To begin editing RAW photos in Lightroom Classic, some settings must be applied to the unprocessed data. A default set of settings, called Adobe Defaults, applies the Adobe Color camera profile, zeroes out almost all other settings, and begins sharpening and reducing noise in the Detail panel at a baseline. It is important to note that this only affects RAW photos, so you will not see any changes to JPG, PSD, PNG, or TIF files (which have no settings applied by default).
You don’t have to change the Adobe Default settings; they are fine as they are. Nonetheless, if you often use the same settings for new RAW photos (such as lens corrections, camera profiles, or sharpening options), then you might benefit from customizing the default settings to include them. The only thing this does is give you a new starting point for your RAW photos that are customized to your needs.
Locating the RAW Default Set
You can find the new system under:
- Mac: Lightroom Classic > Preferences > Presets
- PC: Edit > Preferences > Presets
A new panel is available here called Raw Defaults. Default settings can no longer be customized using the old method.
Master control options are available within the RAW Defaults panel:
Adobe Default: The Adobe defaults are the same as they were in the past. The default profile is Adobe Color, and all settings except the sliders in the Detail panel are zeroed out.
Camera Settings: As Adobe Default, but with a tailored profile (instead of Adobe Color) based on your camera’s picture style selection. As a result, if you set your camera to B&W (monochrome), choosing Camera Settings will apply a monochrome profile.
You won’t see any changes to your settings unless you’re shooting with a Nikon Z series camera. Depending on in-camera settings, Nikon Z series owners may also see other settings in Basic and Detail panels change (hopefully this will spread to other camera models and makes in the future).
In my opinion, this is a very exciting development, and I hope we see Lightroom Classic do a better job of emulating the in-camera settings in the future.Preset: By choosing a Develop preset, you can apply it by default to all RAW photos from all cameras (or just specific cameras). This will basically replace the old default option for custom camera raw. Anything that you can include in a preset can be included in a preset. This can also be combined with the Camera Settings option (below).
Set Master Default
The first step you need to take if you only have one camera model or you want all RAW photos from all camera models to have the same basic default settings is to customize the Master setting.
Previously, we had to create custom defaults for each camera even if we wanted to apply the same settings, so this is another improvement.
For clarity, let’s consider a few scenarios:
- You don’t want to change anything. Leave it set to Adobe Default.
- You want to try letting Lightroom Classic change the profile based on the in-camera picture style, but leave all other settings the same as Adobe Default. Select Camera Settings from the Master drop-down menu.
- Your preset is always applied on import, so you want to set it as the RAW default, or you want to create a preset specifically for this purpose. You would navigate to and select the desired preset from the Master drop-down menu using the Preset option.
Create a Preset
Using the new Camera Settings feature, we can choose a profile based on in-camera picture style and leave everything else at Adobe Default. The following is just an example, so feel free to include only the settings that make sense in your workflow.
- Choose a RAW photo and click Reset to make sure all settings are zeroed out.
- Open the New Develop Preset dialog box by selecting
Develop > New Preset. You can call this preset “Auto Camera Settings” or anything else that makes sense to you.
- Use the Group drop-down menu to create a new group called “Default Raw Presets” or whatever name you choose.
- Select None and then check only Auto Settings and Process Version. When you do not check the box for Treatment & Profile, Lightroom Classic uses the previously mentioned Camera Settings function (and possibly some additional settings if you are using a Nikon Z series camera). Complete the process by clicking Create. You will see the new preset in the Preset panel within the group you created.
- In the Presets tab of Preferences, click the Master drop-down menu, click Preset, and select the preset you created (look for the preset group you specified). Your preset should then appear in the Master drop-down menu.
Starting from now on, every newly imported RAW photo will have the default settings applied to it by default. Similarly, clicking the Reset button in Develop will restore default settings. Test your new defaults by taking photos using different camera picture styles and importing them.
Updating a Preset
As a result of some testing, you decide that you would like to continue using Camera Settings to choose profiles, but without Auto Settings AND including a lens profile correction. It’s time to update that preset.
- When you have selected a raw photo, click Reset to reset it to its default settings. Check the boxes for Remove Chromatic Aberration and Enable Profile Corrections in the Lens Corrections panel. Everything else can be left as it is.
- Open the Update Develop Preset dialog box by right-clicking the Camera Settings Auto preset (or whatever you named it).
- Check only the Lens Profile Corrections, Chromatic Aberration, and Process Version options. All other boxes should be left unchecked. Then click Update.
When you click Reset, the selected photo will retain its in-camera style profile, the sliders for tonal values in the Basic panel will be reset to Auto, and the boxes you selected in the Lens Corrections panel will be checked.
If you wish to update your default settings in the future, simply update that preset. It is important not to delete that preset otherwise you will be reverted to the Camera Settings option without being informed.
Conclusion
It’s still possible to apply a preset during import, tethering, or auto-import. The Raw Default settings you choose are applied first, followed by any import presets, and then any changes you make manually after import. Raw Default is intended to save you time by getting you to your preferred starting point.
Import presets enable you to change your default settings based on creative or job-specific needs. You can leave all of this at Adobe Defaults and edit manually in Develop if it seems too overwhelming