diff --git a/rtengine/dcp.cc b/rtengine/dcp.cc
index 3afca58db..93ed24257 100644
--- a/rtengine/dcp.cc
+++ b/rtengine/dcp.cc
@@ -1429,11 +1429,12 @@ void DCPProfile::setStep2ApplyState(Glib::ustring workingSpace, bool useToneCurv
     }
 }
 
-void DCPProfile::step2ApplyTile(float *rc, float *gc, float *bc, int width, int height, int tileWidth, float exp_scale) const {
+void DCPProfile::step2ApplyTile(float *rc, float *gc, float *bc, int width, int height, int tileWidth) const {
 
 #define FCLIP(a) ((a)>0.0?((a)<65535.5?(a):65535.5):0.0)
 #define CLIP01(a) ((a)>0?((a)<1?(a):1):0)
 
+    float exp_scale = 1.0;
     exp_scale *= applyState.blScale;
     if (!applyState.useToneCurve && !applyState.applyLookTable) {
         if (exp_scale == 1.0) {
diff --git a/rtengine/dcp.h b/rtengine/dcp.h
index 0ce82b590..aeeb97e8b 100644
--- a/rtengine/dcp.h
+++ b/rtengine/dcp.h
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ namespace rtengine {
         void getIlluminants(int &i1, double &temp1, int &i2, double &temp2, bool &willInterpolate_) { i1 = iLightSource1; i2 = iLightSource2; temp1 = temperature1, temp2 = temperature2; willInterpolate_ = willInterpolate; };
         void Apply(Imagefloat *pImg, int preferredIlluminant, Glib::ustring workingSpace, ColorTemp &wb, double pre_mul[3], double camMatrix[3][3], bool useToneCurve=false, bool applyHueSatMap=true, bool applyLookTable=false) const;
         void setStep2ApplyState(Glib::ustring workingSpace, bool useToneCurve, bool applyLookTable, bool applyBaselineExposure);
-        void step2ApplyTile(float *r, float *g, float *b, int width, int height, int tileWidth, float exp_scale) const;
+        void step2ApplyTile(float *r, float *g, float *b, int width, int height, int tileWidth) const;
     };
 
     class DCPStore {
diff --git a/rtengine/improccoordinator.cc b/rtengine/improccoordinator.cc
index 8deffe19e..cba394658 100644
--- a/rtengine/improccoordinator.cc
+++ b/rtengine/improccoordinator.cc
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ void ImProcCoordinator::updatePreviewImage (int todo, Crop* cropCall) {
         //complexCurve also calculated pre-curves histogram depending on crop
         ipf.g = imgsrc->getGamma();
         ipf.iGamma = true;
-        CurveFactory::complexCurve (/*params.toneCurve.expcomp*/ 0.0, params.toneCurve.black/65535.0,
+        CurveFactory::complexCurve (params.toneCurve.expcomp, params.toneCurve.black/65535.0,
                                     params.toneCurve.hlcompr, params.toneCurve.hlcomprthresh,
                                     params.toneCurve.shcompr, params.toneCurve.brightness, params.toneCurve.contrast,
                                     ipf.g, !ipf.iGamma, params.toneCurve.curveMode, params.toneCurve.curve, params.toneCurve.curveMode2, params.toneCurve.curve2,
diff --git a/rtengine/improcfun.cc b/rtengine/improcfun.cc
index c1ed06bea..9de6ac34c 100644
--- a/rtengine/improcfun.cc
+++ b/rtengine/improcfun.cc
@@ -2824,10 +2824,11 @@ void ImProcFunctions::rgbProc (Imagefloat* working, LabImage* lab, EditBuffer *e
 
 				//TODO: proper treatment of out-of-gamut colors
 					//float tonefactor = hltonecurve[(0.299f*r+0.587f*g+0.114f*b)];
-					float tonefactor=((r<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[r] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (1.0, comp, hlrange, r) ) +
-									  (g<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[g] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (1.0, comp, hlrange, g) ) +
-									  (b<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[b] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (1.0, comp, hlrange, b) ) )/3.0;
+					float tonefactor=((r<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[r] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (exp_scale, comp, hlrange, r) ) +
+									  (g<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[g] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (exp_scale, comp, hlrange, g) ) +
+									  (b<MAXVALF ? hltonecurve[b] : CurveFactory::hlcurve (exp_scale, comp, hlrange, b) ) )/3.0;
 
+					// note: tonefactor includes exposure scaling, that is here exposure slider and highlight compression takes place
 					rtemp[ti*TS+tj] = r*tonefactor;
 					gtemp[ti*TS+tj] = g*tonefactor;
 					btemp[ti*TS+tj] = b*tonefactor;
@@ -2851,7 +2852,7 @@ void ImProcFunctions::rgbProc (Imagefloat* working, LabImage* lab, EditBuffer *e
 			}
 
 			if (dcpProf != NULL) {
-				dcpProf->step2ApplyTile(rtemp, gtemp, btemp, tW-jstart, tH-istart, TS, exp_scale);
+				dcpProf->step2ApplyTile(rtemp, gtemp, btemp, tW-jstart, tH-istart, TS);
 			}
 			for (int i=istart,ti=0; i<tH; i++,ti++) {
 				for (int j=jstart,tj=0; j<tW; j++,tj++) {
@@ -2859,14 +2860,6 @@ void ImProcFunctions::rgbProc (Imagefloat* working, LabImage* lab, EditBuffer *e
 					float g = gtemp[ti*TS+tj];
 					float b = btemp[ti*TS+tj];
 
-					// exposure scaling
-					if (dcpProf == NULL) {
-						// There was no DCP pass, scaling not applied so we apply it here
-						r *= exp_scale;
-						g *= exp_scale;
-						b *= exp_scale;
-					}
-
 					// clip out of gamut colors, without distorting color too bad
 					if (r < 0) r = 0;
 					if (g < 0) g = 0;
diff --git a/rtengine/rtthumbnail.cc b/rtengine/rtthumbnail.cc
index e76a020c4..d204d8e02 100644
--- a/rtengine/rtthumbnail.cc
+++ b/rtengine/rtthumbnail.cc
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ IImage8* Thumbnail::processImage (const procparams::ProcParams& params, int rhei
 
 	ipf.g = gamma;
 	ipf.iGamma = true;
-	CurveFactory::complexCurve (0.0, black/65535.0, hlcompr, hlcomprthresh,
+	CurveFactory::complexCurve (expcomp, black/65535.0, hlcompr, hlcomprthresh,
 								params.toneCurve.shcompr, bright, contr, ipf.g, !ipf.iGamma,
 								params.toneCurve.curveMode, params.toneCurve.curve,
 								params.toneCurve.curveMode2, params.toneCurve.curve2,
diff --git a/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc b/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
index 7b0d2a6be..83d8bfd03 100644
--- a/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
+++ b/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ IImage16* processImage (ProcessingJob* pjob, int& errorCode, ProgressListener* p
 
 	ipf.g = imgsrc->getGamma();
 	ipf.iGamma = true;
-	CurveFactory::complexCurve (0.0, black/65535.0, hlcompr, hlcomprthresh, params.toneCurve.shcompr, bright, contr, ipf.g, !ipf.iGamma,
+	CurveFactory::complexCurve (expcomp, black/65535.0, hlcompr, hlcomprthresh, params.toneCurve.shcompr, bright, contr, ipf.g, !ipf.iGamma,
 	                            params.toneCurve.curveMode, params.toneCurve.curve, params.toneCurve.curveMode2, params.toneCurve.curve2,
 	                            hist16, dummy, curve1, curve2, curve, dummy, customToneCurve1, customToneCurve2 );