How can I stop Lightroom from altering my raw images automatically?

[SoCollegeFilm]

BEFORE you start furiously typing away at how it's not adjusting my images, and that RAW data is flat, I'm actually having the opposite problem. I know that already, I want the flat image, I DON'T like the jpeg previews. It seems as though LR is doing the reverse of all the other complaints I've found here.

My photo initially comes up as the flat RAW image, perfect. And then after a second or two it snaps into a more developed version. Here are screen grabs for reference:

I'd like to know what setting to change or preference to delete to prevent this from happening. It's quite frustrating.

Images are .cr2 from a Canon 7D Mark II

Computer is Mac Pro running latest OS

LR version is 2015.10.1

Camera Raw version is 9.10.1

Thanks for your help!

[JP Hess]

Lightroom will always adjust every image based on the default settings for each camera. And those settings can be changed. You might try applying the "Zeroed" preset that is available as one of the Lightroom p resets to a newly imported image and see if that gives you what you are wanting. If it is then after applying that preset, set new camera defaults and that is how newly imported images will be handled. It will also be how images will be handled when the Reset button is clicked.

[SoCollegeFilm]

Zeroed makes no difference. Why doesn't it just leave the image the way it is originally? Clearly it's capable of displaying that data as is.

[JP Hess]

I don't want to seem like I'm going off typing furiously about something you already know. But the first thing Lightroom shows IS the JPEG preview while it generates the preview of the raw image data. So if you are getting more contrast then is it possible that you need to choose a different camera profile as a starting point? I use Nikon so I don't know what your choices are. Perhaps you could look at something like Camera Neutral or whatever your equivalent is to see if that might help.

[SoCollegeFilm]

Haha, thanks Jim. I find it odd that the JPEG preview is flatter in this case since I shoot with a flat color profile on my camera. Where would I find the camera profiles? These are different from the Camera Calibration, correct?

[Alyessa0D45]

Socollegefilm, I am having the same issue.. my photos never did this before and now they do. I don't know how to correct the auto correction.. my images are automatically much lighter than I'd like.. along with the fact that I use presets to edit photos. This is frustrating 

[DS256]

Socollegefilm, I am having the same issue.. my photos never did this before and now they do. I don't know how to correct the auto correction.. my images are automatically much lighter than I'd like.. along with the fact that I use presets to edit photos. This is frustrating 

By @Alyessa0D45

This thread is from 2017. Can I suggest @Alyessa0D45 that you start a new thread with your problem? There have been several LrC updates since this was previously discussed and to be honest, I had a hard time finding your reply from today because it was buried.

[jimbob6661]

If the issue is the same and not corrected then why waste drive space with a new thread? This one should be rectified so there aren't a ton of pages with the same question. This trend of starting a new thread because an issue is "old" when it's ongoing and still needs to be resolved is dumb. And anoyone suggesting it is dumb as well.

[SoCollegeFilm]

You know what, I looked at the settings in my camera, and I have a custom picture style that I've been using when I shoot video. Perhaps that's why the JPEG preview looks flatter, because of the built in picture style. In any case, I still am wondering if there's a difference between camera profiles and camera calibration in LR.

[DdeGannes]

Quote

"You know what, I looked at the settings in my camera, and I have a custom picture style that I've been using when I shoot video."

Just so you are aware Lightroom cannot read your "customer picture style" settings from your camera. Lightroom uses Adobe produced processing engine and profiles developed by Adobe's engineers, the default profile used is called Adobe standard. Adobe has also created profiles to simulate some of the camera profiles they are called "Camera Neutral, Portrait etc. These profiles if available will be available from the Calibration tab in the Develop Module.

To wit Lightroom is a third party raw processing application and does not provide you with or use the same processing engine and profiles developed by your Camera manufacturer, they provide you with Adobe's alternative.

There is a lot of info on this topic available, the link below will provide help in understanding the issue.

Why do I see my images change after they are imported into Lightroom? | Laura Shoe's Lightroom Train...

