# AUTO exposure only?



## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

I was just pondering how I would like Camera manufacturers to provide can auto mode that always aimed to ETTR i.e. use every last bit of the exposure potential automically and if they did how great it would be if then LR could automatically bring it back to 18% grey

It wouldn't be perfect but it would be a start and very useful for batch processing

I know there is AUTO setting for LR but that moves more than just the exposure slider as it aims to balance the image rather than just alter exposure- is there a way to get it to JUST auto the exposure?


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## Hal P Anderson (Jan 25, 2016)

You can try shift-double-clicking on the label of the Exposure slider.


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## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

OK thanks

anyway to set that as a preset?

I tried shift double clicking  the other sliders too just out of interest and some do something, others do not

_any further info on how this works-thanks?


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## LouieSherwin (Jan 25, 2016)

Digital Finger said:


> OK thanks
> 
> anyway to set that as a preset?
> 
> ...




Yes for a complete rundown on almost every feature in Lightroom I can recommend our Victoria's Book. The link is in the banner ad at the top of the page. 

The answer to your question is on page 308 of the LR6 FAQ. 



> To reset a single slider to its default setting, double-click on the slider label. To reset a whole section within a panel, hold down Alt (Windows) / Opt (Mac) and the panel label changes to a Reset button for that section (e.g. Reset Tone), or double-clicking on that same panel label without holding down the Alt (Windows) / Opt (Mac) buttons does the same.



-louie


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## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

thanks again

I can't read instruction manuals I fall asleep in seconds. I could do a video though...............Victoria?


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## rhynetc (Jan 25, 2016)

You've got to be kidding....

Someone gives you the page number which contains the answer to your question and you cannot be bothered to go read the answer on the given page?

You, sir or madam, are doomed to everlasting ignorance because of your laziness!


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## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

rhynetc said:


> You've got to be kidding....
> 
> Someone gives you the page number which contains the answer to your question and you cannot be bothered to go read the answer on the given page?
> 
> You, sir or madam, are doomed to everlasting ignorance because of your laziness!




Nono Sooty Nooo! 
A misunderstanding....

I mean I won't be buying the book. I'm very grateful for the specific answer.

apologies for not explaining better


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## davidedric (Jan 25, 2016)

In a way, they do.

Some mirrored cameras, mine is a G7, have something called "zebra stripes" in the evf.  These show the areas that will be blown out *before *you take the shot.  

It's not Auto, but it's really better because you can decide whether the blown areas have detail you'd like to recover, and if so dial in appropriate exposure compensation.

Dave


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## Victoria Bampton (Jan 25, 2016)

Digital Finger said:


> I can't read instruction manuals I fall asleep in seconds. I could do a video though...............Victoria?



The good news is you wouldn't need to read it like an instruction manual - it's almost all Q&A, so you can just search for specific questions.

That said, for videos, Laura Shoe's good.


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## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

davidedric said:


> In a way, they do.
> 
> Some mirrored cameras, mine is a G7, have something called "zebra stripes" in the evf.  These show the areas that will be blown out *before *you take the shot.
> 
> ...



thanks yes - the Canon I use gives me 'blinks' and I am fairly familiar how much I can push that.

However this is slow and considering all the clever stuff they do with auto modes I would have thought it was a viable option to say seta  parameter in Av whereto set the aperture and it sets either the ISO or Tv to suit pushing the max out of ETTR

I think too many auto modes are geared toward in camera jpg output so they don't offer this as an option


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## Digital Finger (Jan 25, 2016)

Victoria Bampton said:


> The good news is you wouldn't need to read it like an instruction manual - it's almost all Q&A, so you can just search for specific questions.
> 
> That said, for videos, Laura Shoe's good.



OK thanks Victoria


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## anbe (Jan 27, 2016)

Hi! 
I recently needed to batch auto expose a lot of black and white photos and solved it like this:

I created two user presets, one auto-tone and one where all the tone settings except for exposure were included and set to 0.
Then in Library I selected all photos and first applied the auto tone preset, and then applied the other preset.
And was left with only auto exposed images.

Kindest regards
Andreas


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## Digital Finger (Jan 27, 2016)

anbe said:


> Hi!
> I recently needed to batch auto expose a lot of black and white photos and solved it like this:
> 
> I created two user presets, one auto-tone and one where all the tone settings except for exposure were included and set to 0.
> ...




clever!


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## scott robot (Oct 16, 2018)

anbe said:


> Hi!
> I recently needed to batch auto expose a lot of black and white photos and solved it like this:
> 
> I created two user presets, one auto-tone and one where all the tone settings except for exposure were included and set to 0.
> ...





