Forget everything you knew about how to create a custom default setting for your raw photos, and let’s get up to speed on the new system. Once you install the 9.2 update your old custom default settings will not work on newly imported photos or when you click the Reset button. This will not affect previously imported photos (unless you click the Reset button). If you’ve never created a custom default for raw photos, then you won’t notice anything different in this regard, but now you’ll know how to use this feature in the future. Note, this also sets the raw default for the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in (and if you set it there, it becomes the default in Lightroom Classic).
What is the Raw Default?
When you import raw photos into Lightroom Classic some settings must be applied to the raw data to serve as a starting point for your edits. The un-customized settings are called the Adobe Defaults, which applies the Adobe Color camera profile, zeros out almost all other settings, and applies a baseline configuration of sharpening and noise reduction in the Detail panel. Note, this only affects raw photos, so you won’t see any changes to JPG, PSD, PNG, or TIF files (which do not have any settings at all applied to them by default).
![Raw Raw](https://www.exibartstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/adobe-august-update-adds-gpu-accelerated-editing-to-lightroom-classic-and-camera-raw-exibart-street-photography-00.jpeg)
ACR (Camera Raw) is an integral part of Lightroom, so it makes no sense (neither is it possible) to open an image in ACR from Lightroom. But you can send a raw file to Photoshop for editing (Right click Edit in, or Ctrl/Cmd + E). The file will then silently open in ACR, before it opens in Photoshop. The difficulty with supporting Adobe Camera Raw plug-in updates for legacy versions of Photoshop and Lightroom is that camera manufacturers are creating new proprietary raw formats each time they come out with a new camera—and new cameras are coming out faster and in greater volume.
There’s nothing wrong with the Adobe Default settings, and there is nothing wrong with keeping them as-is. However, if you find that you always end up applying the same settings to all new raw photos (like lens correction or a specific camera profile or different sharpening settings), then you might benefit from customizing the defaults to include your preferred settings. All this does is give you a new, and customized, starting point for your raw photos.
Where is the Raw Default Set?
The new system is found under Lightroom Classic > Preferences > Presets (PC: Edit > Preferences > Presets). Here you will find an entirely new panel called Raw Defaults. The old method for customizing default settings has been removed.
Within the Raw Defaults panel you have three basic options for the Master control:
Adobe Default: The same Adobe defaults as we’ve had in the past. Adobe Color is the default profile, and most settings are zeroed out (with the exception of the sliders in the Detail panel).
I have purchased a camera that was bundled with Lightroom 5.7 in December last year. The Adobe raw converter contains a bug, that produces a magenta cast in highlights. This bug appears to be solved in the Adobe Camera RAW converter 9.0, however Lightroom 5.7.1 still uses the Adobe camera raw. The following tutorial on Processing RAW Files using Adobe Lightroom was submitted by John Short from www.canonphoto.co.uk and www.johnshort.co.uk. Why do we read so often then it is best to shoot your image in raw and not as jpegs? The first image in this tutorial is a jpeg of a Gannet where I have deliberately blown the highlights. It’s designed to take advantage of the totality of the raw data included in the file. It works with every native raw file currently supported by Adobe Camera Raw; When Enhance Details is applied, Lightroom creates an additional dng (raw) file so make sure to account for that extra hard drive space if you plan to apply it to many files.
Camera Settings: The same as Adobe Default except that a profile will be selected to match your in-camera picture style selection (instead of Adobe Color). So, if you set your camera to shoot in B&W (monochrome), choosing Camera Settings would honor that and you will see that a monochrome profile has been applied. Note, unless you shoot with one of the Nikon Z series cameras, it just selects a matching profile and does not change any other settings. Nikon Z series owners may also see other settings in Basic and Detail panels change based on in-camera settings (hopefully we’ll see this extend to other camera makes and models in the future). This is an exciting new development, and I hope we see this idea of Lightroom Classic doing a better job of emulating the in-camera settings continue to evolve.
Preset: You choose a Develop preset that will be applied by default to all raw photos from all cameras (or just specific camera models). This will basically take the place of the old custom camera raw default option. You can include anything that you are able to include in a preset. You can also combine this with the Camera Settings option above.
Set the Master Default
If you only have a single camera or you want all raw photos from all camera models to have the same base default settings, then customizing the Master setting is the first thing to do. In the old system we needed to create a custom default individually for all cameras even if we wanted to apply the same settings, so this is another improvement over the old system. Let’s imagine a few scenarios to help make sense of this.
