Lightroom 5.5 stripping exposure compensation on import of RAW files

BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I'm noticing something very weird in the latest version of LR. I was shooting some birds remotely yesterday, and I had the camera set in Manual mode, with Auto ISO to allow for the specific shutter speed and aperture. The nest that I was shooting was in the shadows, so I set exposure compensation to +0.7 and tested it to make sure that it would, in fact, adjust the metering via the ISO in that manner. Sure enough, it worked, so I fired away for about an hour and brought in 400 images to filter through.

On import the exposure I saw matched what I saw in camera, but I was amazed that as LR cycled through a second time to render previews, it adjusted the exposure, effectively stripping off the exposure compensation. Originally I thought I might have accidentally applied some sort of exposure adjustment when adding lens profile adjustment to my import defaults, so I created a set of videos showing the original import, and then a re-import after resetting the defaults. This was before I realized that I had set Exposure Compensation and realized that it must be that causing the change.

I did some searching for the problem in Adobe forums and the problem has popped up previously, and the solution seems to be to turn off apply auto tone on import. My problem is that it's already turned off.

Here's a video showing what's happening. It cuts in the middle of me resetting the defaults, but you can see what's going on.


If any of you have any insight or answers, please let me know.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Eyelight said:
I don't have a clue, but curious if you tried an import with no presets, or is that what you refer to as defaults?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I mean. There are no develop module presets applied, I only generate 1:1 previews. This also applied whatever Develop module presets I have, which was formerly the application of lens profile correction, but at the beginning of the above video you can see that I go back and reset that to the original defaults, which apply nothing in the develop module.

I'm starting to wonder if this has to do with the fact that I am shooting in Manual mode and applying an exposure compensation? I don't do this much, and I'm wondering if on input LR throws that out on Manual Mode shots as it doesn't really make a lot of sense? My brother was a bit jealous that the D800 would actually adjust Auto ISO in manual based on exposure compensation since even his Canon 1D didn't do that. It definitely applies it to the JPEG and in-camera preview, but LR doesn't seem to want to recognize it post-import.

I'm going to shoot a series of tests at lunch playing with Exposure Compensation in Manual, Aperture and Shutter modes and seeing if they all react the same after Import. I use it a lot in A & S modes, and would have noticed it long ago if it readjusted the image, so I'm thinking it's something it doesn't recognize in Manual mode.
 
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wornish

Senior Member
If you load the images from your camera on to your pc using say a different program like nikon transfer does that show the NEF files with the right exposure?
 
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nickt

Senior Member
Are there any in-camera jpg settings messing with you? Active D-lighting ON? When Lightroom imports, the first thing you see is the embedded jpg, then you eventually see the raw image. This reminds me of that changeover I see if I import raw with some extreme jpg settings in the camera.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
nickt said:
Are there any in-camera jpg settings messing with you? Active D-lighting ON? When Lightroom imports, the first thing you see is the embedded jpg, then you eventually see the raw image. This reminds me of that changeover I see if I import raw with some extreme jpg settings in the camera.
Click to expand...

I think you may have hit on it. I always have Active D-Lighting off because I shoot RAW, but a couple weeks back I needed to shoot some SOOC Jpegs for a challenge on another site and turned it on, along with changing a bunch of other JPEG related settings. I thought I'd turned them all off, but after your question I checked again and Active D-Lighting was still on. I've since turned it off and will report back.

wornish said:
If you load the images from your camera on to your pc using say a different program like nikon transfer does that show the NEF files with the right exposure?
Click to expand...

When I insert the card into the Mac it initially displays the lighter image, but then overlays with the darker rendering of the NEF file, so I suspect it has everything to do with what nickt has said. We'll know soon enough.
 
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Pretzel

Senior Member
I noticed that with my cameras from the very start with LR5. Searched out issues online, red forums, tried tricks... eventually spoke with support, and it was exactly what nickt said - Me dabbling around too much with jpg settings before I realized I wanted to be shooting in RAW. Ever since fixing those issues, LR has been doing what you said, and automatically adjusting exposure up by about 1/3 stop.

Even so, it does seem to be a bit more aggressive with the latest patch. Looking forward to following along here, just to see what you discover.
 
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