the size was smaller and I could easily email

                  it.  When I open any of my regular 16 bit files, whether I send them to PS

                  as "edit original" or "edit copy with lightroom adjustments", they both end

                  up as 16 bit and as far as I can see, seem the same, though obviously they

                  are not.

                   

                  I don't really have a preset, but I'll walk you through the process.

                  1. Choose Channel Mixer from the Adjustment Pannel

                  2. Make sure the output channel is red, change the red channel slider from

                  100% to 0% and increase the blue channel slider from 0% to 100%.  You can

                  type in the values.

                  3. Change the output channel to blue.  Increase the red channel from 0% to

                  100% and the blue channel from 100% to 0%.

                   

                  This is supposed to change the sky from brown to blue and the foliage from

                  blue to yellow and is what happens when you use the "edit original"

                  option.  When you use the "edit copy with lightroom adjustments", the sky

                  turns green and the foliage pink.  So you get 2 different behaviors,

                  depending on which option you use to bring the image from LR to PS.

                   

                  That's my question, why do you get 2 different behaviors?

                   

                  Thanks,

                   

                  Matthew Kraus

                  • 6. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                    Brett N Employee Hosts

                    I pushed your file through on my side and everything worked correctly.

                     

                    Did you try this workflow with the same file you sent me (maybe the conversion to 8-bit made a difference)?

                     

                    If it happens with this same file, can you send me the after copy of the file (Send the file from LR to PS using the "Edit with Adjustments", then save it in PS and send the copy to me)?

                    • 7. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                      Matthew A Kraus Community Member

                      Thanks again Brett.  It doesn't sem to matter whether I do it in 8 bit or

                      16 bit, still get the same difference with the 2 edit in PS options.  My

                      original unimported CR file is 11.4 MB, the DPP 16 bit file that was

                      converted to tif is 57.1 MB, the DPP 8 bit file converted to tif is 28.6 MB

                      and the file that I sent you was changed to 8 bit and resized down to 12.7

                      MB.  I going to have trouble sending you full res files, so I am going to

                      work with the 8 bit 12.7 MB file that I originally sent you.  If you'd like

                      me to work with a 16 bit or full res file, I'll be glad to, but you need to

                      tell me how to send them to you

                       

                      The 12.7 8 bit file that I sent you shows the problem well and hopefully

                      should be good enough for demonstration purposes.   I changed the LR

                      external editor preferences to edit in 8 bits so the "edit original" and

                      the "edit copy with lightroom adjustments"  are both sent to PS in 8 bits.

                      After I make my PS channel swap changes I see the differences in the 2

                      files.  I am going to attach  the "after copy" of  the "edit original"

                      version  in this email and in a follow up email I will attach the "edit

                      copy with lightroom adjustments".  You should be able to see the

                      differences in the 2.

                       

                      THIS IS THE "EDIT ORIGINAL" VERSION

                      • 8. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                        Matthew A Kraus Community Member

                        THIS IS THE "Edit copy with lightroom adjustments" VERSION

                        • 9. Re: Problem with Lightroom and Infrared Photography
                          Brett N Employee Hosts

                          I don't need the full res file if the lower res version exhibits the same behavior for you. But the file you sent me doesn't have the same behavior as you are reporting on my side. I imported your file into LR and then sent it to PS using both the Edit Original and Edit with Adjustments options, and both behaved the same way when using Channel Mixer. What I want from you is to take the same file you sent me, send it from LR to PS with Edit with Adjustments on your side, save the file in PS without using Channel Mixer and send the file to me.

                           

                          If you were trying to attach the file to this forum post, it didn't work. All I've got here is bolded text. Just email the file again.