Camera Profiles, Develop Presets and Develop Defaults

I've recently seen enough threads on various fora to convince me that the application of, and the differences between these three tools remains a stumbling block on Lightroom's learning curve for many users. The confusion derives not so much from the functions the tools perform, but in the interactions between them. It doesn’t help that the names all constitute vague synonyms for each other in everyday usage.

Since the use and application of these features is already quite well documented elsewhere, I’m just going to highlight the basics, and move forward.

Develop Presets

Develop Presets provide a way to save a group of Develop module settings in order to apply them to other photos. The power of a Develop Rreset is that it can be applied to all photos at import time, or to any selection of photos in either Library or Develop modules, at any time, thus increasing productivity, speed and consistency of processing.

Develop Default

The Develop Default is quite similar to the Develop Preset, with the primary difference being mode of application. The Develop Default applies the designated Develop module settings at import time, or when ‘resetting’ the photo. While Lightroom is installed with a generic Develop Default, the power of the Default arises from its customizability. You can create a ‘one size fits all’ Default for a given camera model, or you can fine-tune down to the level of different custom Defaults for a given camera body (by serial number), by ISO settings, by import file type (e.g. raw vs. JPG, etc.) and multiple combinations of all of these. Even scanners can have their own Default settings.

Camera Profile

The Camera Profile provides camera model specific instructions to enable Lightroom to perform color rendering from camera raw files. These include an Adobe Standard rendering for all supported cameras, and Camera Matching Profiles which are intended to duplicate the results of the manufacturers' rendering software for supported Nikon and Canon cameras, including specific 'Picture Styles/Controls.' With the advent of Lightroom 2.2, in addition to the Adobe Standard Profiles, all of these Camera Matching Profiles are automatically installed with Lightroom. The Profiles are applied by making a selection from the drop down list in the Camera Calibration pane of the Develop Right Hand Panel. Although the Profiles displayed in the drop-down have names that are standardized by the respective camera manufacturer, rest assured the each is custom developed independently for every supported camera model. The truly adventurous can try their hands at creating their own custom profiles with Adobe’s DNG Profile Editor.

The Interactions

A certain amount of confusion arises when users realize that they can apply both a Develop Default and a Develop Preset together at import time. In this instance of ‘dueling settings’, the results behave as if the Default were applied first, and any contravening settings from the Import Develop Preset override the Default setting.

The second layer of confusion arises when one realizes that a Camera Profile is a valid setting selection for a Develop Preset. Since the Profiles are touted as being specific to both brand and model of camera, it’s easy to come to the mistaken conclusion that one needs to create an individual Develop Preset for each combination of camera model and Camera Matching Profile. Fortunately, this is not the case. Because the complement of available Camera Matching Profiles is identically named across all the models of the supported manufacturers (Nikon and Canon), the problem is simplified. One Develop Preset selecting the Vivid Camera Profile will provide Lightroom with enough information to choose the correct Vivid Profile for all supported Nikon models. So, instead of an array of Presets for each camera model, one only needs a single set for Canon, and another set for Nikon. Of course, feel free to create additional Presets should you find them needed for calibration or creative control.

The third layer of confusion dawns: “What happens if I import from a Canon camera, with a Develop Preset containing a Nikon Camera Profile?” In this case, Lightroom fails gracefully, and the photos are imported with the Adobe Standard Profile for the target camera.

There’s an entire litany of ‘what-ifs’ which follow on. Most of which are derivatives of the above cases. Feel free to ask away, or do as I do. Create an experimental catalog, and a small folder of photos with varied file types from various sources, and just experiment. Just this afternoon, while researching this piece, I discovered that I could create and assign custom Develop Defaults for my two scanners as well as my different cameras.