Lightroom Classic: Set defaults for raw file import

[Pattie-F]

Apply a Camera Matching color profile and preset for each camera when importing raw files 

Wouldn't it be nice if you could specify a different preset for each of your camera brands when you import raw files into Lightroom Classic? Or better yet, how about if we could differentiate one Canon camera from another (or two or more of any camera brand), and apply a different preset to each. Well, those options do exist today in Lightroom Classic.

New options in the preferences menu of Lightroom 9.2/Camera Raw 12.2 allow you to configure a variety of settings defining how to treat raw files upon import. You now have the option to set up a default or “master” preference that can be overridden by a camera specific preference if desired. If you have several of the same camera, then it can be further managed by camera serial number. These settings are applied when importing raw files into Lightroom Classic. Follow this tutorial to see how to set your defaults:

❶ Navigate to the preferences panel

To specify default settings for importing raw images, first navigate to the preferences panel:

Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS)

Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box to see the new Raw Defaults section

❷ Master defaults

In the Master drop-down, you will see 3 options: Adobe Default, Camera Settings, and Preset.   

Adobe Default: This option will apply Adobe default settings to your raw images. 

Camera Settings: If you want Lightroom Classic to select a Camera Matching color profile that corresponds to your in-camera style settings, then you should choose Camera Settings from the Master drop-down. This feature takes in to account the style of the photo (such as Canon Picture Style, Fujifilm Film Simulation, Nikon Picture Control, Olympus Picture Mode, Panasonic Photo Style, Sony Creative Style), and in some cases also settings from the Basic and Detail panels. Camera Settings will override the Adobe Default, but if any camera or setting is unrecognized, Lightroom will use a reasonable substitute instead.

Preset: This option allows you to choose a specific develop preset from your list to apply to all of your raw images as they are imported. 

❸ Set defaults for specific camera models

If you use many different cameras, then you may want to process files from each camera differently. In this case, you might want to consider using the Use defaults specific to camera model option. This option appears as a checkbox under the Master settings.

You can choose from the same 3 options just described: Adobe Default, Camera Settings, and Preset. The only difference here is that it is chosen on a per camera basis. When you choose Use defaults specific to camera model, the option settings will override the choices that were set above in Master. If you have more than one camera of the same make, you can click the option for Show serial number. This will give you the ability differentiate the cameras that are the same model and allow you to select defaults for each camera separately. For more details, please see: How to set-up raw defaults in Lightroom Classic

Please Note: 

Raw default settings made prior to version 9.2 will not be migrated when you update to Lightroom Classic 9.2. The settings for previously imported images will be retained but the default settings will be the Adobe defaults. If you wish to maintain your previous defaults, we recommend configuring new default settings after updating to Lightroom Classic 9.2.

Related topics:

How to set-up raw defaults in Lightroom Classic

Feature summary | Lightroom Classic (February 2020 release)

Get started with Lightroom Classic

[blehm]

Major step BACK is, the loss of ability to set ISO settings specific to camera ISO settings.

Photo taken on ISO 100 is prosed differently for photo shot at ISO 25600 from the same camera, That’s a big step backwards from before.

The new panel is a great idea, but this makes it unusably, and the reason for me that i downgraded to v. 9.1 ageing. 

[agb83]

Bonjour, cela aurait été une bonne idée.

Mais mon iPhone 11 pro n'apparait pas dans la liste 😞

Serait-ce un bug ?

Mes autres appareils sont bien présents.

Alain

PS j'ai trouvé la solution, l'appareil photo natif ne fait pas des RAW, il faut passer par Lightroom par exemple

[Pattie-F]

If you wish to set a preset specific to ISO settings, you can create an ISO-dependent preset and set it as default for your raw images. Please take a look at this article: Set raw defaults specific to ISO values
I hope that helps.

Pattie

[Lehm]

This article about how to set ISO default makes no sense!! after several attempts I still haven’t found out, ho to make my own default ISO templates.

I need a simple how to: guide to set profiles to camera specificity ISO default. In my work whit Nikon D5 I use between ISO 100 and ISO 40.000 and those photos need different treatment. 

So, how do I set Lightroom to treat ISO 100 whit settings 100, and when ISO 40.000 noise and sharpening according to ISO 40.000??? and all the other settings also included.

