How to stop White Balance from editing on it's own

[default8njmqjltcgo9]

I just installed Lightroom Classic on my new Macbook Pro laptop and cannot figure out why, when I am editing in the develop module, every few pictures that I scroll through are showing in the history tab that the white balance has been edited to "As shot" when I haven't even touched the while balance at all. They aren't images I want to edit so it's super frustrating when I sort by edit time to export images and all the images I don't want to be part of my gallery are mixed in because they are showing that the white balance has been edited. How do I stop accidentally editing the white balance?! I never had this problem for the last 7 years I used Lightroom on my iMac.

 

[TheDigitalDog]

As Shot is using the metadata WB in the raw to 'interpret' a value to set. You can over-ride this (although I don't recommend it) with an import preset. There has to be some WB value used, this one simply examines the camera generated WB value (as shot) and uses it to render a preview. You can of course set this to anything you wish at any time, one image at a time or in a batch. 

[Jill_C]

If you haven't applied an Import preset or edited the image at all in LRC, the WB setting should be "As Shot". If you touch an image at all, applying any changes, the Edit Time will be updated, even if you Reset and restore it to the SOOC condition; so it seems that perhaps sorting by Edit Time isn't a reliable way to discriminate between "keepers" and "outtakes".

[default8njmqjltcgo9]

Why is it not changing the history of every image though? It only changes the edit history of every 5th picture or so. I'm curious about how it's decided which images to randomly "edit" when I haven't done anything. I have applied zero changes.

[Jill_C]

You said "the white balance has been edited to "As shot" when I haven't even touched the while balance at all." But as several of us have indicated, "As shot" means that NO WB edits have been applied. Do you copy or sync your edits from one image to all the similar images? It's possible that you're copying a WB balance change without having touched the WB slider on those images to which you copied/synced your edits.

[default8njmqjltcgo9]

No, I haven't copied or synced edits to other pictures. The only thing I've done when the edit history suddenly changes to show "White Balance: As Shot" is use the arrow keys to move between images. I don't know if there is some secret white balance short cut that the arrow keys are triggering or what.

[GoldingD]

As shot is the default, as stated, it  is just what was passed from the metadata in the original image.

[default8njmqjltcgo9]

Why is it not changing the history of every image then? It only does to like every 5th picture or so. I'm curious about how it's decided which images to randomly "edit" when I haven't done anything.

[GoldingD]

see:

https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-correct-white-balance-in-photos-with-lightroom--cm...

Method 1: Use the White Balance Slider
The Develop module is used to adjust an image's visual settings: the White Balance slider is near the top of the panels on the right side. You'll see a slider that ranges from blue tones to yellow tones. 

Notice that every image you open already has a temperature set. Unlike an adjustment like Exposure, white balance doesn't start at zero. The starting point is the temperature that your camera applied based on the settings at the time of exposure.

and:

https://digital-photography-school.com/adjusting-white-balance-in-lightroom/

[GoldingD]

A better question would be why some of your images, before any edits, do not show White Balance as Shot.

As Shot is the default, and in this default, means do nothing, just accept what the camera was set at.

[bijalba]

Was an acceptable answer actually found for this? The replies here are all pondering and basically disbelieving the problem, or misinterpreting it.

I have about 1500 photos from a shoot, and as I click through them one at a time, every so often one of them makes a History item "White Balance: As Shot" and likewise shows the +/- in the thumbs that it was edited.

All of the photos were shot within a few moments of each other with the same settings on the 5D MkIV. All of them, under white balance, show "WB: As Shot" without me having to set it.

Out of 1500, maybe 30 of them did this. So I assume it is not a problem of why "some did not do this."

These were all shot in a high-speed setting, with multiple exposures happening (again all with the same setting, burst is for posture/content, not bracketing or unique settings). It is very obnoxious because if I am not paying attention when scanning for selects, it looks like those were edited and thus selected.

The only other thing I can think of is that this is definitely a recent issue, as I've been shooting with the mk4 since its release at the same settings, and this has only started happening in the last year or so.

[bijalba]

excuse the double post, surprised to find no edit/delete function

[Jao vdL]

Not sure why this is happening. If you are just scrolling through the images and not touching any edit controls, nothing should get entered in the history and they should not show up when filtering to only show edited images. I can't reproduce what you're describing. I normally never browse this way (arrow keys in the develop module) and do the quick select in Library instead but when I use your workflow (use arrow keys to step through images in Develop) I don't see the behavior you describe. Classic 11.2 on Monterey 12.2.1. 2019 MacBook Pro.

ry the same workflow in a fresh empty catalog and see if it does the same thing. Perhaps your preferences file needs to be reset.

[tyly324]

I found the same problem on my macbook with the lastest version of Lightroom. When I click the 'right' arrow key, some photos would automaticlly shows "White Balance: As Shot" in History. That trouble me to filter photos which are actual editted. On my Windows PC, never found this issue.

[tyly324]

In develop mode, when I click the 'right' arrow key to select next photo (never edit before), it would automaticlly edit "White Balance: As Shot" in History. That trouble me to filter photos which are actual editted. On my Windows PC, never found this issue. 

My system profile is attached.

I found this problem also reported by other user in community since 2021:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/how-to-stop-white-balance-from-editing-... 

[JustTobel]

It started happening to me as well.

[owen-b]

I am having this exact issue. Many responses to this original post are completely misunderstanding what's happening here, but others are having the same issue, as I am. 

