Mac ignoring "Adaptive: Color" profile in DNGs saved from Photoshop being imported into Lightroom.

​@depth.co.nz 

Just tried this in LrC 14.5.2 and it works fine when the DNG in Imported back into LrC. Same when I Save Metadata Settings and then re-Import; Adaptive Color is rendered as expected.

So, we now have proof, it’s definitely a regressive bug in LrC 15.5.1

​@depth.co.nz 

I don’t believe this is a Camera Raw problem or a MAC problem; it’s definitely a problem with LrC 15.5.1. If I can, I will roll back and check an older version of LrC.

I don’t have the problem on my PC at all, but I am running Camera Raw 18.6.0.2698 and Light Room Classic 14.5.2 duut to my version of Windows 11 pro coming to an  end of its service updates.

Tried the same workflow on my Mac (M1 Max MBP) and I get the same result. Open a raw file in camera raw (18.6.0.2698). Apply the adaptive color profile and save as a dng. Then import that in Lightroom Classic (15.5.1) and the adaptive profile is not reflected when going into develop. I have to reapply the adaptive profile to fix it. Clearly this is a bug indeed.

Thanks Anshul, I’m still having this issue and it’s really frustrating and time consuming. I’m away on assignment at the moment, as soon as I get a down moment I will send all the requested items through.

Following Step1 and two.

1. Take a new original RAW file on the Mac, open it in Camera Raw, apply Adaptive: Color, and save it as a DNG using your normal workflow. Before importing it into Lightroom Classic, reopen that newly created DNG in Camera Raw. Does Camera Raw still show Adaptive: Color as the active profile, and does the image look correct there? YES
2. Import that same DNG into Lightroom Classic. If it appears flat, manually select Adaptive: Color and confirm whether that immediately restores the appearance you saw in Camera Raw. YES

II think the explanation might be as follows. If you apply the adaptive profile on import, then the profile will be recorded but not calculated. This is a known issue and as designed (to make importing faster). You need to use ‘Update AI  Settings’ for the profile to be calculated. Importing images with the profile applied in the metadata will most likely require the same procedure. So after import, select all images and then use the ‘Settings - Update AI Settings’ menu.

Hi ​@depth.co.nz,

Thanks for the detailed report. I’d like to determine whether the Adaptive Profile information is not being preserved correctly in the new DNG, or whether Lightroom Classic is not interpreting it correctly.

Could you please try these tests?

1. Take a new original RAW file on the Mac, open it in Camera Raw, apply Adaptive: Color, and save it as a DNG using your normal workflow. Before importing it into Lightroom Classic, reopen that newly created DNG in Camera Raw. Does Camera Raw still show Adaptive: Color as the active profile, and does the image look correct there?
2. Import that same DNG into Lightroom Classic. If it appears flat, manually select Adaptive: Color and confirm whether that immediately restores the appearance you saw in Camera Raw.
3. As another quick test, create a second DNG from the same RAW without applying Adaptive: Color. This gives us a useful comparison between the two files created through the same Mac workflow.

If the problem remains reproducible, could you please share:

• The original RAW file
• The affected DNG created on the Mac with Adaptive: Color
• If possible, an older Windows-created DNG where Adaptive: Color is working correctly
• Your exact Camera Raw version and macOS version
• A screen recording showing the complete workflow from the original RAW through to the point where the issue appears
  For the recording, please start by opening the original RAW in Camera Raw and capture the steps you normally follow: applying Adaptive: Color, creating/saving the DNG, opening or importing that DNG into Lightroom Classic, and finally showing the point where the rendering becomes flat. Please also keep the relevant Profile/settings panels visible where possible.

You can upload the sample files and recording to Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, or a similar service and send me the download link via DM.

Having the original RAW, resulting DNG, and your exact workflow recorded will allow us to follow the same steps on our end. If we can reproduce the behavior, we’ll have a strong case to take to the product team for investigation.

Thanks for helping us narrow this down.

Best,
Anshul Saini