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simonbrattphotography
Inspiring
February 17, 2023
Answered

Camera Raw Filter showing clipping (red) less that 255,255,255 pure white

  • February 17, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 4592 views

Hi

Ive only just noticed that when in Camera Raw Filter from photoshop (24.0.0) when i look at the highlight clipping (red) its not actually using 255,255,255 is pure white for clipping like i assumed. 
I know this as i have a colour on the screen which is 250,251,255 and CFR is telling me this is highlight clipped. 
I only need to know pure 255,255,255 for clipping, how can i change this?
No wonder when i setup Photoshop to show clipping for pure white, the results were different to CRF>
Hope that makes sence, Thanks for any explaination. 

Correct answer D Fosse

After some further research, i see that the clipping overlay (red) happens when any one channel hits the 255 value (and the triangle indicator in the historgram indicates the channel colour (either R, G or B) or triangle is white when all three hit 255... somewhere in the red overlay area. 
At least i know now whats happening, thanks for getting me there. 
so for me to see an overlay that is indicating pure white (as i need pure white backgrounds sometimes) i can only rely on the photoshop action i setup to make a layer with a 255 'blend if' property
As this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwp6jg8g5xo



Generally, it's more useful to be alerted to gamut clipping rather than highlight or shadow clipping as such.

 

Gamut clipping happens whenever any one channel hits either 0 or 255. That's a saturation limit in the target color space. Visually, gamut clipping appears as loss of texture and a dense appearance lacking in "air". It doesn't look good.

 

Presumably, that's what ACR shows (I'm travelling without access to PS/ACR at the moment). Personally I never use these overlays. I'm very much concerned with gamut clipping, but I use the histogram and eyedropper to keep tabs on it.

 

The point I'm trying to make is that maybe you're using a tool that wasn't really intended for that purpose.

2 replies

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Serene_body6756
Participant
May 30, 2025

That red “error” isn’t a bug in Camera Raw—it’s just the mask overlay showing. To turn it off:

  1. Hide the overlay

    • With any mask active, press O to toggle the red overlay on and off.

    • Or in the Masking panel, click the little eye icon next to “Show Overlay” to disable it.

  2. Remove or disable the mask

    • In the Masking panel, select the mask you no longer want and click the trash-can icon (or “Delete Mask”).

    • If you’d like to clear all adjustments and start from scratch, click Reset at the bottom of the right-hand panel.

davescm
Community Expert
davescmCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 30, 2025

@Serene_body6756 It has nothing to do with a mask it is the clipping indicator.
Dave

NB, colourmanagement
Community Expert
NB, colourmanagementCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 17, 2023

I imagine that camera raw is showing the clipping based on your chosen output colorspace?

 

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management

S
simonbrattphotographyAuthor
Inspiring
February 17, 2023

it sounds like it is, but ive gone to Camera Raw preferences in photoshop and colourspace is set to sRGB, which is the same colour profile the image is in, in photoshop (as far as i can tell?) and it still is happening.

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simonbrattphotographyAuthor
Inspiring
February 20, 2023

Thanks for the reply, but the image is unedited and only an example of clipping. The eye dropper is no good for a quick glance of what is clipped.
im ony interested in how clipping is displayed in CWF. If it is meant to show pixels that are under 255,255,255 then so be it, but that wasnt my understanding (which is probably wrong so it seems). 

Lightroom also gives you a slightly different pattern of 'clipped' pixels, also not showing (clipped) pixels that are just 255,255,255
Any pixel with less than 255,255,255 has a colour in it (albeit very close to pure white)
So i guess 'clipped' pixels (red overlay) just doesnt mean pure white. 


After some further research, i see that the clipping overlay (red) happens when any one channel hits the 255 value (and the triangle indicator in the historgram indicates the channel colour (either R, G or B) or triangle is white when all three hit 255... somewhere in the red overlay area. 
At least i know now whats happening, thanks for getting me there. 
so for me to see an overlay that is indicating pure white (as i need pure white backgrounds sometimes) i can only rely on the photoshop action i setup to make a layer with a 255 'blend if' property
As this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwp6jg8g5xo


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