Reference Photo does not respect “Preview for SDR Display” when editing HDR images

[GNBeraldo]

Description of Issue
When working on HDR photos in the Develop module with Preview for SDR Display enabled, a photo set as a Reference Photo does not respect the SDR preview. The reference image is displayed with HDR colors, as if Preview for SDR Display were disabled, even though it is enabled for the photo.

This makes accurate visual comparison unreliable when using the Reference View while editing HDR images for SDR output.

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Lightroom Classic Version Number
Lightroom Classic 15.0.1
Camera Raw 18.0

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OS Version Number
macOS Sonoma 14.7.5 (23H527)

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Camera Model
Not camera-specific (observed on HDR images in general)

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Step-by-step Reproduction Instructions

1. Open Lightroom Classic and go to the Develop module.

2. Select an HDR photo.

3. In the Basic panel, enable the HDR button.

4. In SDR Rendition Settings, enable Preview for SDR Display.

5. Right-click the photo and select Set as Reference Photo.

6. Activate Reference View and select a target photo to edit.

7. For verification, select the same exact photo as both the reference photo and the active editing photo so they appear side by side.

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Expected Result
The reference photo should be displayed with Preview for SDR Display applied, matching the SDR preview of the active photo, so that both images appear visually identical when they are the same file.

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Actual Result
The reference photo is displayed with HDR colors, as if Preview for SDR Display were disabled. When the same image is used both as reference and as the active photo, the two side-by-side views show clearly different color and tonal rendering, with the reference image appearing in HDR and the active image in SDR preview.

[Aleke]

Hi @GNBeraldo, thanks for reaching out.
Could you share a screenshot or a quick screen recording of what you're seeing so we can take a closer look? If you're able to share a few RAW files as well, that would really help us test things on our side.
Thanks so much,
Alek

[GNBeraldo]

Hi @Aleke 
thanks for getting back to me.

Here are the screenshots with the ARW. As shown, the Reference Photo is displayed as if “Preview for SDR Display” were not enabled.
When the same image is used both as the active photo and as the reference photo, the two side-by-side views differ: the active photo reflects the SDR preview, while the reference photo appears with HDR rendering.

This demonstrates that the Reference View does not respect the Preview for SDR Display setting.

Thanks,
Gian Nicola

[GNBeraldo]

[Aleke]

Hi @GNBeraldo, thanks for sharing those files.

Can you also update to the latest version of Lightroom Classic (15.1) and check if you also get the same behavior?

Thanks!

Alek