Editing and Exporting Raw Images

[jroyer1]

Lightroom Version Number

7.2

Operating System

1. Windows 10

Hello,

I am struggling with the process of editing raw images (working with CR2 and ORF type) and subsequently exporting as JPEG. Is there a way to import to Lightroom the image so that it looks the same as the original raw image? The colors are automatically adjusted and there is a shape/crop correction applied (I hesitate to say it's an automatic lens correction because I'm not sure that's correct). My cameras are an Olympus TG6 and a Canon T7i and I'm shooting Raw+JPEG. LR seems to do the same for both types of raw files, basically making them look like the JPEG files that I get from the cameras. I am importing the raw file as Adobe default. Is there a way I can import the raw, edit, and export as JPEG without either of these effects impacting the image?

Thank you!

 

[clee01l]

Hello,

I am struggling with the process of editing raw images (working with CR2 and ORF type) and subsequently exporting as JPEG. Is there a way to import to Lightroom the image so that it looks the same as the original raw image? The colors are automatically adjusted and there is a shape/crop correction applied (I hesitate to say it's an automatic lens correction because I'm not sure that's correct). My cameras are an Olympus TG6 and a Canon T7i and I'm shooting Raw+JPEG. LR seems to do the same for both types of raw files, basically making them look like the JPEG files that I get from the cameras. I am importing the raw file as Adobe default. Is there a way I can import the raw, edit, and export as JPEG without either of these effects impacting the image?

Thank you!

The original RAW file is not an image. It is a collection of photosite values on a sensor. These need to be converted to RGB pixels in the Demosaic process. An unprocessed RGB image is flat, toneless and noisy. These need to be adjusted to attempt to produce an acceptable starting point in the Lightroom Develop process.

What you see in the camera is a camera processed JPEG thumbnail that used the camera adjustments the you programmed into the camera before you found a photo and pressed the shutter. If you use one of the Camera Matching profiles in Lightroom that corresponds to the camera settings in your camera, you will come close to the JPEG thumbnail that you see on the camera back screen.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jroyer1]

Thank you, but that's not exactly what I'm asking. I attached an example of a photo in ORF and JPG. The JPG stretches the image around the edges which is very frustrating when the subject takes up the full frame because the sides of the subject get distorted. Notice the nose of the shark gets oddly elongated in the JPG on the right vs. the ORF on the left. I'm trying to figure out how to import the ORF into Lightroom so that it does not get stretched the way it does when converted to JPG. However, I cannot find a method of import into Lightroom where the image stays looking the same as it does in the original ORF. Note the attachments are both JPGs because I just took screenshots of them.

Thanks

 

[Replytoken]

Are you sure you have no presets being applied during import? There should be no "stretching" on import, and unfortunately I am not seeing any elongation differences in the above images.

--Ken

 

[clee01l]

The images appear identical on my display too. I can think of no Lightroom setting or preset that would distort the images as you describe. I can not think of any Windows display setting that would distort one file type but not the other.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

I stacked them in Photoshop, and the Difference blending mode does show that they’re different. And, the differences near the image edges are much larger than the differences near the center, which does not suggest the usual uniform scaling or cropping, but does suggest the kind of non-uniform scaling that a lens profile might apply. So next I tried Filter > Lens Correction and it does suggest that maybe one of the images has a lens correction profile applied, because a -5 Distortion value makes them look much closer though not identical.

I would at least carefully check if there is an import preset applied in Lightroom Classic, and if not, see if there are any differences or ways to get them to match in the Lightroom Classic Develop module, specifically:

• Lens Corrections, Profile tab: Toggle Enable Profile Corrections, and apply or remove the Make, Model, and Profile
• Lens Corrections, Profile tab, Amount: Adjust the Distortion value
• Lens Corrections, Manual tab, Distortion: Adjust the Amount value

 

[Rob_Cullen]

I think that @jroyer1 might be seeing an optical illusion with the shark photo, and I also see the two sharks images looking alike.
Here is one of my images showing this illusion (I don't know if there is a name for it) but these two images are identical except one is monochrome- Do they appear to be sloping differently to anyone?

 

[Conrad Chavez]

The colors are automatically adjusted and there is a shape/crop correction applied (I hesitate to say it's an automatic lens correction because I'm not sure that's correct).

Can you go into more detail about what that correction is? Is it in the camera, or any software used after exporting?

There is definitely a difference, but I can’t fully reconcile the images using Lens Corrections alone. I only get most of the way there, so I am wondering what else the camera or software is doing.

For those in the thread who think there is no difference and it’s some kind of illusion, the animation below shows how they look in Photoshop when stacked, and then the top layer hidden and shown. They’re definitely different.

 

[Replytoken]

Can you go into more detail about what that correction is? Is it in the camera, or any software used after exporting?

