Clipping indicators not working reliably

Image Editing Help
1

Negative Lab 3.02
Sony A7R2
Black and white film and Negative Lab settings

I’ve noticed that sometimes after converting my neg scans with Negative Lab Pro the Lightroom Develop module clipping indicators don’t work. I can force the high and low ends of the histogram to beyond the ends of the graph and the clipping doesn’t show. This doesn’t seem consistent - sometimes the clipping shows other times not.

2

Is it just the indicators or doesn’t the image burn the highlights?

3

I’m not exactly clear what you’re asking, but this may help:

  • Black and white negative scan not converted by NLP. Go to Develop module in LR.
  • Turn on the clipping indicators in the histogram.
  • Use of the sliders on or below the histogram or the Tone Curve to push the whites or blacks out of range will cause the indicators to light up and show clipping.

With the same image converted by NLP and following the same process, the clipping indicators don’t work consistently. I’m guessing NLP either uses a LUT or other means to enforce limits on the image luminance values preventing clipping from occurring. I sometimes like a little clipping in the whites and blacks to give the image some snap.

4

Depending on many things, NLP sets tone curve(s) to more or less extreme values. This can limit the ammount of white or black that you can get after the conversion.

Use NLP’s tools to drive the values as far as you want or adjust the tone curve(s) according to taste.

A little detour to the manual can help too :wink: