P: Adaptive Profiles

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

This post applies to Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Desktop.  
Feedback for Camera Raw should be posted here.

Update February 2025:

Adobe has introduced two Adaptive Profiles – Adaptive Color & Adaptive B&W.

Getting started with the Adaptive Profiles: 

• Access a profile inside the profile favorites menu. 
• In addition, there is a new section for Adaptive Profiles in the Profiles browser. 
• Enable the profile and adjust the ‘Amount’ slider as desired. 
• Use the rest of the Camera Raw tools just like you would otherwise. 

Check out the Help Page for more detailed usage information. For more technical information on the underlying technology, please refer to this blog post. 

Please try the profiles and share feedback in this community forum thread. It would help to include details like how you access Camera Raw (via Adobe Bridge or Photoshop), your computer system details, and as much information as possible about what you like or do not like about the resulting image quality. Our team will continually monitor this thread to track issues and improve the future experience. 

Best practices for using the Adaptive Profiles:
 

Try the new profile in the following scenarios: 

• For food scenes. 
• In situations where simply moving Tone and Color sliders may not be sufficient, such as for: high-contrast scenes, landscape or cityscape scenes with skies. 
• For High-Dynamic-Range (HDR) photography, simply select Adaptive Color or Adaptive B&W as a profile and click on the ‘HDR’ button. 
  
  Note: Adaptive Profiles generate HDR and Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) data jointly, creating photos that look consistent with one another. In other words, after applying either of these profiles, if you toggle the HDR button on or off, you will see either the adaptive HDR or SDR look, depending on the position of the toggle.  

To maximize the value of using Adaptive Profiles, please follow these steps: 

• Always start from the Adobe Default or Camera Default rendering (with no other edits) and enable the Adaptive Profile first. 
• Reset any other settings before applying the profile. 
• Make additional global and local edits after assigning the profile, just as you would begin to edit photos with Adobe Color or any other profile. 

Boris Ajdin: Product Manager, Emerging Products Group 

Posted by :

[Patrick Maes]

I like these a lot. My default import preset changes the profile to Adobe Standard. I've made an alternative based on the adaptive profile and I have to say that in most cases I have a much better starting point.

I've noticed I have to adjust the green in photos with a lot of natural green (grass, trees, ...) in many (most) cases: hue to the left (yellow) and reduce saturation.

[TewRogers]

Hi-I just updated my lightroom from 13.5 to 14, but my lightroom still states 13.5 version, how can I update it to version 14.2?

The customer service person told me to manually rename the catalog and that should fix the issue, should it be automatically built into the update?

[Thor Egil Leirtrø]

It's just the catalogue name. There was no catalogue format upgrade from version 13.5 to 14, so no catalogue conversion.
There is a new command to change the catalogue name, in the File menu if I remember correctly. You can very easily change the catalogue name to your liking.

[andrzejv90126968]

W tłumaczeniu na język Polski jest błąd

teraz jest Profil Adaptacyjna a powinno być Profil Adaptacyjny

[3Sixty Photography]

After using the Adaptive Profile setting for a merged panorama iPhone 15 pro image, then resetting all settings, I noticed I am getting white, black and clarity sliders that have been moved and cannot be all reset. (Unless dragging them manually to zero).

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@3Sixty Photography  Are you able to share the merged panorama without any edits for us to review?

[3Sixty Photography]

Your request for original panoramic file unedited…
It's a large file how can I send it to you?
Bruce Luetters
3Sixty.com
The Finding America Project

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Most folks share via Dropbox or similar and then post, or direct message the link. 

[GeertWil]

I upgraded Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and Camera Raw to the latest version in order to be able to use the new adaptive profiles. I only use RAW files in Lightroom Classic. To my surprise no adaptive profiles are available in Lightroom Classic. I uninstalled en reinstalled all Adobe apps several times. No success. The profiles are also not available in the new (cloud based) Lightroom. 
OS is latest Windows 11 pro. Camera is a Nikon Z5; most RAW files are NEF. I also tried it on Canon RAW files but at no avail. 

