Two very odd Lightroom problems :(

[valo_soul]

<p>Lately, while using Lightoom 2.3, and now 2.4, my adjustment brush has been giving me problems.... but ONLY when using the "exposure" option in the adjustment brush.<br />Let's say I set it at "-.40" Exposure. The very second I click within the image, it BRIGHTENS the spot I click on rather than darkening it, AND it brightens the entire area around it even though it's not within the brush size area OR the feathered area. It's like it brightens the entire channel of whatever color I happen to click on with the brush.<br />It seems to only happen when the area I'm trying to lower the exposure on is nearly clipped to white. I know I should try to avoid clipping anyway but sometimes it happens in high contrast situations.</p>

<p>This entire problem ties in with the other problem. I'm getting these strange washed out colors and huge glowing white areas in some images that I CANNOT get rid of. It's when I do night photography involving artificial light, it seems. Concert photos are a perfect example. There are also massive, what I would call "fringed edges" where I will get big lines of color surrounding everything. For instance a microphone on a mic stand will have a very very large (10 pixel or so) red line going all the way around it like a halo if it's in red light. Nothing seems to remove it.<br />The two example photos I'm attaching show both of these problems.<br />The first shot is of a large roast under heat lamps. This is a 100% crop of the image before any editing whatsoever. The shot is a RAW file: Canon 5D, ISO 800, 35mm f/2.2, 1/60th shutter.<br />The second shot is the exact same image and crop, AFTER I clicked on it only once with a -.60 exposure brush in Lightroom 2.4 The brush occupied only a very small area right in the center of the roast. Note how it actually raised the exposure rather than lowered it, and how even the metal tray the roast is sitting on is now brightened for some reason... seemingly because it falls within the same color channel. The brush never behaved this way until recently and it's only on "exposure" adjustments.<br />This same image also shows those halos of color that I'm getting (look specifically at the shadow the roast is casting on the metal tray).</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Image #1 - Before adjustment:</p><div></div>

[valo_soul]

<p>Image #2 - After single clicking with a -.60 exposure brush in Lightroom 2.4</p><div></div>

[valo_soul]

<p>UPDATE: Well then... it actually happens no matter WHERE I click within the image. I can use a + or - exposure brush and no matter what the value, and no matter where I click within the image (even if it's the bottom right hand corner of the picture for instance) the roast and all surrounding areas under the light of the heat lamp are brightened. I'm so confused it's not even funny.<br>

This happens on all images with artificial light... and perhaps some with natural light as well I'm not sure yet. :S</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Update#2: It seems to happen with <strong>all </strong>shots that have artificial light... stage lighting, heat lamps, tungsten bulbs, etc... Really need a solution to this. I haven't seen it on a naturally lit shot as of yet.</p>

[digitaldog]

<p>Doesn't really matter what the initial settings are. This isn't like Photoshop where if you "paint" with the incorrect values, you apply the edits to the pixels. In LR, its just metadata. So the idea of actually painting real hot, then adjusting works quite well albeit, very different from what we are used to in Photoshop. That said, you should be able to set the exposure to a value you think will be OK and then paint, but the bottom line is, it doesn't matter. You're always guessing at a value anyway and the beauty of metadata editing is, you can adjust at any time without really altering underlying pixels. </p>

<p>Note too, you can set something (like Exposure for a brush) and in the popup menu, select "Save current settings as Preset" then its ready to go. I suspect you've got a preset selected, hence the behavior you describe. </p>

[valo_soul]

<p>No I understand all of that it's just some sort of a glitch that started happening. I've been using lightroom since the beta release but the exposure brush just started doing this. I wish I could make a video to show it. Like... even if I adjust absolutely anywhere in the image... for instance pretend there's a bright artificial light on the extreme left side of the image...and I make a brush stroke for a negative exposure adjustment on the extreme right side of the image: the artifical light on the left side of the screen gets brighter! It shouldn't change in any way since I'm not brushing it... and even if I was brushing it, it should get darker, not brighter. I'm not using a brush preset here.<br>

It's some sort of odd glitch it seems.</p>

[dave_trayers]

<p>You might try here, especially the preferences bit:</p>

<p><a href="http://photoshopservices.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/fixing-unexplained-problems/">http://photoshopservices.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/fixing-unexplained-problems/</a></p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Thanks Dave.<br>

I've scoured the entire harddrive and cannot find a preferences file! I want to try deleting it but can't find it to do so :S</p>

[dave_trayers]

<p>Looks like you're running XP:</p>

<p><a href="http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405365.html">http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/405/kb405365.html</a></p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Thanks but I've followed that and there's no "application data" folder on my computer :S</p>

<p>I've even tried searching for everything with start---> search---> all files and folders </p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Nevermind, they were hidden! I'm going to try this now.</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Deleting preferences didn't fix it, unfortunately :(</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Ok so I just imported that same RAW file to a friends computer with a fresh install of Lightroom 2... and it happens there too. So it's something to do with pictures that look like this. I just hoping and hoping that there's a way to fix this or that Adobe sees it and patches it. I find it odd that nobody else has noted it anywhere that I've seen.</p>

[pixel-and-ink]

<p>James,<br>

Can you also provide the CR2 and and XMP sidecar file from your "after" screenshot (that is with the correction applied, not without)? It's hard to do any real troubleshooting from a screenshot.<br>

I have a hunch what might be happening. Make sure that your brushed correction is not applying more than one thing. Click on the rectangular switch to the right of Effect: Exposure in the controls for the brush, this will show all the sliders being used by the brush.<br>

-David</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Wow, I never even noticed that before. Unfortunately, there were no other corrections being applied so that can't be it either. I'll attempt to attach the RAW and perhaps you can try it out.<br />You can click absolutely anywhere in the photo with the exposure brush and the roast underneath the heat lamps and all surrounding areas under the heat lamps will get brighter.</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Hmm... ok the RAW file won't attach for some reason. As soon as I hit upload, internet explorer gives me a blank page.<br>

Also, the last message posted multiple times for some reason. Sorry about that.</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>Attempt #2 at uploading the RAW file:</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>I had to upload it elsewhere...I hope that's allowed:</p>

<p>http://www.filefactory.com/file/ah2he4b/n/IMG_0014_CR2</p>

[pixel-and-ink]

<p>James,<br>

Please also post the XMP sidecar file with the settings including the brushed correction. That file is probably small enough to post on the forum.<br>

Thanks,<br>

David</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>XMP file:</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>This seems to be a noted problem. I just found this thread:<br>

<a href="http://www.lightroomforums.net/index.php?topic=6527.0">http://www.lightroomforums.net/index.php?topic=6527.0</a></p>

[JRCrowe]

<p>I have lightroom 2.1 on my laptop and get the same result as you no matter what brush size or exposure is used. Could it be camera caused? I converted the file to tiff format and that seemed to be a work around as the adjustment brush seems to work normally. Don't know about the other problems but you might try shooting something as jpeg to see if you get the same result. </p>

[pixel-and-ink]

<p>Hi James,<br>

Thanks for sending the file. I've verified that this is a known issue.<br>

Have you tried applying a brushed correction to all the blown out highlight areas in the image, or using do a global exposure adjustment first, then apply brush corrections to brighten the rest of the image? If I put one "dab" on the turkey, I see the effect, but if I continue to brush over the whole turkey, it gets darker as expected. Alternatly, I tried applying a global -.4 exposure adjustment then brushing in a positive brightness adjustment to rest of the image with a large brush.<br>

-David</p>

[valo_soul]

<p>I see what you're saying. I suppose this will have to be the workaround for now. Thanks for all your help David!</p>