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gadgetgeek2000
Known Participant
February 16, 2025
Question

Lightroom Classic Remove Tool changes exposure of the image

  • February 16, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 852 views

I've upgraded to the latest Lightroom Classic for Windows, version 14.2

 

I opened a photo in the Develop module and used my develop tools to set a reasonable exposure for my photo. In this photo there is an overexposed area that I want to remove. I use the Q Remove tool to draw a brush stroke over the area to remove. The removal is successful, but the overal image exposure is dramatically changed. Deleting the Remove adjustment puts the exposure back. Drawing a new removal stroke changes the exposure again.

 

This is unexpected behavior that I haven't seen before. Video attached.

 

[moved from bugs to discussions according to the community rules - Mod.]

1 reply

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
JohanElzengaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 16, 2025

Some algorithms use the entire image for their calculations. If you remove a very bright area, then that can indeed influence the result of that calculation and cause it to update its effect on the image. Dehaze is known for this, and I wouldn't be surprised if the new adaptive profiles would also react that way.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga
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    gadgetgeek2000Author
    Known Participant
    February 17, 2025

    Resetting the photo and then removing the white doesn't change the exposure. So now to figure out what is doing it.

     

    Removed masks

    Removed dehaze

    Removed Tone curve

    Removed Sharpening

    Removed manual noise reduction

    Reset whitebalance

    Reset presence 

     

    At this point EVERYTHING on the photo is reset except the tone section in the Basic panel. Nothing there should be AI or calculated, I'm just boosting areas of the photo with a slider. Right?

     

    If I reset the Highlights/Shadows/Whites/Blacks sliders there are zero changes to exposure when I add the Remove.

    Maybe this particular photo has a lot of black and a little white, but I just don't think the overall exposure should change so dramatically by removing an object from the photo.

     

    G
    gadgetgeek2000Author
    Known Participant
    February 17, 2025

    Cropping that same area out of the photo rather than using the remove tool does not change the exposure. This is either a bug or a quirk of using Lightroom.

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