Why do my RAW files look fine at import in Lightroom, then suddenly become too bright?
Asked 8/1/2016
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2 answers
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When I import Nikon NEF RAW files into Lightroom, they first appear normal, but after a moment Lightroom changes them and they become very bright and look bad. I also notice the Camera Raw/Develop settings are not zeroed out even though I did not edit the photos. Why is this happening, and how can I stop Lightroom from automatically applying adjustments during import?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Check the Apply During Import pane's settings in the Import window (if you have the window minimized, expand to the full window with all the settings).
Lightroom can automatically apply a preset upon import, and it sounds like that's what's happening to you. You may have accidentally got it set to something that's causing the weird processing.
You also don't need to reset each image individually. You can go to the Develop module, and Reset the first whacked out image, then go back to the Library grid view, select the reset image and then shift-click to add all of the following affected images, and click the Sync Settings button to zero all the adjustments out.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is usually normal Lightroom behavior plus an import or preference setting.
At first, Lightroom often shows the embedded JPEG preview from the camera. A moment later it renders the actual RAW file, which can look different.
If the rendered RAW is getting much brighter or otherwise altered, Lightroom may be automatically applying settings on import. Check:
- Import window → Apply During Import: make sure no Develop preset is selected.
- Preferences / Presets: look for Apply auto tone adjustments and turn it off if enabled.
If a preset or auto-tone was applied by mistake, you do not need to fix each image one by one. In Develop, reset one affected image, then return to Library, select that reset image, shift-select the other affected images, and use Sync Settings to apply the reset across them.
So the likely causes are:
- Lightroom switching from the embedded camera JPEG preview to the RAW rendering, and/or
- A Develop preset or auto-tone being applied automatically.
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