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JmyLds
JmyLds
Participant
March 30, 2026
Question

Export issue in Lightroom Classic

  • March 30, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 37 views

Hi everyone,

I'm having an export issue in Lightroom Classic. When I export a processed photo, the result is brighter and has less contrast than the original in Lightroom.

I've tried exporting as a 16-bit TIFF using all available color spaces (sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB). When I re-import the exported file back into Lightroom to compare it side-by-side with the RAW, it is still brighter. This confirms the issue isn't coming from a Windows viewer or a display profile.

Even the histograms in Lightroom are noticeably different between the RAW and the exported TIFF. Has anyone encountered this or have any ideas why this is happening? Thank you in advance :) 

 

 

    2 replies

    J
    Community Expert
    Jao vdLCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 30, 2026

    I overlaid the two histograms and they are basically identical. The very small differences in the shapes peak at ¼ in from the left are likely just due to scaling slightly different and in no way would lead to a visible difference not in brightness nor in contrast. It would perhaps help if you posted screenshots of the two images. These histograms show no difference that you would be able to actually notice. 

    Is the source image very noisy or has a lot of detail? If so, compare at 100% zoom. If your image is extremely detailed or has lots of noise, the only accurate display would be at 100% zoom or higher. If the exported image was scaled on export, you also have the scaling algorithm coming in that again in noisy images can subtly alter the appearance of the image..

    dj_paige
    dj_paige
    Legend
    March 30, 2026

    I’m not seeing a “noticeably” different histogram. Can you be more specific about where the differences are?

     

    When you import it back into LrC, do you apply presets at Import? Is there default settings applied to all photos at Import? Do the sliders match on the imported copy and the previous copy after it was edited? Or are the sliders essentially at zero when you import?

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