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C
Colorist Karen
Participating Frequently
June 29, 2025
Question

Image severely desaturated on import even when using matching camera profile

  • June 29, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 321 views
  • Description of Issue

In Both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Desktop, new images imported look extremely desaturated regardless of the colour profile selected. Even when using matching camera profiles, the saturation still looks visibly off compared to other programs. Might be a problem with the underlying camera raw engine. I only realised this happening to this month's imports and have not experienced it with previous shoots. The colors my older photos in my catalog doesn't seem to have changed. Does not happen when using other RAW image viewers, including XNViewMP or FastRAWViewer (which also does have its own RAW rendering engine - regardless of whether it's using a RAW rendering engine or its viewing the internal JPEG, it still appears more alot more saturated than Adobe's software).

  • Lightroom Classic Version Number (Help>System Info…)

14.4, Camera Raw 17.4

  • OS Version Number

Windows 11.0.26100

  • Camera Model (sometimes necessary)

Nikon Z5

  • Step-by-step Reproduction Instructions (in precise terms please)

Look at the original RAW file's embedded JPEG preview, pay attention to the saturation of the blue hair and the reds (fruit, skin) and the greens (the background greenery).

Import into Lightroom.

Look at the colours again. No matter what profile you select, Adobe Color or Camera Standard, the colors still look very washed out. Does not happen in other programs. Attached screenshot of Lightroom versus XnViewMP. Another screenshot shows an even more drastic difference in another image, compared to FastRawViewer using their own rendering engine.

  • The Expected Result

Some degree of saturation in the colors.

  • The Actual Result

Super Desaturated Colors

 

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The Adobe forums is not letting me upload the 30MB Raw Files, so I uploaded it to my personal google drive and will keep it there until the issue is closed.

 

[moved from bugs to discussions according to the community rules - Mod.]

1 reply

dj_paige
dj_paige
Legend
June 29, 2025

I am not seeing "extremely desaturated" colors when I import your cos_4001.nef into my Lightroom Classic 14.4 on Windows 11. This is what I see in LrC with no adjustments. (P.S.: I can't see your file attachments, or anyone's file attachments, so I can't compare what I see to what you showed. Please use the "Insert Photos" icon to include your screen captures in your message)

 

 

Please make sure you are not applying a preset at import that is causing the problem you see.

C
Colorist KarenAuthor
Participating Frequently
June 29, 2025

Well, I am even more confused. I confirmed that I am not applying a preset at import. I had previously tried resetting the edit settings several times.

 

I uninstalled 14.4 and went back to 14.3 and it didn't change the colors displayed.

But I noticed something significant when I removed and reimported the photos.

When I load the same photo after importing (in the Develop module) - the same desaturated image appears for a split second, then suddenly a new one takes its place with the correct colours.

So I thought that it was something wrong with the previews. I used to import photos using the Synchronise Folder option but unchecked "Show the Import Dialog" option, so I checked it to review my settings. I noticed that in my import dialog, the "build previews" option was set to Minimal. I reimported the photos with the Standard previews option set and this time the colors look much more natural on the first try.

I went back to 14.4 and repeated this behaviour. The colors look much more correct now.

 

I hypothesise that the washed out colors are a result of the minimal previews, although it was very strange that a) the colors would significantly shift between minimal and standard previews and b) in the first time i was stuck, even exporting the photos with all the sliders set to 0 resulted in the same washed out image.

 

I can't reproduce it anymore, so I cannot narrow down what really caused it. I really hope my eyes weren't playing tricks on me but it was severe enough that I noticed it happen for two different shoot folders.

For anyone who visits this thread in the future, try removing from catalog and reviewing the import dialog and setting the build previews option to standard.

-----------------------------I have a 5900X, an RTX 3090 and 128GB of RAM. Yet Lightroom chokes on a fricking 24MP photo.
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