Can I remove in camera D Lighting, Z7ii ? I made a change to a raw image, in camera, on my Z7ii w/the Retouch->D Lighting menu & I want to remove the changes I made. I don't see any...

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

I made a change to a raw image, in camera, on my Z7ii w/the Retouch->D Lighting menu & I want to remove the changes I made.

I don't see any way to do it & I'd appreciate tips on how to find out more about (Nikon's) D Lighting.

Thanks in advance!

R.G. Loc: Scotland

The raw file is just sensor data and the only things that affect it are the exposure settings (shutter speed, aperture and ISO). My understanding is that Active-D Lighting is a way to modify the sensor data (i.e. in-camera processing) but the starting point is still the raw data from the raw file (which will remain unchanged).

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

RAW data, as stated by RG is data from the sensor WITHOUT the camera software intervention. In my humble opinion RAW editing software on its own seems to add some adjustments and to me they appear to be white balance and a small amount of sharpening.
If you need to use Active D Lighting my recommendation is that you do it during editing (Nikon NX Studio.) That is the editor I use for my Nikon RAW data but I prefer to play with opening the shadows than using Active D Lighting.

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

R.G. wrote:

The raw file is just sensor data and the only things that affect it are the exposure settings (shutter speed, aperture and ISO). My understanding is that Active-D Lighting is a way to modify the sensor data (i.e. in-camera processing) but the starting point is still the raw data from the raw file (which will remain unchanged).

Thanks for the reply, but it was not Active-D Lighting, which is done b4 exposure - via Settings. I applied the changes after exposure, by pressing the Menu button, going to Retouch & choosing D Lighting; which at least by name is different than D Lighting.

I have a little icon in the upper left of the screen during Image Review; & going back into the Retouch menu doesn't allow me to go into D Lighting, as it is greyed out.

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

camerapapi wrote:

RAW data, as stated by RG is data from the sensor WITHOUT the camera software intervention. In my humble opinion RAW editing software on its own seems to add some adjustments and to me they appear to be white balance and a small amount of sharpening.
If you need to use Active D Lighting my recommendation is that you do it during editing (Nikon NX Studio.) That is the editor I use for my Nikon RAW data but I prefer to play with opening the shadows than using Active D Lighting.

Thanks for the reply, but as I told RG, it was in-camera, post exposure application of D Lighting, not Active-D Lighting applied via Settings before the exposure. I used the following method to try to change/remove the D Lighting changes: Menu-Retouch-DLighting, which now I cannot access - bc D Lighting is not available - it is greyed out under the Retouch.

BTW, if using (Active)-D Lighting doesn't change the RAW file, then what purpose does it serve? To make the image appear different in the Monitor during image review only?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

seeker613 wrote:

Thanks for the reply, but as I told RG, it was in-... (show quote)

Your edit to the image in camera did not permanently modify the RAW data that is read-only, always. Simply off load the RAW file to your digital editor and you have the original file. There may be a way to undo the edit within the camera too. Check your user's manual for details, where offloading the image to another editor is more efficient.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

seeker613 wrote:

I made a change to a raw image, in camera....

The raw image should still be there. If you try to reverse the Active D-Lighting image you'll be working with a jpg file, which will not be as effective as starting over with the raw file.

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Thanks! Good to know original raw file will still be there & important to know if I undo it that a jpeg will result.

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Thanks for reply!

Just curious, I use Lightroom Classic, a non-destructive method. But isn't Photoshop, or aren't some of Ps functions destructive?

Thanks in advance!

hippi Loc: Sedalia MO

seeker613 wrote:

Thanks for reply!

Just curious, I use Lightroom Classic, a non-destructive method. But isn't Photoshop, or aren't some of Ps functions destructive?

Thanks in advance!

not if you use a copy that way you always have your original raw pic

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

seeker613 wrote:

Thanks for reply!

Just curious, I use Lightroom Classic, a non-destructive method. But isn't Photoshop, or aren't some of Ps functions destructive?

Thanks in advance!

The RAW is read-only, so no, nothing you could do in PS could destroy / change the RAW. But, that means the NEF, not a converted DNG in a scenario where you then discard the NEF.

BobPeterson Loc: Massachusetts

Hi
When retouching in the camera this link implies a copy is created from the raw. It also states that each retouch option can only be saved once (press OK). You can make additional edits to the copy but you can't undo once an edit is saved. You need to start over from the raw.
https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/d3500/en/14_menu_04.html
Bob

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Thanks! I thought that the original raw was affected by (some functions in) Ps.

Appreciate the boost into expanding my Post Processing horizons!