# I hate to admit it but....



## davidedric (Feb 7, 2018)

Operating System: Win 10
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info): Lightroom Classic CC

But the new auto does a darn fine job.  Not always, of course, and I need to better understand what it is doing (especially the negative contrast), but still

Dave


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## Ian.B (Feb 7, 2018)

It's always been a good guide; especially for those just starting out with editing
Lightroom's 'general presets' are also a good starting point.
While I'm not a big fan of purchased presets; I have a few I made as a handy guide to get started; but too many choices can make it too confusing Imo

A little known "wow factor adder" is the Blue Primary saturation slider in the Camera Calibration panel. I have presets for 25%/50%/100% and 00. I used to have a couple of preset for Green and Red also.
And while there; make a preset for each profile for your cameras -- just saves going to the panel to test each one

Bending sliders is still the better way to learn imo


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 8, 2018)

Ian, Dave's talking about the new and much improved "Auto Settings" feature in LR Classic, not the old (usually over exposed) Auto Tone in LR5.


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## Zenon (Feb 9, 2018)

I hate to say it as well and I know there is anti auto members but the more I use it the more I like it. I have it set up to auto apply during import and created a preset to undo all the settings and an action to put contrast back to zero. Now I rarely use those presets but edit auto settings to taste.

The contrast is an interesting subject. You can see darker and midtown areas plug up when you put it back to zero. I worked in print media for over 30 years and a lot of focus was placed on preventing plugging in midtowns both in pre press and the pressroom. The updated Auto is based on hundreds of pro edits apparently. Not sure how much emphasis there is on a tech approach like working with back and white clipping.

I have found that it does not distinguish between background and subject highlights so it will preserve the less important background and underexpose subjects.  

Before deciding to go subscription I tested C1 as it seemed to be popular suggestion. I was not surprised at the heavy processing out of the box because I tested it about 5 years ago. Something that LR does not do and it appears C1 uses that as a selling feature. This includes colour profiles and claiming there software is sharper when LR's sharpening is just at the default setting. Adding Auto to import and colour profile, etc to the default settings I have an import to export workflow like other competitors if I want it. Saves time with less critical and sets me up for fine tuning ones that are.


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## Ian.B (Feb 12, 2018)

Jim Wilde said:


> Ian, Dave's talking about the new and much improved "Auto Settings" feature in LR Classic, not the old (usually over exposed) Auto Tone in LR5.


yeah yeah; I new that


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## Resoman (Feb 12, 2018)

I photographed a musical event over the weekend and, having been favorably impressed with the new Auto Settings, I applied Auto Settings to all 200 files. My first impression is that the results offer a starting point that is considerably closer to a finished photograph than the RAW originals. It's hard to say if I've saved any editing time but, so far, I like the effect this feature has had on my workflow.
As I look in the Basic Develop panel, it's interesting that the Auto Settings tweaks all the parameters in the Basic panel in Develop except Color Temp, Tint and Clarity, which remain as As Shot.


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## Zenon (Feb 12, 2018)

I like that it leaves WB alone but they may add it one day. Clarity was previously set to auto apply in the default settings.


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## prbimages (Feb 13, 2018)

I haven't done _heaps _of testing yet, but it seems that on every single photo the "Auto" button sets the Vibrance to +18 and the Saturation to +4. Do others see the same thing?


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## Jim Wilde (Feb 13, 2018)

Not with every image, though groups of similar images tend to get the same adjustment....just not always +18 and +4.


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## Resoman (Feb 16, 2018)

I went back and looked at my recent import of 200 files, and "Auto" consistently set the Vibrance to +18 or 19, Saturation to +3 or 4...


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## mcasan (Feb 18, 2018)

I did not include Auto in my Develop preset used by Import on all images.


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## Jimmsp (Feb 18, 2018)

Resoman said:


> .....My first impression is that the results offer a starting point that is considerably closer to a finished photograph than the RAW originals. .....



My impression as well. I then select all,then tweek contrast, clarity, curves (topic dependent), sharpening (generic) and noise reduction (to the low end) in auto sync and I have a great starting point from which to evaluate and rate photos. While it still takes some time to finalize the best photos, LR is quick, and the interaction with Photoshop is much faster than what it was.


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