Digital Finger said:


> clever!




Hi,
I'm a new member and found this post the other week and just figured out this idea from Andreas which is clever. I have 360 photos and need to apply Auto Exposure and Auto Contrast only to the all of the photos (if I apply other adjustments then it screws up the seamline of the 360 photo).

Is the method that Andreas recommended still the best workflow? I'm able to do it with multiple presets but I have some other people to teach the workflow and if there is a one-step method I would like to follow that.  

Right now I'm doing this in Release 7.3.

Apply Auto Tone Preset 
Apply Zeros (except for Exposure and Constrast) Preset

Thanks


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## Zenon (Oct 17, 2018)

Currently contrast has a glitch. It tends to drop too much, sometimes to -20. Adobe is aware and said they will correct it. Not sure what you think about how it applies in your workflow. I'm set up so that the only thing Auto Tone does not adjust.


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## Zenon (Oct 17, 2018)

Actually this is a 2 year old thread.  A lot has changed with Auto Tone. It is much better now excluding the contrast thing, which is an easy fix with a preset. You should experiment using all of it.

Read about Sensei. 

What's New in Lightroom Classic CC 7.1 (December 2017)? | The Lightroom Queen

You might be interested in what I found. using Adobe vs camera profiles.

I have noticed using Auto Tone and Profiles


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## scott robot (Nov 8, 2018)

Hey there.
This workflow isn't cutting it for me and there appears to be a glitch in LR.  I'm typically working with 50 - 500 photos at a time. 


I apply (1), and it works as expected, AutoTone. 
I apply (2), and it _*doesn't change all the photos reliably*_, sometime it will only change 20,  or 50, or 120, or sometimes all of them.  Unreliable.

The "Applying" bar goes all the way through, but the filter isn't fully applied. It's happened multiple times.

Contrast isn't an issue in my workflow. Sorry for the late response I didn't see your reply Zenon, I will subscribe to lightroomqueen thread so it shows up in my email.


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## Zenon (Nov 8, 2018)

I haven't noticed that or heard of it anywhere else. I went back a few years and tried it on 150 files. You are in the grid mode correct? You have to be because you can't apply it in the Develop module. It is not still building previews when do this?


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## scott robot (Nov 8, 2018)

I can apply it in Library from Quick Develop --> Saved Preset, in sequence (1),(2) as described in Grid or Loupe, or in Develop from Presets in sequence (1),(2) as described, both with unpredictable results as described. LR just doesn't want to complete processing sometimes, and other times it finishes.


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## Zenon (Nov 8, 2018)

Are you still on 7.3?  Not sure how you are doing this in the Develop module. If you make a preset after applying Auto Tone it applies the same settings for all the files. Aside from that it is happening in Quick Develop and I don't know why.  Is this the first thing you do?  Sometimes when strange things are going on a software re-install can solve it.


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## Zenon (Nov 8, 2018)

I hate to offer a band-aid before discovering the root cause of problem. If you exhaust all options you may consider a plug-in that can be used in the Develop module. Yo can fine tune your adjustments with it as well. I thought I'd mention it in case you give up on it.


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## scott robot (Nov 8, 2018)

I stepped away from the PC for the day for a shoot, but I have a LR update waiting for me, not sure the version. I will reinstall and see if that fixes anything, but am open to a plugin. I would like it if LR developed an option for all develop module features that respected the 360-photo continuity that I need along the edges of the equirectangular photos I am working with then I could just use the full auto mode.  I like the speed and ubiquity of LR but the one click “Auto” for 360/panoramic/spherical type photos... eh, oh well. 

Z, Can you recommend a plugin?


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## Zenon (Nov 8, 2018)

I'm using this one. Free for a month and then it's based on a donation. Get it when you get version 8. Every time there is a version update (7, 8, 9, 10 and on, not 8.1, 8.2 ) a small donation is required - so once a year. The last tool - Personalized Auto Tone. If you don't want any changes when using it  make a change to any setting at the minimum amount otherwise it won't work.

Jeffrey's "Bag-o-Goodies" Lightroom Plugin

If you are interested  this one too. You enter ISO and NR ranges and it will auto apply NR settings based on the ISO logarithmically.  Good for mass edits if close enough is acceptable.  

Jeffrey's "Bulk Develop Settings" Lightroom Plugin


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## scott robot (Nov 8, 2018)

I'm on v8.0, will do clean re-install of the latest. 
There's a lot in that link. I will focus on the two you recommended. 
Thanks !


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## Zenon (Nov 8, 2018)

I don't use any of the other stuff.


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