# Calibration or Lightroom causing dark previews?



## Ptography (Sep 7, 2011)

So lately, I am getting increasingly frustrated at not being able to solve a problem within Lightroom.  I am a problem solver at heart and the fact that I cannot solve this one has me quite flustered.

In Lightroom v3.4, I will import my .NEF files from my D7000 and begin to go through them for culling purposes.  As I begin to look at the images once the preview loads, the image becomes darker after loading.  When it loads initially, the preview looks normal but once the loading finishes, my images look underexposed by almost 1-2 stops!  This makes editing photos quite untrustworthy because when I export my pics after working on them for hours at a time, my eyes adjust to what I am working on.  The result of this is such that when I go to look at the photos a couple hours later, my edits always look quite darker than I would like as well.

A few things I have tried:
1. making sure the color space within the camera matches the color space of Windows - Both are sRGB
2. Modifying my ICC color profiles within my machine
3. making sure auto tone isn't being applied when photos are imported in LR.
4. Images exported for Print using prophoto RGB, exported for web using sRGB

I have come across many explanations online as to why this may be happening but none of them seem to capture what my problem encompasses.  This article on the Adobe Forum - Adobe Forums: Why does the color and or tone of my... talks about it as though it's a known issue that can't be fixed.  Does anyone else who works with NEF files notice this problem as well?  This can't be acceptable.  What do I do?

I really need some help with this, the quality of my photo edits are affected largely by this problem.  Please feel free to provide some feedback or ask questions if you feel I may be missing information.  

Thanks,
P.

P.Tography - Photography with Style


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## The_Traveler (Sep 7, 2011)

This is the answer here in the link you referenced.



> When you import into Lightroom the* first thumbnails you will see appear
> are the embedded thumbnails in your images*. In the case of raw files, the
> thumbnails are automatically generated by your camera but based only on your
> camera's settings, not Lightroom's default settings for your camera.
> ...



So make a new preset and set that to apply on import.


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## Ptography (Sep 8, 2011)

I thought of that at one point, and I will consider trying it now just to see what happens.  It seems like a redundant process to have to do in a situation that not many others can really relate to; suggesting to me it may have been something wrong with a setting I couldn't find.  This is possible too, seeing as there hasn't been much reply on this thread.


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## mfer (Sep 8, 2011)

I'm experiencing the same problem.  When I use my Nikon software, everything looks perfect.  When I use LR3.4, it is crap.  Exposure is off, vibrance, etc.

Why did I just pay money for LR3.4 if it undoes everything I told my camera to do?


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## dermot_carey (Nov 21, 2011)

I am glad I have found a couple of people with the same problem as me. This has been frustrating me now for a while. NEFs off of my D300 are darker in Lightroom and the histograms are completely different than in Nikon tools.
What I've had to do with my workflow, is use ViewNX(free) to convert to TIFFs and then import the TIFFs into Lightroom. Its an extra and very annoying step, but keeps the photos looking like they did when I took them.
If anyone out there knows a solution, please share. 

-D


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## D-B-J (Nov 21, 2011)

I have the same problem and it is quite annoying.


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## MTVision (Nov 21, 2011)

My NEF files are darker in ACR and Lightroom. In Nikons software they look  exactly like the JPEG preview on the back of the camera. It doesn't bother me though. ACR/Lightroom has different proprietary algorithms so they are going to render raw files differently. Plain and simple. They are made by different companies 

Dermot_carey - you said that by your workflow you can keep the images looking the way you took them - how do you know what the RAW file looked like at capture? You are seeing a JPEG preview that has been processed in the camera. The histograms will look different because Nikon renders the raw file differently than Lightroom or camera raw.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Nov 21, 2011)

You guys are assuming all the cameras software settings are "more right" than adobes software.  And if thats truly the case adobe allows a simple preset as mentioned above, and its all good


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## sharsidd (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi all

I have agonised over this for ages (i.e. getting .NEF files to look the same in my camera and in Lightroom upon import). I have finally found that with the 2012 process implemented in Lightroom 4, all I need to do is 

1. In my Nikon D7000, shoot RAW, sRGB, Picture Control - Standard. (Note: I don't use Active D-Lighting because I prefer to deal with that myself in Lightroom, and its settings can't be second-guessed by Lightroom from a .NEF file anyway).
2. In Lightroom, choose 'Process' under 'Camera Calibration as '2012 (Current)', and increase Vibrance to +35. That's all. 

With the new process this seems to be all it takes to get the RAW images looking almost exactly the same way they do on my camera. In some cases I had to tweak the Hue / Saturation for primary colours a little bit.

From this point on it's up to your creative vision to take your images to a higher ground, but at least you have the same starting place as you thought you did right after taking the picture.

This works with my D7000. I will test other cameras if I can and report back, or if you have found a more effective tweak please let me know.

You can create a simple preset to apply the above changes in import. Hope this is the end of endless editing of pictures that you got right in the camera to begin with!


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## studownunder (Dec 28, 2012)

I have the same problem with LR 3.3 using ACR 6.3 whereby my NEF files are importing dark with very strange color profiles. This is only started to happen when using my new Nikon D7000 and my D90 raw files import perfectly. We all know you can set a profile up but every single NEF file behaves differently when you try setting a preset and it is a nightmare having to change so many settings. As I say, there is no problem when I import my D90 raw files.
It seems the Raw format for the D7000 is a very different beast then that exported by the D90 and it has me pulling my hair out. Anyone managed to crack this problem yet, or latest info.


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## Buckster (Dec 28, 2012)

Just a passing thought...  I noticed that nobody in the thread so far mentioned weather their monitor is calibrated or not.


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## KmH (Dec 28, 2012)

A lot of people using Raw don't understand at a fundamental level what a Raw file is, nor how a Raw file becomes a photograph.

Camera makers that use proprietary Raw file formats don't share those file formats with Adobe Systems Inc.
Because of image sensor and downstream image sensor data processing, each new camera having a proprietary Raw file format has a unique Raw file format.
Adobe has to 'reverse engineer' each new models raw file format.

Those with Nikon camera would see little if any difference between D7000 and D90 Raw files if they use View NX or Capture NX as their Raw converter.

Each Raw converter application uses a unique set of algorithms to render the Raw image data file into a photograph. Those algorithms do a significant amount of image processing, and the 'look' of a Raw file in each Raw Concerter will change to one degree or another.

The image sensor in a digital camera is a linear, analog device, _*and it cannot record color*_. Color has to be interpolated. Most image sensors use a Bayer Array filter in front of the image sensor to facilitate that color interpolation.
Since the image sensor is only capable of a linear gamma response to the light that falls on it during an exposure Raw one of the Raw converter algorithms has to apply a non-linear gamma curve to the image data so brightness levels in the image more closely approximate the non-linear way human eye work.
Additionally, some amount of other editing takes place in the conversion process before the image is available to the photographer for further editing.

Tutorials &#8211; The RAW File Format
http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf
http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adob...ly/prophotographer/pdfs/pscs3_renderprint.pdf


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## chersun (Mar 7, 2013)

I have a Nikon D7000 so I've been dealing with the same situation. Basically all you have to do is to create a new preset with exposure settings raised up to approx 0.20( so you are not giving to much brightness to the picture, but for the darker pics you are still able to adjust more exposure later individually if needed) right click when the preset is saved: apply on import. As I did this I get quite the same pics in Lr as I see it on my Nikon D7000. ( i use standard picture control, and normal ADL. I'd recommend you to ignore other Picture Controls than Standard on your camera, this way you get around changing other settings in your preset and avoiding individual changes on each picture)

Peace


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