Feature Request: Auto Exposure

[MarkMichael]

The automatic settings options are really limiting in Lightroom Classic. There is no option to select only exposure to automatic, only a broad stroke of all Tone settings. 

My pipe-dream is that I could check "Auto Exposure" [or any of the other tone settings] in a preset and then be able to check an EV compensation. This would keep me from having to apply several presets in succession to my images to get them to my preferred starting place. My crazy awesome hope is that I could have options for center weighting or highlight thresholds. 

The big idea is being able to get the most amount of photos to a baseline exposure and appearance so that I only have to do minor tweaks to get them to my look. 

Thanks!

[MarkMichael]

How about face-detect auto exposure? That could be AMAZING! 

[DdeGannes]

@MarkMichael , that would be a challenge, with multiple ethnicity choices?

[TheDigitalDog]

There is no option to select only exposure to automatic, only a broad stroke of all Tone settings. 

Hence, Auto (and of course, it isn't exposure). Hit or miss like any auto setting. YMMV. 

We need a true raw Histogram! 

[johnrellis]

Adobe wants all product suggestions posted in the official feedback forum: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/categories/photoshop_family_photoshop_lightroom. Product developers read everything posted there, but rarely participate here, which is primarily a user-to-user forum.

You can auto-adjust Exposure by shift-double-clicking the "Exposure" label to the left of the slider. This sets Exposure to what Auto would have set it, without changing the other settings. This also works for Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Vibrance, and Saturation. Note that if you shift-double-click White or Blacks, it will change those settings to something often much different than what Auto would choose.

Many people use this approach and seem to be satisfied with it. But note that the Auto algorithm is designed to set all the tone settings in concert, so you may not like the result of just changing Exposure or one of the other settings individually. If this approach doesn't meet your needs, then in the feature request you file, give a detailed indication of what you'd like Auto Exposure to do instead.

You can apply this approach to a batch of photos by first applying the built-in preset Classic - General > Auto Settings, then applying a second preset that zeros out all the tone settings except Exposure.

See the Personalized Auto Tone plugin if you want even finer control over adjusting the results of Auto.

[Use the reply button under the first post to ensure replies sort properly.]

[AHPPhoto]

If you hold down the "shift" key and double click the word "Exposure" in Lightroom Classic it will do an auto exposure only adjustment. I works for the other items as well as "Shift" and double click "highlights".

[johnrellis]

"If you hold down the "shift" key and double click the word "Exposure" in Lightroom Classic it will do an auto exposure only adjustment. I works for the other items as well as "Shift" and double click "highlights"."

Note that this gives different slider settings (using LR's older algorithms) than the Auto button.

[Jao vdL]

Shift double-click on any slider name and it will go to the auto setting of just that slider.

[Jao vdL]

Oh sorry. @AHPPhoto already gave that answer right above me...