Scenario One: You don’t want to change anything at all. In this case, leave it set to Adobe Default.
Scenario Two: You want to experiment with letting Lightroom Classic change the profile for all raw photos based on the in-camera picture style you choose, but leave all other settings the same as Adobe Default. In this case, choose Camera Settings from the Master drop-down menu.
Scenario Three: You have a preset that you always apply on import, and you want to make that preset the new default for all raw photos, or you want to create a preset for this purpose and make that preset the raw default. In this case, you would use the Preset option in the Master drop-down menu to navigate to and select the desired preset.
Create a Preset
Let’s create a preset that simply enables the Auto settings function and leaves everything else at the Adobe Default, but also includes the new Camera Settings function for choosing a profile based on in-camera picture style. This is just an example, so feel free to include only the settings that make sense to your workflow.
Step One: Select a raw photo and click the Reset button to ensure it is at the Adobe Default settings with everything zeroed out.
Step Two: Go to Develop > New Preset to open the New Develop Preset dialog box. Name this preset Camera Settings Auto (or whatever makes sense to you).
Step Three: Click the Group drop-down menu and create a new group called Raw Default Presets (or whatever makes sense to you).
Step Four: Click the Check None box, and then only check the boxes for Auto Settings and Process Version. By not checking the box for Treatment & Profile Lightroom Classic uses the previously mentioned Camera Settings function for choosing the profile (and if you are shooting with a Nikon Z series, possibly some additional settings). Then click Create to complete the process. The new preset will appear in the Preset panel within the group you designated.
Step Five: Go to the Presets tab of the Preferences, and click the Master drop-down menu, go to Preset, and select to the preset you created under the Presets menu (look for the preset group you designated). You should then see the name of your preset loaded in the Master drop-down menu.
From this point forward, all newly imported raw photos will have the settings included in the preset applied to them by default. Likewise, clicking the Reset button in Develop will reset to the new default settings. Take some test photos with different in-camera picture styles applied, and then import them and give your new defaults a test drive.
Updating The Preset
Adobe Camera Raw Lightroom
After doing some testing you decide that you want to stick with the Camera Settings option for choosing profiles, but you don’t want to have Auto Settings applied AND you want to include a lens profile correction. Let’s update that preset.
Step One: With a raw photo selected, click Reset to set to defaults. Then go to the Lens Corrections panel and check the boxes for Remove Chromatic Aberration and Enable Profile Corrections. Leave everything else at the default.
Step Two: Right-click the Camera Settings Auto preset we created earlier (or whatever you named it), and choose Update with Current Settings to open the Update Develop Preset dialog box.
Step Three: Only check boxes for Lens Profile Corrections, Chromatic Aberration, and Process Version. Leave every other box unchecked. Click Update.
Go ahead and click the Reset button and the selected photo should retain the profile that matches the in-camera picture style, the tonal value sliders in the Basic panel should reset from Auto, and the boxes in the Lens Corrections panel should be checked. To update your default settings in the future, just update that preset. Note, be careful not to delete that preset or your defaults will revert to the Camera Settings option without telling you.
Make Defaults Specific to Each Camera
Now that you have a Master setting you like, what if you want to have a different default setting for one or more cameras you shoot with? In that case you’ll want to check the Use defaults specific to camera model checkbox under the Master drop-down menu. Once enabled, it brings the bottom section of the new panel to life.
Using the Camera drop-down menu you can select the camera model you want to create a custom default setting for, then use the Default drop-down menu below that to choose from the same three options I outlined above, but for that specific camera only. Note, if at first you don’t see the desired camera model listed, exit the Preferences and view a folder or collection containing photos from the desired camera and return to this Preference setting. Once configured as desired, click the Update Default button to add that configuration to the panel. Note, if you need to set your defaults based on camera body serial number, check the Show serial number box and you’ll be able to choose each camera body individually.
Once you’ve applied a camera specific default you can modify, update, or delete that setting via the drop-down menu at the far-right of the panel. Under that menu you will see options for choosing Adobe Default, Camera Settings, accessing all of your develop presets, or deleting that camera specific default setting.
