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AUTO ADJUST MULTIPLE IMAGES

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Andrew Goble

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Joined
Feb 10, 2018
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Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
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Cloud Service
Lightroom Version Number
Lightroom Classic version 12.01 (Camera Raw 15.0)
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  1. Windows 10
Hi, I am searching for a way to select a batch of images, without any adjustments, hit the AUTO ADJUST button to have LR apply what it thinks are best settings for individual images within the selection. That is, treat all images as individual even though selected as a batch. I shoot only in RAW so my first go to is to select an individual image in DEVELOPE mode then hit the AUTO button. From this I can get a really good idea if the shot is worth saving/working on further. I have just over 30000 images within my LR catalogue, most of which have no adjustments. (Previously I have only worked on the ones I think are worth it). Going back over my older images it would be good to be able to select a number of images without adjustments, select them as a batch and hit AUTO to have LR apply, what it thinks to be, best settings per image.

Is this possible?

Also, is it possible to select only images that have no adjustments previously made to them by filter. I do not want to touch any images that already have adjustments.

Regards

Andrew
 
Select your batch of images, flip the Sync switch to Auto Sync and press Auto.
 
And display the Library Filter, then change a column to Edit

1669118516943.png
 
Andrew, I would not d
Hi, I am searching for a way to select a batch of images, without any adjustments, hit the AUTO ADJUST button to have LR apply what it thinks are best settings for individual images within the selection. That is, treat all images as individual even though selected as a batch. I shoot only in RAW so my first go to is to select an individual image in DEVELOPE mode then hit the AUTO button. From this I can get a really good idea if the shot is worth saving/working on further. I have just over 30000 images within my LR catalogue, most of which have no adjustments. (Previously I have only worked on the ones I think are worth it). Going back over my older images it would be good to be able to select a number of images without adjustments, select them as a batch and hit AUTO to have LR apply, what it thinks to be, best settings per image.

Is this possible?

Also, is it possible to select only images that have no adjustments previously made to them by filter. I do not want to touch any images that already have adjustments.

Regards

Andrew
Andrew, that is easy to do as explained, but I would not do that for the purpose of culling through 30,000 images!
I would build 1:1 previews for them all and start culling by looking at the raw files with no adjustments in the library. There is no need to try to apply some blanket adjustment to 30,000 images.
One other tip - stay away from Auto Syn until you absolutely understand it fully (and probably even then except in very specific instances).
When I finish a shoot and am culling through, say ... 400 images, I go through and cull once in the library with no adjustments after building previews. When I start editing, I use no pre-anything. I edit that file and then highlight the next ten and hit sync (with auto syn switched off). That gives me a good start point for the next ten edits since I probably shot them in similar light and setting. I'm careful not to sync images with different settings and light....
I can look at an image and the histo and give it a good start point in LR in about 10 seconds and I think the auto functions in LR suk. I rarely agree with them.
 
Personally I would not go back and do that many files either. I'd do this to files as needed. If you want to do this anyway you could do a few folders a day as it is very fast. Moving forward you now have the method. If you chose to do this I'd restart LrC everyday to check integrity and optimize the catalogue.

I only apply Auto to all my files when I shoot a gig. For example I did a charity shoot for our marathon. Between ISO Adaptive presets and Auto (selecting all files using Auto Sync) I was able to develop over 500 files in just over an hour. All I did after was level, crop and tweak exposures.

I shoot Canon. I also pre-cull using Canon's DPP to delete unwanted files. For my hobby stuff I only apply Auto to the files I plan to develop and export.
 
Personally I would not go back and do that many files either. I'd do this to files as needed. If you want to do this anyway you could do a few folders a day as it is very fast. Moving forward you now have the method. If you chose to do this I'd restart LrC everyday to check integrity and optimize the catalogue.

I only apply Auto to all my files when I shoot a gig. For example I did a charity shoot for our marathon. Between ISO Adaptive presets and Auto (selecting all files using Auto Sync) I was able to develop over 500 files in just over an hour. All I did after was level, crop and tweak exposures.

I shoot Canon. I also pre-cull using Canon's DPP to delete unwanted files. For my hobby stuff I only apply Auto to the files I plan to develop and export.
That is interesting. I know sports pros who are sending jpegs out directly during events to services and media as the event is happening and they do no edits and actually shoot raw plus jpeg in the camera and send the jpegs with the in-camera pre-sets all fixed because they know the arena.

