Blown out highlights when importing RAW test file

[AlexW]

I was following James Ritson's first tutorial Jump into Affinity . I uploaded the RAW image, and the program switched (correctly) to the Develop persona. Once developed, it was fine, and I was able to follow all the instructions. However, before it was developed, while still in Develop persona, it looked like this, with the sun part of the image blown out as can be seen. Can anyone explain why this might happen? Is it to do with my graphics card (Intel HD Graphics 620)? 

 

[Ron P.]

From a photographer's viewpoint, it's blown out because it will be, unless you're using a very dense filter on your lens. To capture detail in the sun, you would loose everything else, it's just to bright. Has nothing to do with your computer or whatever program you're using. Now if you want to correct for it, just bring down the highlights, BUT, there's no detail there to be had. The sun is almost always too bright to capture any detail, ie; blown out.

[AlexW]

Hi Ron

Thanks for your reply. But this is not my photo; it is the test file supplied in the tutorial. As you can see from this other attachment, it should look like this in Develop persona. 

[Ron P.]

Seen that and followed the link to Ritson's tutorial. I downloaded the file and ran it through the Develop Persona. I also skimmed through Ritson's tutorial. If you look at his image in that tutorial, you'll see the sun is blown out. My point to you wasn't meant to say you took the image, it was pointing out what it would take to try and capture detail in the sun, so trying to compensate for the lack of a proper filter in a program is futile. It's just accepted in photography, any shots taken directly into the sun, the sun will be blown out, so don't worry about it being so. I've tried hundreds of times to capture images using density filters of at least 10 and the sun is still blown out. Just too bright to capture on cameras, without lenses and filters that cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.

 

[AlexW]

Hi Ron. All understood. It's just that when I uploaded it into my Develop persona, it came out as in my first screenshot - not just blown out, but with this extreme yellow and red banding (sorry, not sure of the exact term for this - posterization?). This is not what is shown in the tutorial, even in the pre-development stage.

[Ron P.]

13 minutes ago, AlexW said:

Hi Ron. All understood. It's just that when I uploaded it into my Develop persona, it came out as in my first screenshot - not just blown out, but with this extreme yellow and red banding (sorry, not sure of the exact term for this - posterization?). This is not what is shown in the tutorial, even in the pre-development stage.

That red centered on the sun is just the clipping warning. In the upper right corner of the UI, those 3 boxes/buttons are for toggling on/off the clipping warnings.

[AlexW]

Brilliant, Ron. You have solved the problem. Many thanks.

[Ron P.]

Your very welcome 😀