Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles  (Read 3793 times)

JB Rasor

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 157
    • JB Rasor
Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« on: December 21, 2014, 03:29:44 am »

Greetings everyone,

I have presented this topic in the forums before, but never received any feedback on it. Hopefully someone, or a few folks, can shed a little light on what is occurring within the Lightroom Camera Calibration section.

A little background here…I am a big fan of Lightroom presets (VSCO, Totally Rad, & a few others), and I really enjoy film emulation presets. But recently I’ve started to sit down and make a selection of my own. I am creating a collection of presets that compliment my style and require a little less post work.

I haven’t even gotten to color recipes yet, so I’m making some select B&W presets. Of course, whether they are my own or a purchased pack, I always use them as a starting point, never an all-in-one processing magic wand. But getting to that starting point is a little more confusing than I initially thought. I don’t consider myself a “Lightroom expert”…but I’m very familiar with the software having used it almost daily for 3 or so years. 

This gets me to the sometimes mysterious “Camera Calibration” tab in Lightroom. My real question is: What is this particular tab doing? On the surface it appears to be adjusting Shadow Tint and RGB Hue/Saturation. Or is there something going on under the hood in ACR that is much more complex? As I adjust camera profiles, using the various film type presets I own, and very much dependent on the camera model and make, the results go from none, to subtle, to drastic. I find it difficult to comprehend that adjusting channel Hue/Saturation, for example, can create those drastic changes. So what is really going in the Camera Profile tab? Or is it just what it says it is? 

Below I’ve attached some screen grabs to show what one of VSCO’s film emulation presets looks like. If it doesn’t show up, it reads // Agfa Scala 200X, in the Profile section, and it has made two small adjustments in Red and Blue Channel Saturation. I’ve also attached the various film Profiles that VSCO includes.

I hope this isn’t too complex of an inquiry…probably one of the reasons I get so little feedback when I bring it up :) I’m just trying to create the best presets I can so I wanted to become more familiar with the real adjustments Lightroom is making.

Thanks everyone and Happy Holidays!!

JB Rasor
   
Logged

Rhossydd

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3369
    • http://www.paulholman.com
Re: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2014, 06:37:38 am »

My real question is: What is this particular tab doing?
My understanding of the calibration tab is that it allows LR to use a DNG profile to 'normalise' each camera's output back to a 'standard', or predetermined, rendition. In a similar way ICC camera profiles work in other raw converters or printer profiles correct for different papers and inks<a gross simplification of how ICC profiles work, but probably helpful enough here>.
It's possible to build custom camera profiles fairly easily via applications like X-Rite Passport, DNG profile editor and QP card, these allow individual camera profiles to be built on a per-camera body method that can help some people get the best from their cameras. (This subject has been discussed in great detail many times before on LL)
The complication is that the DNG profiles can also be used to give specific 'looks' eg when matching the in-camera JPG picture styles most cameras offer as well as just standardising the output.
Quote
is there something going on under the hood in ACR that is much more complex?
I think that the DNG profile creation software has more sophistication than just using the options available in the camera calibration tab.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge can confirm or deny that assumption.
Quote
Below I’ve attached some screen grabs to show what one of VSCO’s film emulation presets looks like. If it doesn’t show up, it reads // Agfa Scala 200X, in the Profile section, and it has made two small adjustments in Red and Blue Channel Saturation. I’ve also attached the various film Profiles that VSCO includes.
It looks like VSCO are using a DNG profile to create their 'look'. Curious as that would preclude being able to compensate for individual camera characteristics unless they offered each film preset for every camera which doesn't seem to be the case, so the same preset will give a different look dependent on camera.
I'd guess that VSCO would say that their film type is far more significant than the minor differences between cameras, or that the DNG profile creation software allows a better range of options for fine tuning output, more likely they think it's harder to reverse engineer and copy than using a normal preset.

Other than that, the controls within the tab are just another set of tools at one's disposal that can change the rendition of the image. It's settings can be saved into a user preset, just like any other control.

Personally I'm no fan of pre-made presets that impose other people's looks or styles.
I do create custom DNG profiles for my cameras, my own preference is for QP card ones, and I'll sometimes create a special one for unusual situations. I keep a mini CC24 in my camera bag for such eventualities. I then use a user made preset for each of my cameras that applies the appropriate DNG custom profiles and my preferred sharpening settings for use when importing. That gets images into LR at a good set of defaults that I like to work from.
Logged

rdonson

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3263
Re: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2014, 08:33:55 am »

This may help your understanding of Camera Profiles.  In many cases the presets are constructed to emulate the JPEG profiles that many camera manufacturers include in their cameras.  Of course, you may season to taste and save as your own.

http://blip.tv/lightroom-killer-tips/lightroom-killer-tips-calibration-profiles-and-presets-6248865
Logged
Regards,
Ron

Chris_Brown

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 974
  • Smile dammit!
    • Chris Brown Photography
Re: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2014, 11:14:10 am »

This gets me to the sometimes mysterious “Camera Calibration” tab in Lightroom. My real question is: What is this particular tab doing?

Behind this tab, so to speak, is the crux of how ACR/LR renders colors and tones. Using Adobe's DNG Editor, you can make custom camera profiles for your specific camera make & model. Done correctly, these camera profiles will give you the ability to, for example, produce extremely accurate color & tone (great for copying artwork, for example) or camera profiles that enhance scenes like autumn landscapes or better render caucasian skin tones in portraits. You can also generate camera profiles for use when you photograph under less than ideal conditions (e.g., office lights or a hoop house roof) to help render more pleasing color & tone while reducing time & fuss in the other ACR/LR tabs.

The How-To is here.

By setting your preferences, you can even have ACR/LR provide a camera profile that is exclusive to that camera body & ISO setting.

Logged
~ CB

digitaldog

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20630
  • Andrew Rodney
    • http://www.digitaldog.net/
Re: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2014, 01:24:01 pm »

According to Thomas Knoll, the reason why DNG profiles are more powerful than any combination of existing Lightroom setting, even the calibration sliders combined with the HSL sliders, is the looks editor which act on DNG profiles allows different adjustments for different saturation ranges.  This will allow us to solve the issue where simple matrix profiles have where low saturation reds (e.g. skin tones) can be too red, while at the same time highly saturated reds (a stop light) can be too orange.
Logged
http://www.digitaldog.net/
Author "Color Management for Photographers".

JB Rasor

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 157
    • JB Rasor
Re: Lightroom Presets and Camera Profiles
« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2014, 06:39:47 pm »

Thank you all for the follow ups!

I watched Andrew's (The Digital Dog) YouTube video on creating camera profiles, using DNG profile editor, and it definitely clarified a great deal.

I think what I've learned, as it relates to presets, is that much more can be done to create "looks" beyond what is presented in the Lightroom Develop Module. I.e. creating profiles under various conditions for different camera models, film types, etc. Creating effective presets, for use with multiple camera brands and models, may be quite a difficult task. But I'll keep at it.

Thanks again for the help guys...greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!   

JB Rasor
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up