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Participant
May 15, 2017
Answered

Problems with Canon 5D Mark IV files in LR CC

  • May 15, 2017
  • 4 replies
  • 15984 views

Hello,

I have been using my 5D Mark IV for about a week now without a problem in LR CC. Last week I updated my version of LR CC and, today, I just imported a batch of files from my 5D Mark IV and they look really bad - sort of desaturated. That's without any import preset applied either. Does anyone have any input on what might be the problem? Wondering if there was a problem with my update? Photos below to illustrate the problem (photo on left is in Photo Mechanic, photo on right is in LR CC). Thank you!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Todd Shaner

I am am having a hard time with the camera profiles for Canon 5d Mark iv as the color saturation is too intense (red/orange)-especially in the shadows (look near hairlines) and/or the curves are too strong and my shadows get clipped and appear muddy.  I downloaded and tried Trshaner's Camera Standard Profile (MKIII BASE...)-THANK YOU!!- and while I see a slight improvement in the color, it doesn't solve the issues I'm seeing.  I've had Canon cameras and Lightroom/PS for as long as I can remember and while no profile has ever been perfect, I have never had as hard of a time as I have been having with this one.  In fact, what I once thought was a bad profile match with my 5D Mark ii, I would GLADLY take in place of my options now.  I find I am forced to start with Adobe standard, which lacks any contrast and depth and while I believe it is too red, it seems brighter and generally easier to add to it than try to take away from the other clown-ish saturation I get from camera portrait and even camera standard.   Camera standard is better (less red) than camera portrait with regard to Caucasian skin tones, but the color in the shadows looks like I just upped the contrast and didn't care that faces/dimples/creases/hairlines are now tinted orange like a badly blended makeup job.  I can't seem to get rid of the tint in the shadows without affecting the entire image.  I really need to solve this at the Profile level and I can't figure out how.  I also can't find a place where people create-and share- "normal" camera profiles (without special tints/tones/cinema effects...).  I can't be the only one, and there must be someone smart enough to help???  I guess I should start by hoping you see the same problem I do...

I take portraits of people, so comparing images of fall colors or products isn't helpful or equal when it comes to getting colors accurate for people.  I included 2 RAW files (I kinda wish I knew I was going to share my experiment and I'd have used more exciting pictures, haha) that you can use to compare as you'd like and then lots of screenshots that hopefully will convey the differences that I see (the file names tell what type of image is being compared. Note: the mac preview cr2 file is simply showing the camera generated jpg).  I am working with a calibrated monitor (Spyder 5 Elite) and my unadjusted professional prints match in color and density.  I recognize that there will inevitably be color differences between my monitor and yours, but hopefully the screenshots will convey enough that you can see my problem in contrast and color choices.  I'm not asking if you like the colors from the profiles that lightroom offers, obviously the people at Adobe don't mind them either, but am more curious if you notice AS MUCH of a difference between your camera's jpg/your monitor's preview of a RAW file (that's from the jpg), and/or DPP4's standard camera preview and the options given in Lightroom as far as profiles go.  Does every camera profile vary as much as I think this one does??  Does every photographer have to choose between 3 terrible profiles?  Do you guys see what I see or am I being a perfectionist?  I really do struggle and spend a lot of time trying to get white balance perfect out of camera-mainly with an expoDisc- only to have it all messed up in post-production options.

Pay attention to the histogram in the DPP camera standard vs. Adobe camera standard and it shows the clipping of the shadows.  I find that I generally need to shoot at least 1/3 stop up to counter-act what lightroom does to the images that I see in my previews.  Look at the histograms from DPP to lightroom and you can see that lightroom clips my shadows that were otherwise fine on my iin-camera histogram.  The answer isn't to shoot 1/3 stop up, however, because the curve applied in the camera profiles doesn't evenly shift the histogram to the left, my highlights get blown and my shadows clipped in outdoor scenes.  AGAIN, this is when the histogram on my camera shows a decently exposed image and changes when imported into Lightroom.

