Today’s Question: I have noticed as I import photos into Lightroom Classic the images initially appear better exposed, with the display shows “loading”, and as it finishes the photo automatically gets darker. Any idea why?
Tim’s Quick Answer: This behavior is caused by Lightroom Classic initially showing the embedded preview from the camera, then updating to the preview generated by Lightroom Classic. You can likely improve the results by applying a preset during import, such as one including the Auto adjustment.
More Detail: When you initially import photos into Lightroom Classic (or when there otherwise is not a preview built by Lightroom Classic) you will initially see the embedded preview for the image. This is the preview generated by your camera and can include any adjustments you had applied in-camera. For example, in many cases cameras enable you to apply adjustments to boost the contrast or saturation of photos, among other options.
While Lightroom Classic will initially show you the embedded preview in these cases, that preview will be replaced by a Standard preview generated by Lightroom Classic whenever you browse photos that don’t already have a Standard preview. Because the Standard preview is generated by Lightroom Classic without taking into account any adjustments applied in-camera, the Standard preview can look different from the camera’s preview.
The Standard preview in Lightroom Classic does take into account any adjustments that have been applied in the Develop module, of course. When importing new photos you obviously won’t have applied adjustments in the Develop module, but you can apply a preset during import to apply adjustments that will impact the Standard previews.
For example, you could create a preset in the Develop module that includes the “Auto Settings” option, so that the Auto adjustment will be applied as part of the import. You can also include any other adjustments you’d like to apply to images upon import. For example, I apply Lens Corrections, Clarity, and Vibrance as part of the preset I typically apply to photos during import.
Applying a preset during import can help improve the initial preview for your images, especially for situations where you had adjustments applied in the camera that won’t be applicable in Lightroom Classic. And, of course, you can also apply the same preset to images after import to update those photos with the same adjustments.