Best of all, if a SIMPLE NO NONSENS (like before in v. 9.1) BUTTON, set as standard for this camera model, and ISO settings, returned. 

[TheDigitalDog]

Actually you should do some testing to see if you really DO need ISO specific presets as Adobe does have specific camera noise profiles which under the hood make ISO specific adjustments for you based on the capture of the image itself. You can still futz around with a text editor but perhaps there’s no need. Best to test this new workflow out with your own images before throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

[hiddenland]

After playing with the new presets tab for a few minutes, this strikes me as inconceivably bad. I previously had my default set to Sony "Camera Standard". Not to look at anything in the Sony RAW - just to do what I told LR to do on that camera model - that is default to "Canera Standard".  This new release seems to have blown this up without letting me recreate it (and without telling me). How do I get it back? What am I missing?

[TheDigitalDog]

And you can still get Adobe Standard (Sony Camera Standard) with the new layout. Just make a preset calling for that profile and select it as such OR set the top to Master to Adobe Default while disabling “Use defaults specific to camera’  which will then apply all defaults and the Adobe Camera Standard to ALL cameras. I think the first route makes more sense because you can build a preset with any camera profile you wish (and more) and apply that to any camera you wish. 

[hiddenland]

This does not comport with what I see. I can get it defaut to what the camera was set at, so I have my cameras set to Sony Camera Standard and LR picks that up and RAW oricesses to match/approximate. But what I do not see is a preset choice that lets me pick the camera profile of my choice (not the Adobe standard version). Maybe I am missing a change in naming convention, but I want my starting place to be as close as possible to the Sony creative style of my choice.

Perhaps Adobe need more understandble instructions? Or Adobe is OK with blowing up a workflow model you provided for some time? The answers are not clear to me.

[TheDigitalDog]

You have a custom DCP Camera profile. You set that in the Profile Browser for the camera. You make a preset to select that (Treatment & Profile). You name that preset (Sony Camera). Then in the new preferences for presets, you select that from the dropdown. 

NOTHING blow up. 

[Jeremyau]

One very unhappy customer here too. Okay, maybe you didn't completly blow it all up but not happy with the arrogant disregard for your loyal customers who have been using these features for years! The childish introduction above which pretends this a new feature adds insult to injury. I have now spent many hours over the last 3 days trying to work out what went wrong and when. Finally began to work out what your new interface was and figured it had something to do with 9.2. This stuff is for serious photographers and you just dropped the old function without shouting a warning to us. Why didn't you create a conversion routine for the upgrade. Why didn't you detect I was using this with my own DNG Profile Editor profiles and send me an email? Why aren't there proper full instructions available directly instead of this farce of customers ask each other questions in the hope some Adobe guru may dain to answer them? Updated the pdf manual yet? 

[elie_dinur]

> "Wouldn't it be nice....."

Yes Pattie, it would be nice. It would be super peachy nice. And it will be even nicer when Adobe finally manages to make and supply color profiles for Canon CR3 cameras. I know, I've heard about what a dirty trick Canon did by revamping CR3 metadata. But you have been doing "Camera Matching" profiles since 2008 without access to the maker's profiles, surely there must be somebody in the lab who can manage it.

[genf.bakker]

I published an article covering the new way of working in full detail. Have a look if you are struggling to get your old presets working in the new LR/ACR: https://geraldbakker.nl/tutorials-actions/how-to-set-raw-defaults.html

[agb83]

Merci

[rollsnut]

Just another FRUSTRATED user. I have read all kind of ways to reset defaults. I did create a new preset where by pressing reset on each photo it would do the presets. I though great, this default preset will automatically load my preset settings in every now catalogue I create...WRONG - *&$!(*!!**#.

All I want to do is create a default that creates my settings for every photo everytime I create a new catalogue. Am I missing the point that it can't be done? If I set up a camera specific set of "default values" will that be a universal default that automatically triggers everytime I create a new catalogue?

Maybe it's time to look seriously at On1!

[pferland1435]

How can you diffrentiate between a raw file un-touched from camera and raw file that had the camera profile applied on import? Does the metadata change in anyway? 

[TheDigitalDog]

Raw is read only; nothing is altered. The raw data is rendered along with all kinds of image processing including the camera profile upon import. To show you a preview. 