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

I have tested Windows 10 and Windows 11 using LrC 14.2, LrD 8.2, and CR 17.2. When a raw file is selected Adaptive Profiles shows in the Profile Browser and is selectable for both Color and Monochrome.  Moving to Adaptive Profiles feedback thread. 

[GeertWil]

I think I found the solution. It's probably only a language problem. The dutch instructions on the Adobe site say there should be a new folder called "Adaptieve profielen" in LRC. This folder does not exist, but there is a new folder "Aangepast" and that folder holds the new profiles.

[Yawadar]

Great, this gives loads more dynamic range, but on my mac: creating a snapshot loses the preview of what the adaptive profile looks like. You have to change the profile to another one, then change back to adaptive to restore the onscreen preview. Or simply go back in history to where you applied the adpative profile. If you save that to a snapshot you lose it again. Thanks though, and I'm sure it's a bug you'll fix quickly.

[Yawadar]

Just correct myself, the adaptive colour profile does not liberate more dynamic range. It does however, appear to release more scope in the sliders. Big Tip: I wouldn't change a finsihed, edited image to this profile as the results are horendous. Clearly, it's a good tool to use on or after import as a first to step to see what the possiblities are... just as your first step after import might be to set the profile to Adobe Landscape. 

[craig_6329]

Adding to that - I'm suffering from the same bug on PC. It's annoying as hell as I will normally use 4-6 snapshots in an edit...

[jrsforums]

I just imported a batch of images and used a preset I created with just the 'treatment and profile' set to 'Adaptive Color'.  All (pretty sure, didn't really check all) of the images had an "update" button under the profile indicator and a red dot in front of Basic.  Can you explain why or what I did wrong?

[tompagenet]

I find that these (so far tried with a Fuji X100VI) are good colour wise, but tend to give too much dynamic range - i.e. there is an unnatural look to the image because it brings e.g. the sky down enough that it's too close in brightness to things that in real life were massively dimmer. Obviously everything is a compromise in photography with such limited dynamic range in standard, monitor SDR, but this is pushing it a bit far by default for me.

[Thijs_Photo]

Got quite a few good results but also some weird artifacts.

Adobe color (exposure adjusted):

Adaptive color (SDR):

The same dark "shadows" do NOT appear in Adaptive color (HDR).

Is this a know problem?

-TS.

[ccullen22]

Hi. Interesting update. The adaptive profile for landscape photography tends to be rather aggressive. Also if I do as reccommended as use Adaptive Color profile from an unedited shot, then edit to my satisfaction, then save a 'Snapshot' in Develop mode, if I go back to that Snapshot later is COMPLETELY different - otfen a whole stop too dark. Happens repeatly

[ccullen22]

further point. If I start with an untouched RAW file. Store a Snapshot of it unedited, then change to Adaptive Color profile, do not edit at all but just store another Snapshot. If I the toggle back to the original Snapshot and then back again to the Adaptive one, the Adaptive one looks different from what it was when I stored it 

[Mathias_DK_]

I have noticed these same 'shadows' in my images, especially in panoramas, not present with Adobe Color profile.

[PARALAX Studio]

I have same error when I'm copying settings with profile&treatment from one photo to next one. It looks like local adjustments generated in this profile for previous photo are copied too. Please fix it. It's wonderfull feature for interior photography and exept this bug it works great

[olefoto]

When I use adaptive profile on a picture that previous has had auto settings, a warning comes up.

I miss a "got it - do not show again"-button.

[Tijazap]

Thanks Rikk for a great intro to what I'm seeing as a very valuable tool. I was wondering about your advice and wanted to make sure I understood it. You stated: 

• Always start from the Adobe Default or Camera Default rendering (with no other edits) and enable the Adaptive Profile first. 

By "rendering" do you mean color Profiles? I have a set of 7 Adobe Raw profiles and set of 6 Camera Matching  profiles. None of those have a Default.   Can you please clarify?

[Patrick Maes]

It doesn't matter which profile you chose because you'll be changing it anyway with an Adaptive Profile. All sliders (light, curve, color mixer, etc.) should be set to 0 (the default). Make edits and local adjustments after you've chosen the Adaptive Profile.