There is definitely a difference, but I can’t fully reconcile the images using Lens Corrections alone. I only get most of the way there, so I am wondering what else the camera or software is doing.

For those in the thread who think there is no difference and it’s some kind of illusion, the animation below shows how they look in Photoshop when stacked, and then the top layer hidden and shown. They’re definitely different.

View attachment 23239

I do see it with your example. If the OP is willing to make the files available through a service like Dropbox, folks could compare them on a different system and see if this issue is persistent.

--Ken

 

[jroyer1]

I do see it with your example. If the OP is willing to make the files available through a service like Dropbox, folks could compare them on a different system and see if this issue is persistent.

--Ken

Thank you for recognizing the issue I'm describing. To be clear the JPG files I shared are just snapshots off the "Photos" viewer in Windows. One being the ORF file and the other being the JPG. When I import the ORF to Lightroom, it defaults to looking like the JPG which I am trying to avoid. Here is the dropbox link
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/io5t...ey=0abdl26hwbvngkv9xgkinpdxb&st=8g9cjuuu&dl=0

 

[clee01l]

Here is the dropbox link
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/io5t...ey=0abdl26hwbvngkv9xgkinpdxb&st=8g9cjuuu&dl=0

I imported Bothe images into LrC. Each shows 4000X3000 pixels and each appears identical in size on my Mac Studio. In the Develop mode, I investigated both with Lens Profile Corrections applied and with Lens Corrections off. It is possible that the in camera JPEG would have Lens Corrections applied and the ORF file would not until applied by Lightroom. Lightroom applies a "Built-In" lens profile based upon the settings from the camera. This could account for changes in shape of the image inside the 4000X3000 px image But it does not alter the dimensions of the image which remains 4000X3000 px.

 

[Replytoken]

I imported Bothe images into LrC. Each shows 4000X3000 pixels and each appears identical in size on my Mac Studio. In the Develop mode, I investigated both with Lens Profile Corrections applied and with Lens Corrections off. It is possible that the in camera JPEG would have Lens Corrections applied and the ORF file would not until applied by Lightroom. Lightroom applies a "Built-In" lens profile based upon the settings from the camera. This could account for changes in shape of the image inside the 4000X3000 px image But it does not alter the dimensions of the image which remains 4000X3000 px.

I believe that all m4/3rd's lenses have their corrections embedded into the raw file, so I am not sure if they can be easily turned off, but I agree that the files should still show at full resolution.

--Ken

 

[clee01l]

I believe that all m4/3rd's lenses have their corrections embedded into the raw file, so I am not sure if they can be easily turned off, but I agree that the files should still show at full resolution.

--Ken

This is true for most RAW camera files. The Lens Correction is not (cannot be) applied to the data but included as information in a part of the metadata header. This can be seen in the Lightroom Develop Lens Correction panel as "Built-In" when the Default Setup is used.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

What I see is consistent with what Replytoken and clee01l are describing. This might be one of those lenses with extreme inherent distortion, like many compact micro 4/3 lenses are intentionally designed so that they can be more compact. Most applications will always apply a lens-specific correction profile to the preview or export to correct the geometry. They always apply the lens profile because without it, normal scenes with known geometry such as buildings (or even people) will have undesirable distortion. In Adobe apps, this is what’s called the Built-In Profile. In many apps, including Adobe apps, this profile can’t be disabled, and this is what’s seen in Lightroom Classic for this image.

To be clear the JPG files I shared are just snapshots off the "Photos" viewer in Windows. One being the ORF file and the other being the JPG.

So if the goal is to make it look like the preview in Windows Photos, then the next question is, what raw processing code did Windows Photos use to render that image from the raw data? If it’s the raw engine built into Windows 11, then maybe that look can be reproduced with an app that renders it the same way. Many apps, including Adobe apps, use their own raw development code.

The only way I have found to make the raw file look like the brighter, elongated version is to view the file in RawDigger Exposure Edition. But that edition is only a viewer/analyzer, so it doesn’t apply camera profiles, edit, or export. I’m not sure which apps allow saving without the “mandatory” profile. I once heard that SilkyPix could but that was a few years ago, so I’m not sure if that’s true today.

RawDigger is a project of LibRaw LLC, which appears to be associated with the LibRaw project, an open-source raw development code library. I came across the Microsoft Windows Raw Image Extension, which credits the LibRaw project. If Windows Photos uses the camera support in that Raw Image Extension, and if that means LibRaw code is what makes the image look the way you want in Windows Photos, that’s a lot of “if”s but maybe you want to find another app that is also primarily based on LibRaw, like maybe one of the free open-source raw processors. (I can’t find any reference to LibRaw in the Lightroom Classic acknowledgements for third party code).