Which Lightroom Camera Calibration/Profile should I use for Nikon RAW files?

Asked 7/2/2016

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When editing RAW files from a Nikon D750 in Lightroom, switching the profile from Adobe Standard to Camera Standard makes the image look much closer to the in-camera preview and the original scene. Is there a "correct" profile to use, or is it just preference? Also, does my camera's in-camera color space setting (sRGB vs Adobe RGB) affect Lightroom when I shoot RAW, and is choosing a different Lightroom camera profile considered unacceptable photo manipulation for documentary or photojournalism work?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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What is the correct setting for this field? Does it need to be adjusted from one camera to another?

There is no correct or incorrect setting. Adobe created several profiles for each camera with focus on different qualities. Select profile that gives the most acceptable colors for you.

On my Nikon D750, the color profile is set to 'sRGB'. Should I leave this as such or switch to "Adobe RGB" for better color reproduction (or matching in Adobe Lightroom)?

The camera profiles in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom are unrelated. You only need to worry about in-camera sRGB/AdobeRGB setting if you shoot JPEG. And you only need to worry about Adobe camera profiles if you shoot raw.

I know that sRGB is the most widely used profile online, and unless one is using a wide-gamut monitor is a safe bet. But why is Lightroom then setting the color profile under camera calibration to "Adobe Standard"?

The Lightroom profiles are here to guide the conversion from raw. Every conversion from raw. The sRGB/Adobe RGB profiles are applied only after the image is converted from raw to RGB. And in LR, you only need to worry about these RGB profiles if you export your photos as JPG, TIFF or similar or if you print with manual color management.

If you are a photojournalist is changing this setting considered "manipulating" the photo?

Very unlikely. At least as long as you use the default profiles. However, you could create profiles that severely manipulate color, these could cause some problems, I would think.

If camera calibration is available only to interpret RAW images from a given camera properly, what's the correct way to set this field? Or should I leave it as such (to "Adobe Standard")?

Set it to whatever gives results that are closest to your vision. Unless you make your own profile, you will probably find that for most of your images it is either the Adobe Standard or Camera Default. But try all of them and see which one you prefer as a starting point for your further edits. Lightroom also allows creating a preset from the regular editing sliders, so you can have your individual style applied automatically on the images when you import them.

Originally by user27944. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27944

10y ago

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There isn’t one universally “correct” Lightroom profile for RAW files. Profiles like Adobe Standard and Camera Standard are different renderings Adobe provides for your camera; the best choice is the one that gives the color and tonal response you want. If Camera Standard matches your Nikon’s preview more closely, that’s a valid reason to use it.

Your camera’s sRGB/Adobe RGB setting is generally only relevant for JPEGs (and the embedded preview). For RAW, Lightroom is not using that in-camera color space setting in the same way; Lightroom’s camera profiles and the camera’s sRGB/Adobe RGB option are separate things.

So:

  • If you shoot RAW, choose the Lightroom profile based on the look you prefer.
  • If you shoot JPEG, then the in-camera sRGB/Adobe RGB setting matters more.

Using a different Lightroom profile is not inherently “manipulation” in a problematic sense; it’s part of how RAW data is interpreted. For documentary/photojournalism, the main issue is whether your edits remain faithful to the scene and comply with your publication’s ethics rules, not whether you used Adobe Standard or Camera Standard.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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