But consider this.... You could shoot the event (like the marathon) raw only and later import them to LR. If you have a little time, and since the event is likely in a similar scene and close to the same lighting, you could then quickly develop the first raw and just sync those edits to the rest of the shots without using any presets of any kind in camera or in LR. It's another way to do it. I like it because I trust my eye and experience a lot more than a pre-set to get that first shot right and then sync across the images with the same scenes and light.

But back to the OP, what he has is really a major project and he should not be in a hurry. For example, he could just do a hundred images a day and develop them all the right way from scratch while spending time on titles, captions, Key words and file names. I think post processing in LR is fun and creative, so it could be a hobby project. Just take your time and have fun with it. Don't do some kind of mass syncing of an auto function or preset. Develop batches as you go, using sync (the way I described in my first post).
 
I'm not a pro so I'd rather have the RAW files just in case.
 
Using Auto-Sync is dangerous and can end in tears. Safer to use the built-in preset Classic -General > Auto Settings:

1669146696540.png
 
Using Auto-Sync is dangerous and can end in tears. Safer to use the built-in preset Classic -General > Auto Settings:

View attachment 19750
Thanks for the heads up. I've never used it because I don't understand it. However, it does sound attractive, "Auto", "Sync", what's not to like? ;)
 
"Auto", "Sync", what's not to like? ;)
Absolutely nothing.....until you forget it's enabled and you unintentionally apply some edits to a whole bunch of selected images, while thinking you were editing only one. Even worse when it's not realised until after LrC has been closed, so "Undo" is no longer possible, so all the images that were selected and affected have to be tracked down somehow to reverse the change. The forums have been littered over the years with users making that mistake (though less so in recent times since Adobe made some UI tweaks to try to warn the unwary user of this danger when using AutoSync).
 
I just selected a bunch of file and used Auto Sync. I see every file has Auto Settings so you can go back to Import if you have to . You can create a preset to get them all back.
 
Thanks for the heads up. I've never used it because I don't understand it. However, it does sound attractive, "Auto", "Sync", what's not to like? ;)
I have used Auto Sync since Auto went Sensei and have never had an issue. I'm never out of Auto Sync because I have no use for Sync anymore.
 
Thanks for the heads up. I've never used it because I don't understand it. However, it does sound attractive, "Auto", "Sync", what's not to like? ;)
I have AutoSync enabled all the time, and rarely switch it to Sync. Sure, there's the obvious risk that you might adjust the wrong images, or multiple images when you only want to adjust the one on screen. Once you've made one of those mistakes, you soon learn to pay attention. But in practice, when you leave AutoSync on you do keep an eye on the filmstrip and the Sync/AutoSync buttons to check which pictures will be affected.

AutoSync's simply a better use of one's time - fewer clicks to process a set of photos - so it's my recommended way to work.
 
Thanks for all your replies, most helpful.
As with most LrC queries there seems to be no one hit, easy answer. I did try one of the above suggestions by selecting a good number of images in the film strip that have had no adjustments at all, turn on the Auto Sync and then hit the Auto button. This resulted in each image being adjusted differently, which was exactly what I was looking for. That then allowed me to review individual images with the basic adjustments, which gives me a flavour of what could be possible and delete it or go further with adjustments, one image at a time. My images always show dark when first imported into LrC due to them being RAW files, so batch Auto adjust could be a way of saving time when ploughing through my existing catalogue. It does seem though that in using the Auto Sync method on my existing images I run the real risk of messing up some previously done adjustments and the pain that that would bring. In view of this issue, going forward, I plan to stop being lazy and as I import to LrC, Auto adjust them individually at that point to give me a clearer view of what the image could look like and delete ones that won't make the cut. My use of LrC usually falls into 2 distinct sessions. Session 1, The import session, which pretty much always happens as I return from a shoot. I then shut the laptop lid. This is only a 10- or 15-minutes session. Session 2. I return for more detailed adjustments/deletions. The gap between my sessions can be days and sometimes weeks depending on what other jobs have been allocated to me. By carrying out the auto adjust/delete at session 1, I can be sure the images I have in the catalogue are the ones I want to keep when I return for session 2. It is quite usual for there to be a number of session 1s before I manage a good sit down for a session 2. Having said I have over 30000 images currently it is safe to say that had I adopted this routine early on when I first set LrC up the image tally would probably be markedly less than 20000. I feel a big cull coming on.
Thanks again.
Andrew
 
I have AutoSync enabled all the time, and rarely switch it to Sync. Sure, there's the obvious risk that you might adjust the wrong images, or multiple images when you only want to adjust the one on screen. Once you've made one of those mistakes, you soon learn to pay attention. But in practice, when you leave AutoSync on you do keep an eye on the filmstrip and the Sync/AutoSync buttons to check which pictures will be affected.