I would love to have images straight out of the camera look like they do in the jpg previews, but I am learning that that is too much to ask.  I WOULD love at least an OPTION that doesn't take out all contrast and mess up the color completely.  I am so intimidated by the dng editor, and my spyder checkr doesn't help with creating a custom profile-I can use it to adjust the hue/saturations as a preset, but the results are so random that I don't trust them either.  I just want to be able to deliver consistent color and contrast and I'm re-inventing the wheel every session.  I realize editing is subjective, and often times I'll think my edits look great as far as contrast/color goes, and then I get ready to export and compare my finished session to another session and I realize one looks better than the other and I want to re-edit one of them.  It's never ending and I feel like part of it is because my baseline-the profiles I am forced to start with-are soo off that I have to play around with lots of settings even if I start with a perfect histogram.  My intention is not to complain about my job; I love what I do, I just want a good baseline to start editing from and I'm not trusting Adobe with my Canon Profiles right now.   I also recognize that shooting in RAW should be bland-it's like a blank canvas that I can build on...  But when bland changes my histogram and makes my images dark, muddy and tinted orange, I get frustrated.  Any help is appreciated!!

If you are experienced with making custom profiles, I'd love any tips (basic curves points to try) so I might be able to tackle it if there isn't someone better who already has...

Dropbox - Lightroom Profiles


To everyone landing here with Canon 5D MKIV raw file rendering issues please provide your comments and 'Me To' vote at the below Problem Report link. This is the best way to get Adobe's attention. Thank you!

Camera Raw/Lightroom: 5D Mark IV, wrong dcp profile from adobe | Photoshop Family Customer Community

4 replies

Participant
October 27, 2020

I have the same thing happening. I also have my 5DM4 set up to shoot raw, but after I go to import my photos, it turns out they have reverted to JPG... which has made editing a nightmare. 

Todd Shaner
Legend
October 27, 2020

Are you saying the imported raw files show inside LrC as .jpg extension and not .CR3? If so you proably have your camera set to shoot RAW + JPEG to separate cards (CR3 on CF and JPEG on SD). See page 169 in the below PDF manual for the 5D MKIV.

 

https://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/0/0300024970/02/eos5d-mk4-im2-en.pdf

 

Participant
June 5, 2018

Does the new Adobe Color profile in LR classic fix this issue?

Todd Shaner
Legend
June 5, 2018

It doesn't appear that Adobe has changed the 5D MKIV Adobe Standard and 'Camera' named profiles. However, the new Adobe Color profile is closer to the 5D MKIII Adobe Standard rendering so a better starting point. Using Camera Raw 10.3 you can create your own custom camera profiles as outlined in the below Profile SDK kit.This allows applying Develop adjustments to an existing camera profile and then saving it as a new enhanced camera profile. Unlike a Develop preset when an enhanced camera profile is applied to an image all of the Develop controls remain at their default 0 settings.

http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/lightroom/profile-sdk/ACR_and_Lightroom_Profile_SDK.zip

Todd Shaner
Legend
May 15, 2017

nicoleh312  wrote

Hello,

I have been using my 5D Mark IV for about a week now without a problem in LR CC. Last week I updated my version of LR CC and, today, I just imported a batch of files from my 5D Mark IV and they look really bad - sort of desaturated.

I don't think this was caused by the LR update. Since you've been using the camera for about a week you may not have realized this until today after going through more 5D MKIV image files.

It appears the Adobe Standard profile metrics have been "silently" changed by Adobe sometime in Q3 2014. All Canon and perhaps all other make camera models introduced since Q3 2014 have Adobe Standard profiles with lower color saturation. In short it looks like Adobe has changed the "standard." Please read through this post:

Re: Canon 1dx II Color Issues with LR 6.7 HELP

You can create a preset that applies the below Camera Calibration or simply try the 'Camera' named profiles (Standard, Neutral, Faithful,etc.). You can also use the Adobe DNG Profile Editor to create a "custom" version of the Adobe Standard profile with more color saturation and perhaps a slight adjustment to the Base Tone Curve.

dj_paige
Legend
May 15, 2017

Nothing unusual is happening. Lightroom's default rendering of most RAW photos requires the user to edit the photo (or apply a preset) to increase saturation and add other desired effects.

There's no reason that Photo Mechanic and Lightroom should match on RAW photos. (And Photo Mechanic is probably showing you the embedded JPG in the RAW file anyway, which will have saturation and other effects added)

Participant
May 15, 2017

Thanks but I do think there's something going on here. Even when I add my custom preset that I've been using for years, the image looks pretty bad. My typical fully edited image looks much closer to the version seen in Photo Mechanic than either of the two in LR. Also, this just started happening today - my files looked fine before that.

Just Shoot Me
Legend
May 15, 2017

PM is showing the embedded JPG that is inside every RAW file and not the real RAW. Since it is a JPG that is being displayed it take on whatever In-Camera settings that are set for JPG output.

Can you upload 2 RAW file to dropbox, one from an older shoot and the one you are displaying in this thread, so we can load them into our install of LR?