Q3 and Lightroom: Copy & Paste Settings fails?

[zlatkob]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Lightroom's Copy & Paste Settings feature is very useful for copying many settings from one photo to another. However, I'm finding that it very often fails with Q3 raw files. Specifically, the white balance is often way off on the photo that receives the pasted settings. The copied & pasted number values (temp & tint) are the same, but the appearance is very different (which makes no sense). The receiving photo tends to be more red / magenta. As a result, the photo receiving the pasted settings has to be independently adjusted for both temp & tint, despite having received the exact same settings. This issue adds extra work, while making it difficult to match the color of two photos that should otherwise be virtually identical in color. It partially defeats the purpose of the copy & paste feature.

Has anyone else seen this problem and perhaps found a solution?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[frame-it]

2 hours ago, zlatkob said:

Lightroom's Copy & Paste Settings feature is very useful for copying many settings from one photo to another. However, I'm finding that it very often fails with Q3 raw files. Specifically, the white balance is often way off on the photo that receives the pasted settings. The copied & pasted number values (temp & tint) are the same, but the appearance is very different (which makes no sense). The receiving photo tends to be more red / magenta. As a result, the photo receiving the pasted settings has to be independently adjusted for both temp & tint, despite having received the exact same settings. This issue adds extra work, while making it difficult to match the color of two photos that should otherwise be virtually identical in color. It partially defeats the purpose of the copy & paste feature.

Has anyone else seen this problem and perhaps found a solution?

you could first select the photo you want to copy from, then shift select the other pics and then choose sync settings

[in LR the selection sequence i.e the 1st image selected is important, for copying settings to merging etc etc]

 

if after the usual copy paste as u say the image is different, if its radically different it could be the profile is not being applied during the paste, i saw this on an older version of LR when copying/pasting develop settings on infrared raw files..it was the profile, and WB would go off to some wild number

Edited Monday at 08:02 AM by frame-it

[LocalHero1953]

This isn't an error I've come across.

As far as I can see Copy and Paste is a Lightroom CC function. Sync only applies to Lightroom Classic. I assume the OP has selected WB as a property to Cut and Paste. 

I agree though, that a profile mismatch may cause a problem.

[zlatkob]

I appreciate the replies. To clarify, this issue occurs in the same way regardless of whether I Copy & Paste or Sync Settings. The resulting temp & tint mismatch still occurs. The exact profile setting (Adobe Color) and all numerical values for all settings (temp, tint, etc.) do get pasted/synced to the receiving photo. So two photos from the same Q3 (with same subject, taken at same time) will have the exact same settings (profile, temp, tint, etc.), while their actual appearance (temp & tint) is substantially different. It seems that somewhere there is a mystery setting that isn't getting correctly pasted/synced. I've never seen this with any other camera going back to the first version of Lightroom (in 2007) to the present.

[LocalHero1953]

Are these shots in natural light? Not artificial lights that could generate a fluctuating temperature? (It doesn't always show up as banding).

[zlatkob]

It happens in every light, natural and artificial, so nothing to do with the light. It is not banding in any form. The issue appears as a completely different color (temp & tint), so that the photo receiving the copied/synced settings is much more red/magenta than the photo from which the settings were copied/synced. Before adjustment, the two photos appear the same. After the first photo is adjusted, and its settings are copied/synced to the second photo, the second photo ends up with a very different color than the first photo, and very different from the color of either photo before the adjustment and before the copy/paste/sync. So then, for the second photo to match the first photo, the second photo's settings have to be independently and manually adjusted. In order to have approximately the same color as the first photo, the second photo's numerical values for temp & tint will end up entirely different than those of the first photo. It's a very manual workaround for something completely illogical and, of course, it's extra work. It is so peculiar that it is hard to describe.

Edited Monday at 07:43 PM by zlatkob

[frame-it]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

10 hours ago, zlatkob said:

all numerical values for all settings (temp, tint, etc.) do get pasted/synced to the receiving photo. ~~~~ while their actual appearance (temp & tint) is substantially different.

that's exactly what i experienced, from then on, i made a base preset for each infrared camera, and would apply that develop preset on import, after that no issues.

[frame-it]

another thing to double check.. the source image WB should not be on "Auto", it should either be "custom" or "daylight" etc etc, if its on "auto/as shot", LR will calculate the WB again for the shot youre pasting on and it might be wrong

Edited Tuesday at 01:53 AM by frame-it

[ravinj]

See if this helps: On your perfectly edited source photo, make a tiny adjustment (e.g., +1 or -1) to the Temperature or Tint slider. This should change the white balance dropdown menu from "As Shot" or a preset (like Daylight) to "Custom". Then copy and paste the settings. 

[ravinj]

8 hours ago, frame-it said:

another thing to double check.. the source image WB should not be on "Auto", it should either be "custom" or "daylight" etc etc, if its on "auto/as shot", LR will calculate the WB again for the shot youre pasting on and it might be wrong

This may be the root cause. Per ChatGpt: 

'As Shot' vs. 'Custom' Bug: In past versions of Lightroom, a bug existed where white balance settings set to "As Shot" would not correctly copy or sync to other images. The workaround was to make a minor adjustment to the Temp or Tint slider on the source photo, changing the setting from "As Shot" to "Custom" before copying and pasting/syncin. Even if you've already made an adjustment, if the displayed setting reverts to "As Shot," it might cause issues.

[LocalHero1953]

2 hours ago, ravinj said:

This may be the root cause. Per ChatGpt: 

'As Shot' vs. 'Custom' Bug: In past versions of Lightroom, a bug existed where white balance settings set to "As Shot" would not correctly copy or sync to other images. The workaround was to make a minor adjustment to the Temp or Tint slider on the source photo, changing the setting from "As Shot" to "Custom" before copying and pasting/syncin. Even if you've already made an adjustment, if the displayed setting reverts to "As Shot," it might cause issues.

I never saw that as a bug, but just the way it worked. Copying 'As Shot' implies to me that all the photos should end up 'As Shot' as well i.e. not the same numeric WB values as the first photo.

From the OP's description, I think these "As Shot' comments are a red herring. The problem is not that the WB values don't get copied, but that the visible WB differs even when apparently copied correctly. It's as if the WB values are copied, but not applied.

[zlatkob]

Thanks for all of the replies! I think I found the culprit. It is definitely not that WB is set to "Auto". It is in fact set to "Custom" when this issue occurs.

I think I've isolated the problem to my use of the Aftershoot app to do the initial settings edits on batches of Q3 photos. Aftershoot is an app that apparently uses artificial intelligence to adjust settings. Aftershoot has been a timesaver with Sony camera files, bringing them to a better starting point for my manual edits, but it does not do a good job with Q3 files (so I will discontinue using it on Q3 files). Somehow, in some strange way, Aftershoot introduces the inability to correctly copy and paste edited settings from one Q3 photo to another Q3 photo. I have no idea how or why it would do this. When I copied & pasted settings on Q3 files that were not first altered by Aftershoot, the settings were pasted correctly, with no mismatch in appearance.

Assuming Aftershoot is the cause of this issue, this issue should not affect any Q3 user who is not using Aftershoot for edits.

I appreciate the replies. They prompted me to do further testing. 

Edited Tuesday at 03:14 PM by zlatkob