P: Small and blurry previews before import

[Michael37100666z6wl]

When I preview photos in LRC on memory card before import they are small and blurry with my new Canon R5 and R3. My old cameras showed full size and sharp previews.

[johnrellis]

Are you connecting the camera to the computer with a USB cable or are you inserting the memory card into a card reader?

[Michael37100666z6wl]

Using a card reader. Thanks for responding

[dj_paige]

My thought is that the card reader is malfunctioning. What happens if you connect the camera to the computer with a USB cable.

Or, the camera card is malfunctioning. Try it with a different camera card.

[Michael37100666z6wl]

I have tried 3 different card readers and have connected the camera
directly and still the same results. I have to zoom in 300% to get to
original size and image is not sharp. I import the image and it is fine.
Thanks for the response.

[Conrad_C]

Typically, when any software previews un-imported images, it’s displaying the preview embedded with the raw file, not actually rendering the raw file. One way of diagnosing this is to check how the same raw files preview in other applications, such as:

• In the macOS Finder, using the QuickLook feature (select an image and choose the command File > QuickLook, or press the spacebar). 
• In Apple Photos, when previewing to import. 
• In Adobe Bridge, browsing the card with the Embedded preview option. 
• In Adobe Bridge, browsing the card with the command File > Get Photos from Camera (similar to Lightroom Classic import). 

If you see the same low resolution previews in all applications by any company, then the cameras might be set to generate and embed raw previews at low resolution. You can then see if you can change the preview resolution setting in the cameras. 

If you see high resolution previews in Apple apps but low resolution previews in Adobe apps, then maybe there is a problem with Adobe preview support for later CR3 raw files. 

If you see high resolution previews in Apple apps and Adobe Bridge (with embedded previews), but low resolution previews in Lightroom Classic Import, then maybe there is a problem in Lightroom Classic import only.

Basically, inspect these raw file previews from different angles (without rendering the raw file!), so that you can then use process-of-elimination troubleshooting on the previews.

[Michael37100666z6wl]

Thanks for the help, I will try and get back. I feel it is something with
the new cameras because I never had this problem before.

[TamsinH]

Hi there...did you ever get to the bottom of this? Both my husband and I have this exact issue! TIA

[Damien34932783sp9e]

I got the same problem, no fix.

[Millie25437294jyyx]

This is terrible advice as there is no way on this planet the card reader would have any influence over the image size and I'm angry it comes up as a solution for every google search I make about this problem.

[Millie25437294jyyx]

The problem is in Lightroom. That's why we're in this forum asking the question.

[DdeGannes]

@Millie25437294jyyx , I believe the answer is in the post by @Conrad C above. Have you tried following his advice?

[Millie25437294jyyx]

Bumping this back up:

Importing Canon RAW files into Lightroom. Created with an R6 mkii, R8, R5, 
The images can be on an SD card or the local hard drive.
Open the Import window and the pictures are all very tiny. A 300% zoom is needed to make the image fill the screen which means they're not sharp.
These are Canon RAW, cRAW, RAW + JPG files. There are no settings in the camera to change the size of the embedded preview. This problem doesn't exist in other image viewer and editing software. 

[Millie25437294jyyx]

There is no solution in his post. It is a diagnosis suggestion to identify if it's Adobe or the Camera manufacturer.

In my situation, it's only in Lightroom.

[johnrellis]

@Millie25437294jyyx, if you share a problem photo, we can see if the issue is specific to your computer or occurs on other installations, and file a bug report as appropriate.  If the forum won't let you attach the file here, upload it to Wetransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive or similar free service and post the sharing link here.

[Millie25437294jyyx]

Thank you. Here is a photo that exibits the problem I've described. 

[Millie25437294jyyx]

The forum says max 47Mb but won't attach my 11Mb file. Here is the google drive link to the file. Thank you.

https://drive.google.com/file/ 

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

My R5 Import view previews are a full 45MP.

As a test, copy the files from the card to a folder on your desktop and try importing them. Do you see the same issue?

[Conrad_C]

I can reproduce the problem. I can add screen shots later, but just to get this information out, this is what I find with the sample file that was uploaded (short version: Something is weird with Lightroom Classic):

The magnification listed as 100% in the Lightroom Classic import dialog box is much smaller than expected, consistent with what the user reported. The Import preview is much smaller than the same 100% magnification after import as seen in Loupe or Develop. I also saw this same thing with a Canon R6 raw file I downloaded from a camera review website.

