RW2 (RAW file) color style not showing properly in PS / LR

[Brocour]

GH4 RW2 files.  I shot the same target using different gh4 color profiles to test how they look with grading in adobe products.  One was even taken in black and white.

When i click on the files from my computer adobe photoshop camera raw opens up but ALL the images are showing the same color profile...even the black and white one comes in with full color!  Even when i open them up directly inside of photoshop the color profiles are not being used.

I did the same test in LR and i can see while importing into the LR library the difference in color in the thumbnails for a second or two, but then all of a sudden all 4 images are instantly changed to the same basic color profile.

I understand that the RAW images are all the same at base level and a color profile is added as instructions for the software on how to view and handle them.  So how come they are for an instant being seen and taken into effect but in a second later they are discarded and the base raw profile is the only one i see while editing?

I can't seem to find an option that will leave the color profile active once opened.

P.S.  On a side note i can't seem to find a way for windows built in viewer to preview RW2 files.  I have to use Picasa photo viewer to preview them.  Would be nice to see the RW2 thumbnails as the images themselves instead of having to open each one up to figure out which shot is which before editing.

Thanks in advance for all the feedback!

[D Fosse]

What you see at first is the embedded jpeg preview. Then Lightroom/ACR builds its own preview and replaces it.

The only camera setting read by Lightroom is the white balance (and even that will be interpreted differently, so you won't get the exact same numbers). Everything else is proprietary and/or ignored, including BW.

If you look under the calibration tab there are camera profiles intended to mimic the camera jpeg rendition. The default is "Adobe Standard", which is deliberately conservative and intended to retain as much information from the file as possible. This is just a starting point and you can set your own defaults.

[Brocour]

So basically the options in camera to add a color style are useless for raw images?  I opened up the RW2 file with Camera Raw and under that tab i only have the one option of Adobe Standard.  No other options.  I tried opening up in photoshop ACR and i don't even have an option under Calibration tab.

Color style options inside of cameras are only good for none RAW images?

Is this happening as well when i use the merge to hdr feature to combine 7 RAW images?!?  If so, i have been wasting my time changing in camera color styles and color correcting using color cards?  100% i am certain of is that when i use these color profiles and shoot video these settings are working....just not in RAW photography

This speeds up taking photos not worrying about color but you waste 10X the amount of time in photoshop color correcting and guessing what the scene was really looking like on every single photo taken.

So in short when taking RAW images do not waste time color correcting in camera or setting tones (i did a test shot where RAW and JPEG is created at the same time and the JPEG does have proper tones vs the ACR image).  This completely throws out the window the theory of shooting in camera as close to what you are going for to save time in post!  Please verify unless there is a step i am missing in Adobe products where i can use DSLR color styles and settings.

Thanks,

[JP Hess · Accepted solution]

It seems that you have pretty well answered your own question. The reason the Adobe programs don't read those in-camera settings is because every camera maker creates their own raw file format. There is nothing consistent about raw formats from different manufacturers. Adobe simply has to ignore all those settings. For some camera makers such as Canon, Nikon and a few others, Adobe creates different profiles to match the in-camera settings. For other brands, Adobe only provides the Adobe Standard profile. If you want to create additional profiles to meet your specific needs then you can download the free DNG profile creator. This enables you to create your own profiles specific to your camera. The other thing you could do is create different presets that apply the settings you need.