Skip to main content
helloandyhihi
helloandyhihi
Participating Frequently
April 11, 2020
Answered

How can I get Canon DPP 4 results in Lightroom?

  • April 11, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 5706 views

Hello. When I shoot, I usually come back with hundreds of images and bring them into Lightroom by default. As a freelance journalist, I usually quickly rank and select images, caption, perform minimal edits and export.

 

I know that using Canon Digital Photo Professional 4 offers several advantages around image quality, especially for reducing grain. I've just compared some recent images in the two programs and overall, the photos I bring into DPP have better detail, sharpness, and contrast, too.

 

Unlike Lightroom, DPP is more about editing one-off images than managing thousands per week, so it's impractical for daily use. 

 

Does anyone know:

  1. Is there any reason Lightroom can't achieve the same image quality?
  2. Are there Lightroom settings that could achieve the same quality and be applied at import? If so, what would you recommend?

 

Thanks!

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Conrad_C

Most camera companies like to reserve their in-camera processing (their “secret sauce”) for their own software, like Canon does with DPP, and will not share it with other applications like Lightroom, Capture One, Luminar, etc. That's why other companies have to do their own work to try and duplicate the look.

 

Adobe tried to make this easier in this year’s overhaul of the Lightroom Classic camera defaults. Now, to get as close as possible to the camera’s look at import time, you can choose Camera Settings as the default Develop settings. The exact steps are in this Adobe blog post:

How to Customize Lightroom Classic’s Default Develop Settings (v9.2)

 

Excerpt:

“Raw Defaults can be applied universally (across all cameras), or customized by camera model and even serial number. To apply the same Raw Defaults universally, use the Master drop-down menu and select from either Camera Settings or Preset. Choose Camera Settings to honor picture styles or profiles settings that you’ve set in-camera and preserve the “as shot” look whenever possible.”

 

It still might not match DPP exactly, but that should save you some steps.

3 replies

JP Hess
JP Hess
Inspiring
April 11, 2020

What does that mean? The real problem is that every camera manufacturer has its own proprietary raw file format. There is NO file format standard. If you want the "easy" path use the Canon software. It will read all of your in-camera settings, you won't have to worry about anything.

helloandyhihi
helloandyhihiAuthor
Participating Frequently
April 11, 2020

Unfortunately, DPP isn't very practical for me. Like I said, I usually come back with hundreds of images and I bring them into Lightroom by default. I quickly rank and select images, caption, perform minimal edits and export 3-20 at a time.

 

I need to keep things organized by date and project, which Lightroom does beautifully. I'm not going to give that up. But DPP is more for editing one image at a time. It may not sound like a big deal, but once I have selects, there are just too many steps work DPP into the workflow, too.

  • Finding the original raw image,
  • bringing it into DPP,
  • shipping it off to the client ...
  • and then usually forgetting to import it back into Lightroom to keep it organized

 

I like the idea of creating a preset that mimics DPP, but it isn't easy for me. Because I'm a journalist, I only make the most minimal adjustments, so I'm not skilled at fine-tuning things in Lightroom. I have tinkered some today, but I definitely have not been able to pull it off.

Conrad_C
Community Expert
Conrad_CCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
April 11, 2020

Most camera companies like to reserve their in-camera processing (their “secret sauce”) for their own software, like Canon does with DPP, and will not share it with other applications like Lightroom, Capture One, Luminar, etc. That's why other companies have to do their own work to try and duplicate the look.

 

Adobe tried to make this easier in this year’s overhaul of the Lightroom Classic camera defaults. Now, to get as close as possible to the camera’s look at import time, you can choose Camera Settings as the default Develop settings. The exact steps are in this Adobe blog post:

How to Customize Lightroom Classic’s Default Develop Settings (v9.2)

 

Excerpt:

“Raw Defaults can be applied universally (across all cameras), or customized by camera model and even serial number. To apply the same Raw Defaults universally, use the Master drop-down menu and select from either Camera Settings or Preset. Choose Camera Settings to honor picture styles or profiles settings that you’ve set in-camera and preserve the “as shot” look whenever possible.”

 

It still might not match DPP exactly, but that should save you some steps.

    helloandyhihi
    helloandyhihiAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    April 11, 2020

    Thank you. It's disappointing Canon wouldn't do everything possible to help people who shoot with their gear make the best possible images. 

    JP Hess
    JP Hess
    Inspiring
    April 11, 2020

    DPP Was created by Canon, and is capable of reading all of the in-camera settings that you set on your camera. Lightroom does not read those settings. That is why it is necessary for the Adobe engineers to create support for each individual camera model for each new camera that is released. Then, you need to adjust one of your newly imported images until it looks the way you want it to look when it is first important. Adjust the color, the sharpness, clarity, and any other settiings necessary to make the image look the way you think it should when it is first imported. YOU must manually do what DPP automatically does because Lightroom can't do it. After you have made that image look the way you think it should when it is first imported, create your own camera defaults. Then, those settings will be applied to ALL images when they are first imported to Lightroom, or when you click on the reset button.

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices