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Archive 2016 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat

  
 
amandagillen
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat


And the color checker passport will help w pics moving forward but not really with the ones Ive already taken?


Oct 05, 2016 at 10:00 AM
CanadaMark
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat


amandagillen wrote:
Thank you for the advice. I have heard of calibrating your computer but never hear anything about the Colorchecker Passport! So, I can just pick that up for 83$ online and it will work on my macbook pro? I just take a pic of the color checker color profile at each shoot then create an individual profile from that and apply it to each image? Is it really that easy?


No problem. How it works is as follows:

1) Take a RAW photo of the colorchecker passport under the lighting conditions you want (Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Warm Interior, specific shooting location, etc. etc.)

2) Open the file in Photoshop and save it as a DNG file, doing nothing else to it

3) Open the DNG file in Colorchecker's software. It will automatically recognize all the colored squares and creates a profile.

4) Name the profile, for example D750 - 70-200 - Sunlight (or whatever you want)

5) Restart Photoshop and the profile will automatically be in the same drop-down list as Camera Standard, Adobe Standard, Vivid, etc.

Once you have a small collection of profiles (they don't take long to make at all) you simple select the profile that matches the shooting conditions. You can always make additional custom profiles for complicated lighting scenarios, flash photography, etc. Just have the model hold the passport in front of their face for the first shot, and then carry on as normal for the rest of the shoot as long as lighting remains the same.

You're not calibrating your computer, but rather creating a custom profile for a specific camera/lens combination under a specific lighting condition for you to select in Photoshop after the fact. You are supposed to make new ones for every lens, but honestly I have found little to no difference in doing so, and you could probably get away with just making one set. You do need new profiles if you change the camera though.

I don't have a Mac but I assume the software has no problem running on a Mac.

Yes it's really that easy. If you're doing important individual shoots, you may want to make a profile at each shoot for maximum accuracy. If you're just going on vacation, when you come home, you can for example simply highlight all your photos taken in sunlight and apply your sunlight profile in one click. This doesn't mean you won't have to do other work to the photo, but your color will be very accurate. I find it makes the images punchier too with more contrast, sometimes I remove a little contrast after the fact. It's been the single largest time saver for me in post processing because I was never happy with Adobe's profiles.


amandagillen wrote:
And the color checker passport will help w pics moving forward but not really with the ones Ive already taken?



It works on *ANY* photo taken with the camera you make the profile for. Just go make a profile under the same lighting conditions and you can apply it to photos you've already taken.



Oct 05, 2016 at 10:10 AM
amandagillen
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat


CanadaMark wrote:
No problem. How it works is as follows:

1) Take a RAW photo of the colorchecker passport under the lighting conditions you want (Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Warm Interior, specific shooting location, etc. etc.)

2) Open the file in Photoshop and save it as a DNG file, doing nothing else to it

3) Open the DNG file in Colorchecker's software. It will automatically recognize all the colored squares and creates a profile.

4) Name the profile, for example D750 - 70-200 - Sunlight (or whatever you want)

5) Restart Photoshop and the profile will automatically be in the same drop-down list as Camera Standard, Adobe
...Show more

just ordered one from Amazon. Thanks again!



Oct 05, 2016 at 01:27 PM
ariot
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat


Some people also purchase inexpensive sets of profiles online. The best example I can think of is Huelight.

I think the long run calls for your own profiling (Color Checker Passport and others).

But, the Huelight profiles can help some people "see" the difference between their own interpretion from RAW, the standard Nikon JPEG settings applied to RAW, and profiles someone else has developed.

There's also tons of online resources on the topic, if you get really into it.



Oct 07, 2016 at 08:37 PM
mp0363
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Raw files in lightroom cc look flat


amandagillen wrote:
Im going from a Nikon D3300 to a D750. I use a Macbook Pro to edit in lightroom so I realize that could be an issue. Ive calibrated it tho. I agree that the default settings for camera calibration just don't look great to me. Camera neutral and flat are acceptable tho and make quite a difference. I think trying to learn just how much noise reduction and sharpening and contrast to apply just to get to what the jpeg naturally looks like may be part of it. I was hoping there was some magical number /preset that someone had
...Show more

i actually kept a jpeg once. my happa kid sliding down an inflatable orange slide and i just could not fix his facial skin tone from the raw. somehow, the nikon jpeg engine did it (set to portrait fine).

otherwise, i bring all my d750 files into edit from the raw. yes, they can look quite flat and boring, without a good speedlight application anyway.

i use slr presets, a few of my own that i saved, and at times rni presets (mostly kodak 100). it's invaluable down the road to know your way around LR but getting started is a lot of effort and presets are your answer.



Oct 08, 2016 at 12:28 AM
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