DJI mini pro 4 files - Previews suddenly change

[James Osmond]

Recently, I'll be reviewing images in LRC (version 14.2 on Windows 11) when the preview will suddenly change to a washed out desaturated one right in front of my eyes without my doing anything.

- It happens weeks after initial import and after I've already edited and exported.

- It seems to affect only images from my drone (DJI mini pro 4)

- It doesn't happen in Library mode, only when I enter Develop, and seems to be irreversible

- If I've taken the image into PS to work on and then brought back into LRC for further edits, these files seem to be immune to the sudden change.  When these files come back from PS, the profile is simply 'Colour' rather than 'Adobe Colour'

I cannot find any explaination in any forums.  Why would this happen at this point?  I'd understand if it happened straight after import.  Have Adobe been changing the 'Adobe Colour' profile?  Or have they introduced a profile for the DJI Mini Pro 4 that is being applied retrospectively?

I've attached 2 example screen shots showing the washed out preview in LRC with a previous export of the file before the sudden random change.  If I export the file again now after the change, the export will be all washed out as well. Does anyone know what is going on and whether I can revert to my previous profiles?

Thanks. James.

[James Osmond]

Update:

This only seems to be happening to photo files taken up to 31/10/2024.  Looking back, all these files have 'Adobe Colour' profiles.

Files taken from 11/11/2024 onwards seem to be unaffected by sudden changes to the previews/profiles.  Those taken on 11/11/2024 have 'Embedded' profiles as do those taken on the morning of 15/11/2024, but those taken in the afternoon of 15/11/2024 have 'Adobe Colour' profiles, as do all drone files from this point onwards.

Was there some big update in early November last year that is causing this?

Thanks, James.

[Jao vdL]

What you saw first was an embedded jpeg preview in the raw file that the camera generated. After a while, Lightroom will render its own preview using its own raw default settings. I always recommend people change those raw defaults (in preferences->Presets) to "Camera Settings" to avoid this confusion. This setting will choose a more camera specific profile or the embedded profile if these are dng files by default instead of Adobe default. This applies to newly imported images. For already imported images try using the "camera settings" preset on them. 

Also, just hit Auto and your images will look great again. The default rendering for raw data is usually pretty bland and boring. Raw images almost always need editing.

[James Osmond]

I see. Thank you. It's just unusual that LR is doing this now, several months after import, when I've already made adjustments and exported nice looking files.  Whatever LR is doing now is ruining my initial adjustments so I have to go back and do them again.  Neither the Camera Settings preset or the Auto quite revert the files back to how they were.

My suspicion is that LR have introduced a profile specific to DJI Mini Pro 4 in an update at the begining of Nov. My RAW defaults have always been set to 'Camera Settings', so imports after the update have had the new/updated profile applied from the start but those from before haven't, because maybe it didn't exist, and I have been working on a different profile with those files.  But if i revisit those older files now in the Develop window, LR now automatically replaces whatever profile I was working on before with the new profile for Diji Mini Pro 4 files.  Does this theory make sense or am I talking utter hocum?  If it is plausable, I wonder if there is a way to stop LR automatically applying this new profile?