An imaging system has a computer which monitors changes to any given front-panel control setting for a particular image processing parameter (e.g., dynamic range, transmit foci position, Doppler wall filter setting, etc.) as compared to its default or preset value. For each user ID (e.g., based on the system user's name or any user code) and each application type, if, over a number of exam cycles, the user is found to consistently adjust a particular control setting to values that deviate significantly from the preset value, the system computer will automatically adjust the preset value to, e.g., the average setting of that image processing parameter over the past N trials, where N is a predefined integer number.