In Closing
You can of course still continue to apply a preset during import or when tethering or using Auto Import. The Raw Default setting you choose is applied first, then any import preset is applied on top of the default, and then anything you apply manually after import comes next. Think of the Raw Default as a time saving measure to get you to your preferred starting point. Think of import presets as creative or job specific additions to your default settings to get you to a different starting point. If all of this seems too overwhelming at first, just leave it at Adobe Defaults and do all your editing in Develop manually. There’s no wrong answer, just a few options to consider.
In the old method it was also possible to create a custom default based on ISO settings. That option has been removed from the interface. However, Adobe has documented an alternative method that involves editing a preset XMP file in a text editor to add in the ability to customize settings based on each photo’s ISO. This is decidedly more advanced, and not for everyone. Hopefully that aspect of this process will evolve to become more user-friendly.
One final note, the old shortcut for resetting to the Adobe defaults (useful if you had a custom default setting using the old method) has been discontinued in this latest update. So pressing Command + Shift + R (PC: Ctrl + Shift + R) does the same as just pressing Reset, which is to reset the photo based on the settings you’ve chosen in the Raw Defaults section of the preferences. If you want a way to get to all zeroed settings and the Adobe Color profile, then you’ll want to create a preset that does that, and just click the preset when/if needed.
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One of the first things you have to understand about editing your raw photos is, what software should you choose?
Adobe offers multiple ways to edit your raw photos; however, they’re basically all the same. How is this possible? There are different options in how you view and organize your raw photos, but when it comes down to the actual editing, making adjustments like contrast, curves…Adobe is using the same raw “engine” to do those adjustments.
Simply put, the interface is different, but the final result when you save/export a raw file from Adobe will be identical if you apply the same adjustments.
The two main applications Adobe offers are Adobe Bridge, and Adobe Lightroom. These days there are multiple versions of Lightroom, but yes, indeed, they all still use the same Camera Raw processing engine.
What is Camera Raw? What is Adobe Bridge?
Before we go any further, let’s clear up one thing: Adobe Bridge is Camera Raw. Well, sort of. To be precise, Adobe Bridge uses the Camera Raw interface to process files, once you double-click on a raw file.
Omnifocus pro 3 1 1 download free. By default, double-clicking on a raw file in Adobe Bridge will actually launch Adobe Photoshop and use the Camera Raw interface through that separate application. However, you can actually configure Adobe Bridge to not launch Photoshop at all, and simply use its own Camera Raw engine to edit (and save/export) images 100% within Bridge.
Bridge, therefore, actually qualifies as both a standard browser application and a shortcut to the Camera Raw editing interface.
The Advantage Of Non-Destructive Raw Editing
Since both Bridge and Lightroom use the Camera Raw processing engine to edit your raw photos, they both gain the same advantage known as “non-destructive editing”.
This means that when you’re editing your photos in Lightroom or Camera Raw, you’re not actually editing the original file. You’re just viewing a preview of what the file would look like, if it were actually edited!
In fact, you can even edit JPG and TIF images in both Lightroom and Camera Raw, if you configure your Adobe Bridge preferences correctly to also edit JPG and TIF files.
Keep in mind, of course, that whether you’re editing raw or JPG/TIF image files, your non-destructive adjustments will always become “destructive” the moment you actually export or save that original file to a new JPG or TIF file. To be clear: the original file isn’t harmed, but the newly generated JPG or TIF file will experience some level of destructive editing.
Differences Between Adobe Bridge (Camera Raw) And Adobe Lightroom
Basically, the core difference between Bridge (Camera Raw) and Lightroom is the way in which you view and organize your photos. Even though the interfaces look very similar, they have one very big fundamental difference! That is, the Lightroom Catalog (LRCAT) organization system, versus the lack thereof with Adobe Bridge.
Advantages of Adobe Bridge vs Adobe Lightroom
The advantage of using Bridge is, there is never any confusion about where your photos are actually being stored. You simply use Bridge to browse the folders on your computer, (much like Windows Explorer or Apple Finder) …and your raw, JPG, and other images will appear!
Direct Folder Browsing In Adobe Bridge
Page booth 2 3 – website screenshot tool pc. In other words, you never need to create a catalog or “import” photos into that catalog. With a catalog system such as Lightroom, you must first import your raw images into that Lightroom catalog before you can view, organize, or edit them.
This is time-consuming, and it also creates the risk that your actual, original files may accidentally go missing, and you wouldn’t know it unless you looked closely at the files’ status in the Lightroom Library module, or if you actually try to export a high-res JPG from your original raw file.
