# AutoExposure Preset



## Rafi (Apr 5, 2016)

I am a relatively new Lightroom user. I finally made the switch from Aperture and I can say I wish I had made the switch much earlier. I have a Mac running the latest version of Lightroom CC.

I am trying to set up a preset to use when initially culling through a photo shoot. I know that I could use the AutoTone preset as it incorporates AutoExposure, but I don't want contrast, highlights, etc. automatically set. I would just like to get the exposure within range to better evaluate the photos.

I did figure out that I could run the photos through a first pass with the AutoTone preset and then a second pass with a preset that undoes all the AutoTone settings except for AutoExposure.

I have read Victoria Bampton's excellent explanation of editing the code behind a preset. I have tried doing this several different times but to no avail. I start by making an AutoTone preset and then deleting all but AutoExposure and setting it to 'true'. Please see the screenshot below of the code edit. Unfortunately, nothing happens. I can only get AutoExposure to work within the default AutoTone preset.

I figure that I am either doing something wrong in the code or that Lightroom no longer supports Autoexposure as a standalone setting.

Thank you in advance for the help.


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 5, 2016)

Have you restarted Lightroom? Any editing of a preset requires a restart.


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## Rafi (Apr 5, 2016)

Thank you for your reply. I did restart Lightroom after each change to the code.


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 6, 2016)

Did Victoria write about this particular edit, or just about editing presets in general? I wonder if this ever worked. I vaguely remember having tried it in the past too, without success.

What you can try is this. Select Auto Tone in the Lightroom preferences. Then make a preset that sets everything to zero that you don't want to be adjusted automatically. Apply this preset on import.


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 6, 2016)

Where were you reading Rafi?  There was a way of editing an auto exposure for PV2010, but not for PV2012.  That could explain why you were having trouble.

(And welcome to the forum!)


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## Pollok Shields (Apr 6, 2016)

I'd love to know how to do this too. I find the auto exposure in LR always* overexposes my pictures so I have to go back and reset the exposure. But I usually like the resulting black/white points and highlights/shadows.

Is the explanation of the code in the book or somewhere else here?

Thanks!

*always = 90% of the time I have to reset the exposure or drop it down from something mad like +2 stops to +0.3


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## clee01l (Apr 6, 2016)

Pollok Shields said:


> I'd love to know how to do this too. I find the auto exposure in LR always* overexposes my pictures so I have to go back and reset the exposure. But I usually like the resulting black/white points and highlights/shadows.
> 
> Is the explanation of the code in the book or somewhere else here?
> 
> ...


I had that problem with a Pentax camera. (I don't need any import develop presets with my Nikon now to get a reasonable first pass) 

I solved your problem on my Pentax by applying AutoTone on Import and running a preset after import to set the Exposure back to zero.


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## Victoria Bampton (Apr 6, 2016)

Pollok Shields said:


> Is the explanation of the code in the book or somewhere else here?


Not the current version, because it doesn't work on the current version of the sliders.  It would have been in the LR3 book I think.  I've probably posted it here too, years ago, but Johan/Clee's suggestion of auto then a preset is better now.


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## Rafi (Apr 6, 2016)

Thank you all for the help. I had done a search on the web for AutoExposure and found a link to a sample PDF of Victoria's Lightroom 3 book. Based on what Victoria just posted, this functionality has been removed in the current version of Lightroom.


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## davidedric (Apr 6, 2016)

This maybe a naive question, but why, given the capabilities of today's digital cameras, would one need autoexposure to get "within range"?

Dave


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 7, 2016)

Because todays digital cameras still aren't flawless. Unfortunately, Lightroom isn't flawless either. It's in fact much worse. For that reason I wouldn't bother.


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## tspear (Apr 7, 2016)

davidedric said:


> This maybe a naive question, but why, given the capabilities of today's digital cameras, would one need autoexposure to get "within range"?
> 
> Dave



I use it when I am lazy or more often for sorting/culling images. About 25% of the time I am just off my game when I using the camera and the auto-tone or auto-exposure does a descent job to get the picture to a better starting point. This is especially true when using a flash, I am just not good with it yet.


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