Processing file...

Replace

Camera settings (EXIF data)

Camera Sony Sony a7 II

Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm)

Lens Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA

min. focus distance: 1.64' / 50 cm

stabilization: no

weight: 281 g

PixelPeeper is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission on affiliate links.

Focal length

55.0 mm

Aperture

ƒ/6.3

Shutter speed

1/640s

ISO

100

Metering mode

Multi-segment

Exposure program

Aperture-priority AE

Exposure compensation

-1

Flash

Off, Did not fire

Taken at

2016:05:09 18:49:40

Software

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 10.0 (Macintosh)

no copyright note in EXIF

GPS Location

—

GPS Altitude

—

GPS Date & time

—

Raw EXIF data

ISO

100

Make

SONY

Flash

Off, Did not fire

Model

ILCE-7M2

FNumber

6.3

Contrast

Normal

LensInfo

55mm f/1.8

Software

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 10.0 (Macintosh)

LensModel

FE 55mm F1.8 ZA

SceneType

Directly photographed

Sharpness

Normal

ColorSpace

sRGB

CreateDate

2016:05:09 18:49:40

FileSource

Digital Camera

ModifyDate

2020:11:22 08:55:31

OffsetTime

+01:00

Saturation

Normal

Compression

JPEG (old-style)

ExifVersion

0231

FocalLength

55.0 mm

LightSource

Unknown

XResolution

240

YResolution

240

ExposureMode

Auto

ExposureTime

1/640

MeteringMode

Multi-segment

WhiteBalance

Auto

ApertureValue

6.3

CustomRendered

Normal

ResolutionUnit

inches

ThumbnailImage

(Binary data 14143 bytes, use -b option to extract)

BrightnessValue

8.165625

ExposureProgram

Aperture-priority AE

SensitivityType

Recommended Exposure Index

ThumbnailLength

14143

ThumbnailOffset

942

DateTimeOriginal

2016:05:09 18:49:40

DigitalZoomRatio

MaxApertureValue

1.8

SceneCaptureType

Standard

ShutterSpeedValue

1/640

ExposureCompensation

-1

FocalPlaneXResolution

1675.257385

FocalPlaneYResolution

1675.257385

FocalLengthIn35mmFormat

55 mm

FocalPlaneResolutionUnit

RecommendedExposureIndex

100

Raw XMP data

<x:xmpmeta xmlns:x="adobe:ns:meta/" x:xmptk="Adobe XMP Core 5.6-c140 79.160451, 2017/05/06-01:08:21        ">
 <rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
  <rdf:Description rdf:about=""
    xmlns:xmp="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/"
    xmlns:aux="http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/aux/"
    xmlns:exifEX="http://cipa.jp/exif/1.0/"
    xmlns:photoshop="http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/"
    xmlns:xmpMM="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/"
    xmlns:stEvt="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceEvent#"
    xmlns:stRef="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceRef#"
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:crs="http://ns.adobe.com/camera-raw-settings/1.0/"
   xmp:CreatorTool="Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 10.0 (Macintosh)"
   xmp:ModifyDate="2020-11-22T08:55:31+01:00"
   xmp:CreateDate="2016-05-09T18:49:40"
   xmp:MetadataDate="2020-11-22T08:55:31+01:00"
   aux:LensInfo="550/10 550/10 18/10 18/10"
   aux:Lens="FE 55mm F1.8 ZA"
   aux:LensDistortInf...

There's more! Create an account to view all settings for this photo. Sign me up

IPTC

DateCreated

2016:05:09

TimeCreated

18:49:40

CodedCharacterSet

UTF8

DigitalCreationDate

2016:05:09

DigitalCreationTime

18:49:40

ApplicationRecordVersion

Photoshop

IPTCDigest

d749284907354db0d5f0b180ef294148

XResolution

240

YResolution

240

DisplayedUnitsX

inches

DisplayedUnitsY

inches

PhotoshopThumbnail

(Binary data 14143 bytes, use -b option to extract)

Adobe Lightroom edits

Download as Lightroom Preset

Need help?

Look

Name	Adobe Color
Group	Profiles
Cluster
Amount	1.0

Note on Looks

Looks are not included in the default downloadable preset. The reason is that they often require extra files installed on your system (e.g. many film emulation packs).

Without these files in place, the presets downloaded from PixelPeeper couldn't be imported. That's why PixelPeeper presets focus on universal settings. If you want to replicate the Look part, you can copy it manually, but in many cases, it won't have an effect without the looks installed on your computer first.