This has started recently for me. I'll import raw files and apply my basic preset which NEVER affects white balance sliders, just profiles, some exposure sliders, etc. 

I'll then skip through stuff in the Library module and it'll all look fine, like the 'as shot' photo with my preset applied. I'll cull in this mode. Then I'll take the selected files and start to edit in Develop. 

As I start editing, all is fine. I make some tweaks and move on to the next image with the right arrow key.

At some point during this process as I move onto each new image it very briefly appears with a very warm white balance but then snaps back to the way it should look (i.e. as shot). And rught enough, down in the History it shows the import stage (with the preset I applied at import) and then it shows that I adjusted white balance to 'As Shot'.

Except, I didn't. I hadn't touched white balance on import or at any point since import. Lightroom has instead loaded the image into Develop with very much the wrong white balance, then applied 'As Shot' itself.

It's very distracting and annoying to have the image flash orange/warm first, and have an edit applied that I didn't apply, which stops me filtering for unedited images, and I can't work out why it's happening.

[GoldingD]

I am having this exact issue. Many responses to this original post are completely misunderstanding what's happening here, but others are having the same issue, as I am. 

This has started recently for me. I'll import raw files and apply my basic preset which NEVER affects white balance sliders, just profiles, some exposure sliders, etc. 

I'll then skip through stuff in the Library module and it'll all look fine, like the 'as shot' photo with my preset applied. I'll cull in this mode. Then I'll take the selected files and start to edit in Develop. 

As I start editing, all is fine. I make some tweaks and move on to the next image with the right arrow key.

At some point during this process as I move onto each new image it very briefly appears with a very warm white balance but then snaps back to the way it should look (i.e. as shot). And rught enough, down in the History it shows the import stage (with the preset I applied at import) and then it shows that I adjusted white balance to 'As Shot'.

Except, I didn't. I hadn't touched white balance on import or at any point since import. Lightroom has instead loaded the image into Develop with very much the wrong white balance, then applied 'As Shot' itself.

It's very distracting and annoying to have the image flash orange/warm first, and have an edit applied that I didn't apply, which stops me filtering for unedited images, and I can't work out why it's happening.

By @owen-b

In LrC, As Shot is the default for RAW photos.

If you are not creating standard previews at import, then when you first click on a RAW image in the filmstrip, that WB may look wrong, until the preset is created.

[owen-b]

Thanks @GoldingD but, like I say, the issue isn't that my raw files are loading with 'As Shot' white balance - that's exasctly what I expect. 

The issue is that during the edit in Develop mode, when I move to a new image it briefly appears very much warmer than it was shot and snaps quickly to the appearance it should have - as shot. 

That in itself is odd, whether I've built standard previews or not. I've never seen it before in years of using LRC. 

But what also happens is that a new edit event is added to the History panel. Normally a raw file I've imported and not done anything to will show one entry here: the import (and which preset was applied if any). 

But whenever a raw file has loaded up too warm then snapped to 'as shot' appearance, a new edit event appears in History, showing that 'As Shot' was selected. 

The even odder thing is that this is NOT the case for the entire edit thus far, I usually only notice it happening midway through the edit, and looking back at earlier edited images I don't see that 'As Shot' event up first in History. 

So for some reason, LRC starts opening raw files in Develop for the first time with the wrong white balance, automatically corrects itself, and adds that correction as the first edit event in History, before you've had chance to do anything yourself. 

Any ideas welcome!

[GoldingD]

Thank you for the clarity. Yep something is wrong in LrC. Or changed.

[Jao vdL]

I've seen this behavior where the image first pops up in Develop with the wrong white balance and then in a second or two pops into the right balance. Doesn't appear to be consistent and I've never cared enough since it always pops to the right look. Never looked whether those files get an extra history step but I've definitely seen it do this. Classic on a M1 Max MBP. Files from a Nikon Z7 mostly.

[Márcio_Silva]

I've seen this happening to me today, October 2023. After 2 years, it still happens.

In my case, I was browsing and selecting a few photos to edit. Photos from a dance show, they are MANY of them similar, all dark background with the dancers in the foreground.

So I have two screens: on the left, the grid view with the thumbnails. On the main screen, the main window with the edits. I edit one, move on, cycling through the photos. Every now and then, one random photo gets a history entry as if I just had edited the White Balance. Which is false. Most of the photos I avoid edits to have a clean view of the grid, and later help me sorting only the edited photos to export.

What I can suggest is to tag your photos to export with the P (they get the flag icon on them). Before export all of your selections, instead of sorting by edit, set by flagged ON. Bingo, the other false-edits will not appear, because they will not have the flag on them.

I still would like to get this solved anyway. Lets say I use Lightroom for a long time and only recently it started to do this. My system is updated, GPU drivers are updated, Windows 10 is updated. Sigh...

On the image: I did NOT edit anything in that photo. Yet, it got a history entry on its own.

[DdeGannes]

@Márcio_Silva , at import LrC will apply the default develop setting including any profile for a raw image and preset you may have choosen. This will be displayed in the history panel.

So to be clear you will always have an entry in the history panel for every imported image.

[Márcio_Silva]

Take a look at the screenshot I uploaded with my comment. I use LR for years, I know it starts by placing an "Import" history entry. What some users have, including myself, is some random photo get a White Balance adjust entry without any user input.

[DdeGannes]

Please use the insert photo icon so it displays in the body of your post.

Have you included a preset that includes a specifeis wb change?