Adjust the color calibration for your camera

Lightroom uses two camera profiles for every camera model it supports to process raw images. The profiles are produced by photographing a color target under different white-balanced lighting conditions. When you set a white balance, Lightroom uses the profiles for your camera to extrapolate color information. These camera profiles are the same ones developed for Adobe Camera Raw. They are not ICC color profiles.

You can adjust how Lightroom interprets the color from your camera by using the controls in the Camera Calibration panel and saving the changes as a preset. You may find it useful to photograph a standard color target under the lighting you want to calibrate.

  1. Select a photo, and then set options in the Camera Calibration panel.
    Profile
    Sets the profile to use for your camera.
    ACR [version]
    These profiles are compatible with older versions of Camera Raw and Lightroom. The version corresponds to the version of Camera Raw in which the profile first appeared. Choose an ACR profile if you want consistent behavior with legacy photos.

    Adobe Standard
    These profiles significantly improve color rendering, especially in warm tones such as reds, yellows, and oranges, from earlier Adobe camera profiles. The Profile pop-up menu displays only one Adobe Standard profile for your camera.

    Camera Matching
    These profiles attempt to match the camera manufacturer’s color appearance under specific settings. Use a Camera Matching profile if you prefer the color rendering offered by your camera manufacturer’s software. Camera Matching profiles include the prefix Camera in the profile name.

    Embedded
    Indicates that the current file (a TIFF, JPEG, or PSD photo) has an embedded profile.

    Note: Adobe Standard and Camera Matching profiles are based on the DNG 1.2 specification. If they do not appear in the Profile pop-up menu, download latest Lightroom update at www.adobe.com/go/downloads.

    Shadows
    Corrects for any green or magenta tint in the shadow areas of the photo.

    Red, Green, and Blue Primary
    The Hue and Saturation sliders adjust the red, green, and blue in the photo. In general, adjust the hue first, and then adjust its saturation. Moving the Hue slider to the left (negative value) is similar to a counterclockwise move on the color wheel; moving it to the right (positive value) is similar to a clockwise move. Moving the Saturation slider to the left (negative value) desaturates the color; moving it to the right (positive value) increases saturation.

  2. Save the adjustments as a Develop preset. See Create and apply Develop presets.

    You can apply this preset to other photos taken with the same camera, under similar lighting conditions.

You can also customize camera profiles using the standalone DNG Profile Editor utility. The free DNG Profile Editor and documentation for it are available for download at www.adobe.com/go/learn_ps_dng.

Note: Leave the Camera Calibration panel sliders set to 0 when adjusting camera profiles with the DNG Profile Editor.