Why do my RAW photos look good in Lightroom but washed out after export?
Asked 6/9/2018
3 views
2 answers
0
My RAW files look colorful in Lightroom, but after I export them they appear faded or washed out. JPEGs don’t have this issue. What causes this, and how can I export RAW photos so they match what I see in Lightroom?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
4
It sounds like you might have Lightroom set to display the preview image embedded in the raw file, rather than displaying an actual conversion of the raw image data contained in the file. The preview image is a jpeg created by the camera from the raw data using the settings active in the camera at the time. It is attached to the raw file before it is sent to your camera's memory card. Sometimes it is not obvious from your Lightroom settings when you are viewing the embedded preview image, but if you have any of Lightroom's 'Preview' module rendering settings set to a 'fast' option, rather than a 'quality' setting, when you are in the 'Preview' module you're probably looking at the jpeg preview rather than a view of Lightroom's default interpretation of the raw image data.
Most in-camera jpeg engines increase contrast, saturation, and add some sharpening into the mix. These things are applied to the jpeg preview image attached to the raw file. Depending on what camera you use to produce your raw files and what software you open them with on your computer, sometimes those in-camera settings are also applied to the raw file when it is displayed. But Lightroom doesn't apply most in-camera settings to raw files. Instead, it applies whatever settings have been selected as the default options in Lightroom.
Of course in either case, you are not actually viewing the RAW file on your screen; if you're not looking at the jpeg preview then you are almost certainly viewing an 8-bit conversion of that RAW file which is similar to an 8-bit jpeg.
How do I solve this ?
You have several choices. One is to change the settings in Lightroom's preview module to display an actual conversion of the raw image data. This could slow down how long it takes Lightroom to render images, sometimes significantly. If you find that you prefer the "punched up" versions of your images produced by the camera own raw conversion settings, then create a Lightroom preset that closely matches what your camera is doing and select that preset as the default option to open raw image files.
Ultimately, the main reason to save images as raw files is to allow you to more creative control over the conversion process from raw to a viewable image that your screen can display. You need to use the tools in the 'Develop' module of LR to take advantage of all that LR has to offer. If all you are going to do is import your images into the 'Preview' module and then export them from there as jpegs, you might as well just adjust the settings in your camera before the shot and save straight to jpeg.
If you are using a Canon camera and open the .cr2 files using Digital Photo Professional (DPP) the in-camera settings selected at the time the image was shot will be applied to the preview image on your screen. Most other manufacturer's in house software does the same thing. Most third party RAW conversion software, such as Lightroom or DxO Optics, do not apply all of the in camera settings. Some of them will allow you to build a custom profile to apply to each image as it is imported or opened.
For more about what you see when you "view" a raw file on your computer, please see:
Why do RAW images look worse than JPEGs in editing programs?
While shooting in RAW, do you have to post-process it to make the picture look good?
Why do my photos look different in Photoshop/Lightroom vs Canon EOS utility/in camera?
For more about how to replicate your camera's raw conversion algorithms in external raw converters, such as Lightroom, please see:
How do I start with in-camera JPEG settings in Lightroom?
How do I get Lightroom 4 to respect custom shooting profile on 5d Mk II?
How to automatically apply a Lightroom Preset based on appropriate (Canon) Picture Style on import
Match colors in Lightroom to other editing tools
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Two common causes: Lightroom may be showing the camera’s embedded JPEG preview instead of a full RAW rendering, or your export color space is causing the image to look dull in other apps.
RAW files often contain an embedded JPEG made by the camera using its picture settings. If Lightroom is using a fast/embedded preview, what you see before export can look more vivid than Lightroom’s actual RAW conversion.
Also check your export settings. If you export in Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, many non-Adobe apps and uncalibrated displays will show the image as washed out. For widest compatibility, export in sRGB.
What to do:
- Make sure Lightroom is rendering the actual RAW preview, not just the embedded preview/cache.
- Rebuild/update previews if needed.
- In Export settings, choose sRGB unless you specifically need a wider color space and have a fully color-managed workflow.
That usually makes exported images match Lightroom much more closely.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why do exported JPEG thumbnails look washed out after processing RAW files in darktable?
Why do my Lightroom 5 exports look different from the Develop module?
Why do photos from my Nikon P100 look good on the camera screen but dull on my computer?
Why do my edited photos look great on one monitor but dull or blown out on another?
Why do RAW/NEF files look washed out in Lightroom compared with Picasa, and how can I make them match?