Therefore, Adobe Bridge can be useful for quickly browsing old archives of photos, when you don’t want to take the time to import them all into a Lightroom catalog and cause organizational clutter.
Then again, there is one huge advantage to taking the time to create a Lightroom Catalog/LRCAT! Read on…
Advantages of Adobe Lightroom vs Adobe Camera Raw & Bridge
The advantage of using Lightroom is, in fact, that catalog system that seemed to be a disadvantage at first.
In reality, having a catalog of all your photos can be a huge benefit in the long run, if you take the time to import all of your raw photos into that Lightroom catalog.
Why? Because within your Lightroom catalog, you can easily filter them by date, camera, camera settings, and various flags such as keywords, color labels or 5-star ratings.
Lightroom Library Filtering
This can be very useful if you have many years’ worth of photos, and wish to find certain photos from throughout those years that have something in common such as a location you visited more than once, or of course you can create an “all-time best-of” portfolio, using 5-star ratings, or a whole new “virtual” collection of photos that only Lightroom can see.
You can do all of this sorting and organizition from within Lightroom, and never actually move the photos around on your hard drive.
Lightroom Previews
Another major advantage of having a Lightroom Catalog is that you can create previews of all your raw files, and then continue viewing and even editing them even when the original files are not available.
This is especially beneficial if you have many months or years worth of raw photos stored on one or more external hard drives, and you don’t want to always carry your external hard drive(s) everywhere you go.
Just generate “Standard Previews” in Lightroom, and you can view your photos at any time. Or, if you’d like to be able to edit your photos remotely and even export low-res versions for using on social media, just generate “Smart Previews” in your Lightroom catalog, and you’re good to go!
If you generate Standard and Smart Previews for all the files in your Lightroom catalog, you will only ever have to actually attach your external hard drives if you’re going to export an image in high-res, or physically move a folder of original raw photos on your hard drive.
(NOTE: If you use Lightroom to import, organize, and edit your files, try to refrain from ever moving your folders of original raw files outside of Lightroom; ALWAYS use Lightroom to physically move folders from one drive or storage location to another! Otherwise, Lightroom will not know where the folder went, and you’ll have to relocate it from within Lightroom.)
Camera Raw and Lightroom vs Photoshop
Last but not least, let’s discover how the non-destructive raw processing of Lightroom and Camera raw differs from actually taking a file into Photoshop.
Non-Destructive Versus Destructive Edits
As we described earlier, any editing that you perform in Adobe Camera Raw, whether through the Bridge interface or the Lightroom interface, is considered “non-destructive”. This means that you’re not actually affecting the original file, whether it is a RAW, JPG, TIF, or PSD file format. You can only ever create a new JPG, TIF, or DNG file from that original file, which is when the “destructive” adjustments are involved.
When you take any image out of Bridge or Lightroom and into Photoshop, however, your editing will become more destructive. Photoshop opens the file directly, and when you save that file again, and each time thereafter, you’re making those Photoshop adjustments permanent.
You can minimize the destructiveness of your Photoshop edits by using duplicate layers, adjustment layers, and advanced things like Smart Objects, and then save the resulting image file as a TIF or PSD file with the highest quality settings.
In general, though, it is usually best to perform as much of your color-correction and tonal manipulation as possible during the raw conversion. In other words, only take a raw file into Photoshop if you actually need to use one of the advanced adjustments that the Camera Raw engine cannot offer, such as complicated color tweaking, or local retouching/cloning types of adjustments.
Camera Raw Plug In Lightroom
Presets in Adobe Camera Raw vs Lightroom
One question that we get asked a lot is, what about presets? Are Lightroom presets the same in Camera Raw? The short answer is, YES! Unfortunately, gaining access to those same presets can be difficult. This is because the various versions of Lightroom and Camera Raw use different file types for the different kinds of presets, from global presets to local adjustment brush presets.
Camera Raw currently uses .XMP files for all presets, global and local, while Lightroom uses .XMP files for global presets, but still uses .LRTEMPLATE type files for local adjustment brushes. Also, the location where these presets are installed can vary depending on which version of Lightroom you have, which creates even more confusion.
Camera Raw vs Lightroom Conclusion
We generally recommend using Lightroom for as much of your workflow as possible. The advantages of having a catalog are extremely powerful! For most photographers’ workflows, Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw will only be useful in unique, advanced circumstances.
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