AutoSync's simply a better use of one's time - fewer clicks to process a set of photos - so it's my recommended way to work.
John, I use it a lot now, but only turn it on in certain cases. I learned a lot about it from a recent thread that talked about its dangers.

I use it when I want to make a correction to a batch of images that I made a mistake on and fix it by moving one slider and apply it to all without affecting the other slider. Let's say I'm editing 10 images and I start with the first one and get it like I want it. Then I sync that to the next ten images. But I discover I had one slider wrong for some reason. Maybe I had shadows, clarity or whites bumped up high and I didn't intend for that to be applied to all the images. After the initial syn (with auto sync off), I have now finished fine-tuning the other ten images and several sliders are now varied, but the clarity slider was forgotten about and wrong on all. So, I select the ten images, auto sync on, and move that one slider and it moves the same on all ten images. Just one example. But I don't turn on Auto Sync until the moment I need it.
 
My images always show dark when first imported into LrC due to them being RAW files,
Andrew, why do your images show dark when you import them to LR? Are you underexposing all of your images? That should not be happening with your raw files after import to LR.
You need to look at the raw hist (use Raw Digger) or look at the histo in LR and see if you are underexposing for some reason.
Are you shooting Fuji with Auto DR setting set above 100? That needs to be off (DR set at 10o). Let's talk about this more because something is wrong somewhere. That should not be happening.
What camera are you shooting? Something is wong and you need to make sure you understand that a lot of those in-camera settings apply only to OOC jpegs and not the raw, but they effect what you see in the EVF and can cause you to compensate in the wrong direction while shooting. Remember, what you see in the EVF, back LCD or live view is a video affected by all the in-camera settings that apply to the jpeg but not the raw. That is why it is smart to turn all that stuff off when you are shooting raw only.
 
I feel that the best way is to leave AutoSync on all the time, Greg, so one is never in any doubt about whether it's on or not. You then get used to keeping your eye on the filmstrip, selecting and deselecting photos as needed. Sometimes you do only have one image selected, but the moment you realize that a series needs the same adjustment you change your selection and drag the slider you want. This is faster than having to run through the copy settings dialog, checking and unchecking adjustments, and when you paste there's no chance you'll have forgetten which image you copied from.

Adobe should have just designed it this way. After all, most apps assume that when multiple items are selected, any action will apply to them all.
 
I feel that the best way is to leave AutoSync on all the time, Greg, so one is never in any doubt about whether it's on or not. You then get used to keeping your eye on the filmstrip, selecting and deselecting photos as needed. Sometimes you do only have one image selected, but the moment you realize that a series needs the same adjustment you change your selection and drag the slider you want. This is faster than having to run through the copy settings dialog, checking and unchecking adjustments, and when you paste there's no chance you'll have forgetten which image you copied from.

Adobe should have just designed it this way. After all, most apps assume that when multiple items are selected, any action will apply to them all.
Thanks. I can see the utility of that. I am familiar with the action now (thanks to this forum) so can do it either way without getting in trouble. But that little grey-white box is a problem because it is hard to tell what is on and off sometimes.
 
So you just leave it on. As a result you learn to keep your eye on which images are currently selected. It does require a bit more concentration, and sometimes I will only feel like working on one image at a time, copying and pasting adjustments. But then I'll see some images which all need the same adjustment, select them, and simply know AutoSync is on.
 
