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Author Topic: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files  (Read 940 times)

julianv

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Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« on: August 26, 2024, 11:51:47 pm »

I was getting great results when editing Nikon D850 and iPhone raw files in ACR, exporting into AVIF HDR (with Display P3 profile). I used the "Convert and Save" button at the upper right corner of the ACR window.

But then I upgraded to the latest version of ACR (16.5.0.1953). Now, when I convert the same files, using the same settings, the AVIF versions only display as SDR, when viewed in Chrome, Photoshop, or GraphicConverter. Nothing else was changed - only the upgrade to ACR 16.5.
 
If I export to PNG, JXL, or TIFF, the files display correctly in HDR. It is only AVIF files that are affected. When I examine their metadata, certain HDR records are missing, which were present in the AVIF files exported from ACR 16.4. All my ACR and Photoshop settings are as recommended for HDR output, in tutorials by Eric Chan, Greg Benz, and others. AVIF HDR export still works from Lightroom Classic, but I prefer to work with ACR and Bridge.
 
I tried the usual remedies: rebooting, deleting ACR preference file, cache flush, etc. Is anyone else seeing this? If not, is it possible that my install of ACR 16.5 is corrupted? How can I fix this? Do I need to do a complete "nuke & pave" uninstall/reinstall of Photoshop?

This testing was done on a 16" M1 Macbook Pro, running the latest version of Sonoma (14.6.1). I don't have any other Mac compatible with current Adobe app versions.
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digitaldog

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2024, 02:51:14 pm »

Instead of "Convert and Save", what if you use Done, open in Photoshop; what do you get?
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julianv

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2024, 06:28:15 pm »

Instead of "Convert and Save", what if you use Done, open in Photoshop; what do you get?

Thanks for responding, Andrew. But I'm not sure what you are requesting.

If I click the "Done" button in ACR, the window closes. If I then reopen the edited raw file (with a double-click on the Finder icon, double-click in Bridge, or "Open With Photoshop" in either Bridge or Finder) the file is reloaded in ACR. It still renders as HDR, with my saved edit settings.

If I open the "converted and saved" AVIF file with Photoshop, it is loaded into the ACR window, and renders as SDR. ACR does not recognize it as HDR. I can click the HDR button in the ACR window, but I am then starting from scratch with the AVIF data, and default ACR settings.

If, instead of clicking "Done" in ACR after editing the raw file into HDR, I click "Open" or "Open Object", the file opens in Photoshop, and renders as HDR. But in Photoshop I currently can't save or export to an HDR AVIF file.

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digitaldog

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2024, 06:48:27 pm »

Sorry, Open the document, which should render, inside Photoshop, and then save. It opens in HDR, as it should. Now you really do have an HDR, 32-bit document. What you can save that as is much less (there is no AVIF option). It is odd you see AVIF as an option in Adobe Camera Raw but you can't save it as such in Photoshop after rendering.
There is also this:
https://gregbenzphotography.com/photography-tips/exporting-avif-files-from-photoshop/
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julianv

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2024, 07:42:23 pm »

...
It is odd you see AVIF as an option in Adobe Camera Raw but you can't save it as such in Photoshop after rendering.
There is also this:
https://gregbenzphotography.com/photography-tips/exporting-avif-files-from-photoshop/

Perhaps I am missing something. I appreciate your willingness to respond, but I don't understand the relevance of your comments. I had been using ACR 16.4 to convert raw files into HDR AVIF, via the "Save Options" dialog that appears after clicking the "Convert and save image" button at the upper right of the ACR window. Options for HDR and AVIF are available in this dialog. See attached screenshot. This workflow does not require a conversion to an intermediate file format or a trip to the main Photoshop app. I was getting beautiful HDR AVIF files directly converted from my D850 and iPhone raw files. That is, until I updated to ACR 16.5. Now, the same raw files, using the exact same ACR settings I used in 16.4, produce AVIF files that render in SDR.

That webpage on the Greg Benz site is two years old, and I don't think that workflow is needed now. I have been in communication with Greg about this particular problem. He was unable to reproduce the issue, which makes me suspicious that it might be due to corruption in my ACR 16.5 install, or its support files. The really bizarre aspect is that the same workflow produces correct HDR exports, if I choose a different file format: JXL, PNG, or TIFF. But AVIF is now the preferred HDR format for the web.

If there is no other fix, is it possible to revert ACR to the previous version (16.4)? Can I do an uninstall/reinstall of ACR 16.5, or do I need to uninstall/reinstall all Photoshop apps?

I posted the same request for help in the ACR forum on the Adobe Community site. Crickets.
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digitaldog

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julianv

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2024, 01:16:13 am »

I tried the ACR installer from that linked page. I could not find an uninstall option, so I ran it as an installer, perhaps writing over the existing version 16.5 files (or leaving them in place). Then I rebooted and tried a test, editing a D850 NEF raw file, exporting to HDR AVIF. Same result as before: the file renders as SDR in Photoshop, Chrome, GraphicConverter, etc.

I compared the metadata from two files, both edited from the same D850 raw file, with the same settings, and saved as HDR AVIF. One was previously done in ACR 16.4, the other in ACR 16.5. I viewed the data with the ExifTool feature of GraphicConverter, transferred the text to BBEdit and ran a diff. There were significant differences, other than what would be expected from files edited at different times.

In the file edited with ACR 16.4
Transfer Characteristics: SMPTE ST 2084, ITU BT.2100 PQ

In the file edited with ACR 16.5
Transfer Characteristics: sRGB or sYCC

In the file edited with ACR 16.4, there were additional metadata for HDR
Max Content Light Level:
3248
Max Pic Average Light Level:
63

---- XMP-hdr ----
CCV Primaries XY:
0.6799,0.3200,0.2650,0.6900,0.1500,0.0600
CCV White XY:
0.3127,0.3290
CCV Min Luminance Nits:
0.005929
CCV Max Luminance Nits:
3247.784141
CCV Avg Luminance Nits:
62.910562
Scene Referred:
False

In the file edited with ACR 16.5 those HDR metadata were absent

At this point, I don't know what else I can try, other than a complete uninstall and reinstall of all Adobe files, which can be messy.
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julianv

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2024, 06:27:10 pm »

Problem fixed - one or more files were corrupted in

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw

After I removed that folder and allowed ACR to rebuild it, I am again obtaining HDR AVIF files.
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julianv

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Re: Adobe Camera Raw 16.5 fails to export AVIF HDR files
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2024, 06:41:59 pm »

I think I found the cause of the problem, and it may be a bug. After I deleted the folder described in the previous message, the ability to save HDR AVIF files was restored. But then I saved a Preset for the Save Options dialog - the same settings in the screenshot shown in an earlier message. After that, the problem returned. Once again I deleted the folder

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw

and once again, the problem went away. Should this be reported to Adobe? Do they monitor this forum, or is there a better way to file a report?
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