Can Lightroom remove or recreate Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer when shooting RAW?
Asked 6/17/2015
2 views
2 answers
0
I shot RAW on a Canon camera with Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) set to Standard. During Lightroom import, I briefly see one version of the image and then it updates to a different contrast. I’m guessing the first view is the embedded camera preview and the later one is Lightroom’s own RAW rendering.
Does ALO actually alter the RAW file, and can Lightroom undo it? If not, is there a way in Lightroom to recreate the ALO look for comparison?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
5
What you call originals are the preview jpegs created in-camera and attached to the raw file. These are the images that will have Auto Lighting Optimizer applied. Lightroom displays these preview thumbnails while it is waiting for your computer to generate a high quality preview of the raw file based on the current Lr settings.
Once your computer has completed the calculations then Lightroom will "set" (your description in the question) the images with the current Lightroom settings, rather than the in camera settings, applied. Lightroom does not apply ALO to the images, only Canon's Digital Photo Professional can do that in post processing. If ALO was selected in camera, DPP will apply it by default, but you can also choose to have DPP render the raw file with ALO switched off.
So your question indicates you have it backwards: the preview images you first see have the in-camera Auto Lighting Optimizer setting applied, and the Lightroom rendered preview that replaces the in-camera previews does not include ALO.
When you import a raw file to Lightroom you're pretty much forced to discard most of the settings that produced the in-camera jpeg and start over. Not only that, but the way Lr converts the raw data will not be the same as the way another convertor, such as Canon's DPP or the in-camera processing, will. You can play around in Lr and might be able to get pretty close to the in-camera jpeg, but you'll probably never be able to match it exactly.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Lightroom isn’t applying or undoing Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer. What you briefly see on import is typically the embedded in-camera JPEG preview, which does include Canon picture processing like ALO. Once Lightroom renders the RAW itself, it ignores that Canon-specific setting.
So:
- ALO does not permanently change the RAW data.
- The RAW mainly contains a flag/metadata note that Canon software can read.
- Lightroom does not use ALO and cannot directly turn it on or off.
If you want to compare with ALO on/off, Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) is the software most likely to honor that setting and let you disable it for the same RAW file.
If you want to mimic ALO in Lightroom, there isn’t a built-in ALO preset mentioned here. You’d need to adjust the image manually, mainly with the Basic panel controls such as Contrast and related tone sliders, until you get a similar look.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
What does Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer do, and does it affect RAW files?
Why do Lightroom previews change a few seconds after loading a RAW file?
Can Lightroom show the camera’s embedded JPEG thumbnail from a RAW file?
What does Canon Highlight Tone Priority do, and how is it different from Auto Lighting Optimizer?
What does Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer do, and do professionals use it?