Andrew, why do your images show dark when you import them to LR? Are you underexposing all of your images? That should not be happening with your raw files after import to LR.
You need to look at the raw hist (use Raw Digger) or look at the histo in LR and see if you are underexposing for some reason.
Are you shooting Fuji with Auto DR setting set above 100? That needs to be off (DR set at 10o). Let's talk about this more because something is wrong somewhere. That should not be happening.
What camera are you shooting? Something is wong and you need to make sure you understand that a lot of those in-camera settings apply only to OOC jpegs and not the raw, but they effect what you see in the EVF and can cause you to compensate in the wrong direction while shooting. Remember, what you see in the EVF, back LCD or live view is a video affected by all the in-camera settings that apply to the jpeg but not the raw. That is why it is smart to turn all that stuff off when you are shooting raw only.
Hi Greg,
That sounds like a whole heap of trouble coming my way. My camera is the Olympus OM-D-E-M1 Mark II.
With what I see on the EVF I am not under exposing but from what you say I must have some settings relating to jpegs upsetting the apple cart somewhere. I will check through and see what I can find in the menus.
Are you Au Fait with the Olympus menus on this camera? If so, I would appreciate any pointers you can give to get me looking in the correct location, saving me a load of time.
Andrew
 
Hi Greg,
That sounds like a whole heap of trouble coming my way. My camera is the Olympus OM-D-E-M1 Mark II.
With what I see on the EVF I am not under exposing but from what you say I must have some settings relating to jpegs upsetting the apple cart somewhere. I will check through and see what I can find in the menus.
Are you Au Fait with the Olympus menus on this camera? If so, I would appreciate any pointers you can give to get me looking in the correct location, saving me a load of time.
Andrew
I don't use apple expect for viewing final jpegs because it scales well. Take few shots, plug your card into your computer, download to the desktop, then import to LrC and see what you get.
 
Andrew, Olympus may actually be the one major system I have never shot because that sensor is just too small for me and my insatiable resolution addiction. But you just bought a 6,000-dollar Q2. Do not worry about LR hindering you in any way on the Q2 DNG files. It won't. This metadata thing you are dealing with will settle in and won't be problem I bet. Just update the metadata. You also don't have to write to file. I do because I have my reasons, but if you don't write to file the edits and meta will be stored in the catalog. This will not be a problem long-term for you.
I'm confused on your jpeg - ORF Olympus raw file question.
You are shooting raw right? So, like all digital cameras, about 95% of tyhe jpeg settings will not apply to the raw file anyway, so don't worry about it. But you should set your camera up with a lot of that stuff turned off because it won't affect the raw file anyway. It only affects an in-camera jpeg and what you see in the EVF, live-view or back LCD. Just make sure you know what camera settings apply to the in-camera jpegs and be aware of what you are seeing in the EVY vs what you will see when you open the raw file in LR and start editing.
For example, I know that the only settings on my Fuji cameras that affect the raw files are that stupid DR setting (which should be set at 100 which is off), EC, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I don't care about the bazillion settings and presets in those endless menus that apply only to the production of the in-camera jpeg.
Now this is a very big topic, especially with pros and advanced enthusiasts. They are very concerned about in-camera jpeg settings messing with their histogram. The histogram that can be used while shooting to provide valuable expoosure compensation ifo and EETR shooting techniques is not a raw histo. It is a jpeg histo and could be a stop or more off from an actual raw histogram that you do not get in camera, but only later in software like Raw-Digger. Many of us long for the day when we get a true raw histo in camera and our cameras have zero jpeg capability. But that means you see a dull, unfinished shot in the EVF and a lot of guys don't like that. I set up my camera to closely match an actual raw histo, and there are ways to do that with each camera. But don't worry about it (unless you are really into it like me).
 
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Andrew, I think I mixed up my threads. I was writing that to the guy on another thread that was having trouble with metadata, and then mixed ion some of your problem. I'm confused on these threads. Sorry. You're not the guy with the Q2 or metadata troubles. But what I just said about in-camera jpeg settings is good. Now let me go find that dude with the Leica and DNG metadata trouble....
 
Hi Greg,
That sounds like a whole heap of trouble coming my way. My camera is the Olympus OM-D-E-M1 Mark II.
With what I see on the EVF I am not under exposing but from what you say I must have some settings relating to jpegs upsetting the apple cart somewhere. I will check through and see what I can find in the menus.
Are you Au Fait with the Olympus menus on this camera? If so, I would appreciate any pointers you can give to get me looking in the correct location, saving me a load of time.
Andrew
Perhaps you have the EVF boosted. I can't tell you where that features is in your menu. It allows the EVF to be boosted for low light situations.
 
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