When importing RAW ARW file photos, LRc modifies the picture rendering it almost unusable

[A_Cortes]

Hi! 

I'm trying to import RAW photos to LR Classic. All looks good on the import window, pictures look desaturated as they should with the RAW + log color profile. But when I move to Develop, the photos get automatically modified, they get darker and with a lot of contrast; I'm not able to recover a lot of them actually. 

I use a Sony a6400. I use it primarily for video but also get stills from time to time for my clients. Files are RAW and I use the same config I use for video: S-Log2 S-Gamut 2. 

Here is an example of the RAW file vs. how it gets modified aggressively by Lightroom. Does anybody know how to fix this? I would like to work on the pictures from scratch myself instead of having Lightroom do any unsolicited modifications first.  

RAW file, all good:

 

Modified on Develop: 

I do have the import preset settings as Default

Thank you for your time

[JohanElzenga · Accepted solution]

"I'm trying to import RAW photos to LR Classic. All looks good on the import window, pictures look desaturated as they should with the RAW + log color profile."

This is a common mistake. Log profiles are for video, not for photos. If you shoot in RAW, then the log profile doesn't do anything, but the jpeg-preview you see in the camera (and in the import screen because that shows these embedded previews) does get influenced by the profile. It's also likely that you will expose incorrectly because of this preview. As a result, your raw photos are very different from what you expect. So bottom line: turn off the picture profile in your camera when you shoot photos (in raw).

[A_Cortes]

Thank you very much for your answer, Johan! I will totally do that. I suspected it had to do with either Log or something messed up in LR. 

One more question: it is strange, but I think I still have something on LR that adds a lot of contrast to my pictures automatically. I can still kind of recover them on Ps because this program does not add contrast when importing. is this an import setting that may be going wrong? or is it totally because of the log profile? 

I've attached a quick video here: 

[Per Berntsen]

The icon in the top left corner of the thumbnails indicates that you  have used the Embedded & Sidecar option when importing, which means that LrC displays the embedded jpg previews created by the camera in Library, rather than rendering its own previews.

When you go to Develop, the embedded preview is displayed briefly, until LrC has rendered its own Develop preview, which is much darker, because the image has been severely underexposed. The histogram also confirms this.

Using the S-log profile has led you to believe that the image is correctly exposed, when in reality it is badly underexposed. The image you see in the viewfinder and on the camera monitor is not the raw file, but the embedded jpg generated by the camera.

Follow the advice given by @JohanElzenga , and turn off profiles (and/or picture styles) in the camera.

I also recommend that you do not use the Embedded & Sidecar option in the Import dialog.

Any of the other options will make LrC render it's own Library previews.

[A_Cortes]

Thank you both! I've adjusted accordingly both suggestions and now everything is great!!! thank you for your time and knowledge.