As usual, I started inspecting the raw image metadata using other applications.

In RawDigger, looking at the EXIF metadata, I can often find the exact size of an embedded preview, but none is found for the sample image, so I was puzzled by that. In the metadata, only the full raw image size and sensor size metadata are found, along with a mention of Canon Large (which the manual says is full size), so that all implies that the embedded preview is full size. In the Canon manual, I could not find a way to change the preview size in camera as the user said, so maybe those camera models just embed full size previews.

FastRawViewer lets you choose between displaying the raw image and the embedded JPEG image. Their sizes are only slightly different and, in agreement with RawDigger, appear to be full size.

In XnView MP, I finally found something different in its ExifTool view: A metadata section called QuickTime that includes an image size of 1624 x 1080. Hmm…

In GraphicConverter, in its ExifTool view I was also able to find that image size of 1624 x 1080, but there it was in a metadata section labeled Track 2.

So two applications were able to find an image size of 1624 x 1080 in that raw file. I took a screen shot of what 100% looks like in the Lightroom Classic Import dialog box, opened that in Photoshop, and measured that preview which Lightroom Classic Import claims to be 100%.

Lightroom Classic Import says 100% is 1624 x 1080.

And so what this research seems to indicate, is that for some reason, Lightroom Classic is pulling out a preview matching that small, hidden 1624 x 1080 image size, that most raw inspectors won’t even list, from a raw file that embeds a full size 6000 x 4000 preview.

My conclusion is that the user isn’t doing anything wrong, and Adobe needs to explain why the Lightroom Classic Import dialog box is showing that weird small 1624 x 1080 preview size that everybody else ignores, instead of the full size preview that other applications display and report in metadata.

[Millie25437294jyyx]

Viewed on the SD card, local hard drive, or my server on the network. All have the same problem.

[Millie25437294jyyx]

Conrad, thank you for this anaylisis. I appreciate and enjoy this deep dive into this part of the raw file. 

[johnrellis]

The Import window isn't using the largest preview image (6000 x 4000) stored inside Canon EOS R6M2 CR3s. Instead, it's using a much smaller stored preview image (1624 x 1080). This may be happening on CR3s from other Canon models, but I haven't tested them.

To reproduce on LR 14.5.1 / Mac OS 15.5:

1. Download this sample Canon EOS R6M2 CR3:

https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/7953502801/canon-eos-r6-mark-ii-production-sample-gallery-...

2. In the Import window, set the Zoom slider to 100% and observe that the displayed image is much smaller than the raw image size of 6000 x 4000:

3. Make a screenshot of the Import window and open it in Mac Preview. Using Preview's crop tool, observe that the displayed preview image has size 1624 x 1080.

4. Using "exiftool -a -G1", observe the following stored JPEG preview images:

[QuickTime] Preview Image : (Binary data 266040 bytes...
[Track2]    Image Width   : 1624
[Track2]    Image Height  : 1080

[Track1]    Image Width   : 6000
[Track1]    Image Height  : 4000
[Track1]    Jpg From Raw  : (Binary data 1791387 bytes...

5. Use these Exiftool commands to extract those two preview JPEGs and confirm in Mac Preview that they have sizes 1624 x 1080 and 6000 x 4000: 

exiftool -b -QuickTime:PreviewImage 5O3A0973.CR3 > previewimage.jpg
exiftool -b -Track1:JpgFromRaw 5O3A0973.CR3 > track1.jpg 

[johnrellis]

@Rikk Flohr: Photography, please move to Bugs.  See my bug recipe in the previous post.

[Conrad_C]

Looks like johnrellis and I agree with you, he just posted his own analysis in this thread which is consistent with mine. And I would say his expertise in this area far exceeds mine.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Thanks @johnrellis  I could not duplicate with your recipe, but am forwarding to the team for investigation. 

[Conrad_C]

@Rikk Flohr: Photography Even if you couldn’t reproduce johnrellis’s recipe in the other thread, note that for the example posted by Millie25437294jyyx, in this thread both johnrellis and I both posted replies about finding the source of the unusually small preview used by the Import dialog box, using similar methods but independently. (Link to my reply)