Why do RAW/NEF files look washed out in Lightroom compared with Picasa, and how can I make them match?
Asked 1/7/2011
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2 answers
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When I open RAW/NEF files in Lightroom 3, they look flatter or more washed out than they do in Picasa on the same monitor. JPEGs from the same camera look normal in Lightroom. Why does this happen with RAW files, and is there a way in Lightroom to make them look closer to the camera JPEG or the preview I see in other software?
Originally by Dave. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Dave
15y ago
2 Answers
19
This is expected, because the raw image has had no corrections/edits made, which means you are able to do all the edits the way you want. With RAW you gain control of the process at the expense of more post-processing time.
Picasa will apply corrections on the fly, so you are seeing the auto-corrected version of the raw file in picasa, but the direct raw file in lightroom (as mentioned by Alan lightroom does apply very minor corrections, but it is essentially just the image straight off the sensor).
The jpeg has had standard curves/color balance correction/sharpening applied in camera prior to the conversion to jpeg.
The "Fix"
You can use "presets" in lightroom to set the basic adjustments that you want to do. These are sets of edits/corrections that are saved and can be applied as a group to any image. You can create your own, or search around and find presets that will create different looks.
Originally by user67. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67
15y ago
0
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This is normal. A RAW file is not a finished image, so each program renders it differently. Picasa may apply automatic corrections or show an embedded JPEG preview, while Lightroom shows its own RAW conversion, which is usually flatter so you can edit it yourself. JPEGs look “better” immediately because the camera already applied contrast, color, sharpening, and tone adjustments before saving them.
In Lightroom, you can make RAW files look closer to your camera JPEGs by changing the Profile in the Camera Calibration section of Develop. For example, choose a camera-matching profile such as Camera Vivid if that matches your in-camera picture style. You can also save these settings as a Develop preset and apply them during import.
So the issue usually isn’t your monitor or a fault in Lightroom—it’s the difference between RAW rendering and JPEG processing.
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