This is (one view) of what raw data actually looks like:

http://www.digitaldog.net/files/ThisIsRaw.jpg

[SammCox]

In Lightroom Classic versions prior to 9.2 there was a Reset (Adobe) button in the Develop module. I think pressing and holding Shift revealed this button. The Reset (Adobe) button would reset a raw image to its SOOC state without regard to any Default Develop Settings that would normally remain when doing a normal Reset. In LR Classic 9.2, the Reset (Adobe) functionality seems to be completely missing. I tried rolling back the process version but, alas, it seems to have been wiped completely away. Without the Reset (Adobe) button, how can I reset a raw image to its SOOC state without mucking around with the Develop Defaults?

[TheDigitalDog]

The Reset (Adobe) button would reset a raw image to its SOOC state without regard to any Default Develop Settings that would normally remain when doing a normal.

No, it would reset to the default raw rendering settings. Raw is raw. As shown above. Raw must be rendered to show us a preview. That rendering is Adobe's proprietary rendering no matter the setting (any default or otherwise). 

You want Straight Out Of Camera? Shoot JPEG. That too is a proprietary rendering of the raw. 

[DdeGannes]

Thanks for your post, this effectively debunks the "myth" in a simple, short and concise way.

You can create a SOOC, jpeg if you use the software that the Camera manufacturer-provided when you purchased your camera. It will read the settings you used in your camera when took the shot, that info would be in the header of the RAW file. 

[Antarès]

Bonjour, 

Est-ce que vous allez réhabiliter l'ancienne méthode pour "Définition de paramètres par défaut Raw en fonction des valeurs ISO" ?

Votre nouvelle méthode est très compliquée, devoir taper du XML ce n’est vraiment pas intéressant et encore moins pratique…et d'après mes essais ne fonctionne pas vraiment bien.

Avant c'était simple, il suffisait de prendre une photo pour chaque ISO, y régler ses paramètres, les sauver comme valeur définie par défaut et cela marchait très bien.

D’ici là je suis obligé de rester à la version 9.1. Avez-vous prévu quelque chose pour améliorer la situation ?

Merci

[Lehm]

I totally agree, I stay at ver. 9.1 until this is back to, being easy to handle. Just go back to the old possibility, or keep the old way alongside the new complicated method..

Thank you!!

[hans3d]

Now just to get this right: In the past (prior to 9.2) I could very easily create or overwrite any Import Preset by simply shift clicking on thge reset button in the dev module, updating the default to whatever was set in the dev module and it also makes this settings ISO dependant. easy (once you found that somewhat hidden shift Feature).

NOW you're telling - no, selling- me this cumbersome process as the new hot thing??? seriously??? 

Now i have to download a few Sample XMP files and edit them in an text Editor, hoping to get things right, import this xmp to LR, and finally select it as the new default Dev Preset. Thats not new, it's not better, its just cumbersome and awful!

And please, can can you tell me how to set up an ISO dependent preset on my own without 'programming' it in a txt editor?

LR really annoyes me more and more....

[T68203159]

ok, so im new to using LR - question - i see the adobe default for Raw import but am wondering, how do i tell what the difference is between that and changing the setting to my current camera?  What does it mean or do when changing the setting from lets say to my camera from adobe?  Tks for helping a noobe....

[visuals.sk]

This is the most stupid "update" ever ! LR is now not only slow but also unpredictable 😞

Does Adobe have real beta testers or you just push new version to all loayal customers and hope thay will swalow it ?

If there is a way how to make ISO dependent adjustments WHY IT IS NOT IMPORTED FROM MY PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION ? I set the values years back based on shooting bunch of test images at every ISO settings and relay on them since then because it WORKS. I dont know the values anymore. That was the magic of LR.  

NO Im not affraid of some light programming / editing config files but your "guide" https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/raw-defaults.html#SetrawdefaultsspecifictoISOvalues  ends in the most crutial and interesting part:  <crs:ISODependent> ... no more explanation just 2 files and have FUN with DiffMerge.

I would be happy if you can add new feature like Match total exposure based on real pixel data not EXIF ( so if lighting changes during shot it's get corrected ) or removing photo from "cloud" when album is unsynced etc.

I like LR from beginning actually it is sole reason why I havent switched completly to something like affinit. ( Catalogue part is for me more valuable than pure raw develop features ) Actually I just noticed that ON1 have some interesting updates regarding cataloge so I have to stop writing and do some research.

Have a nice day.

Milan.