The "Full XMP Settings" version of the downloadable preset will include the look and other (complete) adjustments. If you have the required looks installed, you should be able to import this XMP file to Lightroom.

Basic

Profile	Adobe Standard
White Balance	Custom
Temperature	5250
Tint		+10

Tone
Exposure		+0.45
Contrast		+10
Highlights		-35
Shadows		+33
Whites		+11
Blacks		+20

Presence
Texture		0
Clarity		+6
Dehaze		0
Vibrance		0
Saturation		0

Tone Curve

Tone Curve:

Region
Highlights		0
Lights		0
Darks		0
Shadows		0

Color Mixer / HSL

Hue
Red		+4
Orange		-1
Yellow		-12
Green		+9
Aqua		+8
Blue		-9
Purple		-10
Magenta		+7

There's more! Create an account to view all settings for this photo. Sign me up

The photograph was shaped into a restrained architectural image with open shadow detail, protected stone highlights, muted color, and a gently softened black point. Perspective correction and a tight vertical crop reinforce the tower’s height, while modest clarity and sharpening preserve the intricate masonry without creating an aggressively crisp look.

Overall look

The Adobe Color look provides the starting contrast and color response, but the subsequent HSL reductions make the result much less saturated than that profile normally appears. The overall treatment is naturalistic yet subdued: pale blue sky, warm-neutral stone, controlled contrast, and slightly faded deepest tones.

Light and tone

Exposure was raised by 0.45 EV, while Highlights were reduced to -35 and Shadows lifted to +33. This interaction brightens the frame and reveals detail in the shaded buildings without allowing the sunlit tower to become harsh. Whites at +11 retain brilliance in the illuminated stone, while Blacks at +20 open the darkest architectural areas. A custom tone curve reinforces the lifted-black treatment, with a notably raised black endpoint, then maintains separation through the midtones and gently rolls off the brightest values. Contrast at +10 and Clarity at +6 restore some structure so the broad tonal recovery does not make the architecture look flat. The capture used -1 EV exposure compensation; this likely helped retain the bright façade and sky at capture, while the Lightroom adjustments subsequently reopened darker areas.

Color

White balance is set to 5250 K with +10 tint, giving the stone a mild warm-magenta neutrality rather than a cool cast. Saturation and Vibrance remain at zero globally, but individual color ranges are strongly subdued: blue is reduced by 41, yellow by 42, and most other channels by roughly 20–28. This is what creates the quiet, nearly desaturated palette while preserving recognizable color. Blue luminance is lowered slightly, helping the sky retain density, whereas yellow and orange luminance are raised to keep sunlit masonry comparatively bright. Small hue shifts refine the palette rather than transforming it—for example, blue moves slightly toward aqua and yellow shifts toward orange. The separate RGB curves lift red and green more than blue in the lower tonal range, which likely introduces a very subtle warmth into dark areas.

Detail

Sharpening is moderate at 40 with a radius of 1.0 and detail at 25, supporting the clock face, tracery, and stone ornament without unusually strong edge emphasis. Clarity adds a small amount of local contrast, while Texture and Dehaze are unused. Color noise reduction is set to 25, but luminance noise reduction is zero; that is consistent with the clean ISO 100 capture, where heavy smoothing was unnecessary.

Geometry and composition

An Upright perspective correction is active, along with the Adobe lens profile for the Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA. These corrections help the tall architectural lines read as controlled and upright, which is especially important in a street-level view of a tower. The image is cropped substantially from the left and top, with a smaller trim at the bottom. This creates the narrow vertical composition, removes peripheral space, and places the main tower prominently against the open sky while retaining the neighboring façade as a strong right-hand frame.

Effects and finishing

No grain, post-crop vignette, split toning, color grading, or Dehaze was added. The finish therefore comes primarily from tonal shaping, selective desaturation, perspective control, and the lifted tone curve rather than from conspicuous stylistic effects.

What mattered most

Highlight recovery and shadow lifting balance the sunlit tower against the darker street architecture.
The custom curve and positive Blacks setting create open, slightly faded deep tones without eliminating structural contrast.
Strong channel-by-channel desaturation—especially in blue and yellow—produces the restrained palette.
Perspective correction and the tight vertical crop are central to the photograph’s formal architectural presentation.
Moderate sharpening and minimal clarity preserve fine stone detail while keeping the treatment natural.

Was this explanation helpful?