Bridge (Camera Raw) won't change exposure on multiple, selected images. Why not?

[jcpatwork]

I'm pretty sure this used to work, but not 100% certain:

When I open multiple images in Camera Raw, I can select them all, then make changes that affect all the images, such as clicking "Auto" in the Settings section (for example).

But if I change the Exposure setting, only 1 image is affected. The exposure setting doesn't change for any of the other images that are selected.

Is that a bug? I hope so, and hope there's a fix, because I want to change a few hundred Exposure settings.

[Stephen Marsh]

What version of Bridge and Camera Raw?

Is this with raw data, or rendered data such as JPEG or TIFF?

Are you writing edits to XMP sidecar files or to the camera raw database?

You may have to check your sync. settings:

Even if this is a bug, I have a metadata work-around that can be used as a last resort…

[jcpatwork]

Bridge CC 2017.

Camera Raw version 9.8.0.692

Images are CR2 and I'm writing the data to sidecar XMPs.

I checked sync settings. I tried many combinations of those checked boxes, ensuring that Exposure is checked. Nope, only one image's exposure seems to be changing.

Would love to know your workaround or ideas here. Thanks!

[jcpatwork]

I've discovered that I can use a saved setting to apply an Exposure number to all selected images, in Camera Raw, but... that's not helpful because it puts the same Exposure number on every photo.

I'm looking for the ability to drag the slider and add Exposure to the value that each photo already has, rather than replace the existing Exposure. I think that was working, in the past. I admit that I am not 100% sure.

[jcpatwork · Accepted solution]

I think I've figured this out. I exported them all to DNGs, and tried the same adjustment in Camera Raw on the DNGs. I dragged the slider, and they all changed.

All the exposures are the same value (maybe that's the way it always worked), but I can live with that, as long as I have them all changing in response to the slider. That makes adjusting go far more quickly than before, when I had to select each image and change its Exposure separately, a lot of extra mouse moves and clicks compared to just selecting all and dragging one slider.

Weird that even doing Sync Settings wasn't working on the CR2 files.

[Stephen Marsh]

Just for the record, here is what I was going to suggest – however I am glad that you are making some progress. As you still have issues, perhaps you need to reset prefs and clear cache…

ACR XMP sidecar metadata is just a text file, the contents of which is easy to change in a text editor. The camera raw settings can be bulk changed using a text editor that can search/replace in multiple files or folders (ensure that straight quotes are not changed to curly quotes).

Such as searching for the following string:

crs:Exposure2012="+0.50"

And mass replacing with:

crs:Exposure2012="+2.0"

In this example, I used TextWrangler on the Mac:

One could also use ExifTool to mass update XMP sidecar files, or one could actually embedd the ACR edit adjustment instruction into the proprietary raw file (which goes against the non destructive Adobe workflow, however one can remove the embedded edit data as well, so this is not really destructive, however I digress).

[jcpatwork]

Mwuhahah, that's wonderful! "ACR XMP sidecar metadata  is just a text file, the contents of which is easy to change in a text editor."

I LOVE it! Thanks so much for pointing that out! Rubbing my hands with sinister glee now.

[Stephen Marsh]

Try this link for resetting prefs/cache:

Troubleshoot Adobe Bridge for errors and freezes

[jcpatwork]

Gotcha. Did the purge cache (only that), then Compact Cache. Then restarted Bridge.

Now it works! I can drag the Exposure slider and all the selected images in Camera Raw show change in response, even if they are CR2 images with accompanying XMP sidecars.

They all have the same Exposure number, but that's OK. It gets me closer to what I need with fewer moves. That's why we use computers. Thanks!

[jcpatwork]

Alas, I spoke too soon. Not doing it now for CR2 files again. Enough.

I have workarounds here, from your help, that will get me by. Thanks again.

[Stephen Marsh]

Work arounds are last resort, I’d still reset the preferences, this is often the “magic fix” for many pieces of Adobe software, even an uninstall/reinstall does not clear the prefs which is why reinstalling is not always a fix.