Why does a RAW image look different in Darktable lighttable vs darkroom?
Asked 12/5/2013
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2 answers
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In Darktable, my camera RAW file looks the same as the JPEG when viewed in lighttable, but when I open that RAW file in darkroom it changes noticeably. Why does this happen? Is lighttable showing the camera’s embedded JPEG preview, while darkroom is rendering the actual RAW sensor data? If so, is there any way to make the darkroom view start out looking like the preview I saw in lighttable?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
17
This is essentially the same as Why does my Lightroom preview change after loading? . The RAW file contains a JPEG preview, which reflects the camera's settings and will generally be the same as an in-camera JPEG (although usually in low quality to save space). That's what Darktable is showing you initially.
When you go to process the image, Darktable is working from the RAW itself. It's not removing in-camera processing -- it's just that that processing wasn't really there in any helpful way in the first place. (Clues to the processing may be included in the file's metadata, but usually as manufacturer-specific proprietary information.)
Darktable doesn't have access to the exact algorithms and settings used for the internal processing, so the basic answer to that part of your question is "sorry, no". Take a look at How can I reproduce the camera-internal postprocessing? for more on this.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — this is expected behavior. In lighttable, Darktable is typically showing the JPEG preview embedded in the RAW file. That preview was generated by the camera, so it reflects the camera’s picture style and other in-camera processing, which is why it often matches the camera JPEG.
In darkroom, Darktable renders the actual RAW sensor data instead. The RAW capture itself does not contain that finished in-camera look in a directly usable form. Some camera settings may be stored as metadata, but they are often proprietary, and Darktable generally cannot reproduce the camera maker’s exact processing.
So darkroom is not “removing” in-camera processing; it is showing a fresh interpretation of the RAW data.
If you want the darkroom image to resemble the lighttable preview, there usually isn’t a way to get an exact match automatically. You would need to adjust the RAW rendering manually to approximate the embedded JPEG preview.
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