[jimbob6661]

And yes, Lightroom can and does read the picture style. Dig deeper.

[DdeGannes]

Are we discussing 2017 issues in 2022 five years later? If you have a problem now start a new thread with up date info of your application and system version number.

[SoCollegeFilm]

UPDATE: I've checked the Import dialogue and under "Apply During Import" both Develop Settings and Metadata are set to None.

I've looked at the edit history in the Develop module, and there is no preset or other adjustment to undo.

I've looked at the Camera Calibration in the Develop module and none of the settings return it to the original flat image. The only thing I can think is that the Adobe Standard profile is not very good. I mean, clearly the unprocessed data is there, the program is capable of displaying it, as shown above. Why then must it go and mess it up with adjustments I don't want?

[ManiacJoe]

If the Calibration panel is set to use the "Adobe Standard" profile, you are getting some development to your images.

If you want a flat starting point, try the "camera neutral" profile or something similar.

[SoCollegeFilm]

Unfortunately all of the other camera profiles make the problem worse. Adobe Standard actually does the least amount of alteration in this case.

Thanks though!

[Careane Wallace]

I have the same issue, if you got to your control panel on the right of tour screen and click the drop down next to profile: then click browse. You will now have a tab that says adobe raw with small image previews of different adobe colour grades. Click the star in the top right corner of the adobe neutral profile to add this option to your favourites and then close. If you now click that same profil: drop down the neutral profile should be selectable, this profile will give you the flatest image like a raw image.

Now I am trying to see how to make this the default setting when importing        let me know if this helps you

[elie_dinur]

If you now click that same profil: drop down the neutral profile should be selectable, this profile will give you the flatest image like a raw image.

    If you really, REALLY want to start from the flattest, most minimally processed, closest to Raw data, starting point, then setting the Neutral profile (either Adobe Neutral or Camera Neutral) is only getting you halfway there. You also have to understand the automatic behind the scenes adjustments that LR makes to both Exposure and Contrast. These are "behind the scenes" because they are still made even when all the sliders are zeroed. In other words, in Process Version 2012 "zero" does not mean "none". However, you can cancel them out by setting Exposure to -1.0 and Contrast to -33.

    These adjustments are done to all images imported to LR when it is running with the "factory-set" defaults. But there is also another automatic Exposure adjustment that is done depending on both the camera model and the ISO set for that shot. This is called Baseline Exposure. How can you know the BLE that Adobe uses for your camera and ISO? Easy. Convert the Raw to DNG (Library/Convert to DNG) and then use a very good and inclusive EXIF reader app, like ExifTool, to see the file's metadata. Baseline Exposure will be listed in the EXIF.

Now I am trying to see how to make this the default setting when importing

    To set your own personal defaults, set up the sliders exactly as you want them (all the sliders, in every Develop panel) and then hold down the Alt/Opt key which causes the Reset button at the bottom-right to change to Set Default. These new defaults will be for every Raw image from that camera. With a setting in Preferences you can also make the custom defaults specific to a camera serial number or an ISO

[Jao vdL]

The only current main stream camera where Lightroom can read the in-camera profile settings are the Nikon Z7 and Z6 where Nikon now writes the profile and contrast settings in the raw files in camera raw language. For all other cameras, the simple trick is to set the default profile  for those raw files to something like "camera Neutral" which approximates the in camera flat setting or to Adobe Neutral which is Adobe's version of a flat default rendering. Hit alt/option after setting this profile on a newly imported file and the Reset button will change into Set Default... Files imported after that will default to flat rendering.

[JP Hess]

A new thread might be helpful. However, five years later things have really changed. If you REALLY want full control over how your raw images are imported I suggest you consider creating your own default preset and integrate it utilizing the method outlined in the following tutorial. It is possible now to have Lightroom Classic read some of the camera settings, including the profile you choose, and then you can customize what Lightroom settings you want applied when images are imported. I like how it works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGCnR9qEqA4&t=29s 

[ishootthings]

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/raw-defaults.html

Edit->Preferences->Presets and tick the first box