After reading through this post, it seems to me that you might want to consider a different post-processing platform. While I don't use either ACR or Lightroom, my understanding is that Lightroom is more automated in its application of lens/camera profiles. This may solve your issues with raw files.
My main post-processing platform is Capture One and the majority of manufacturers' lenses are present in the profiles regardless of price point. I believe the same is true for LR. C1 also automates white balance/exposure/contrast which shortens your processing time. (if you choose to do so) I'm pretty sure LR does the same.
I can appreciate your frustration. As for the quality of glass, that is your decision on what glass to purchase and use.
Best - Kk
I think it's better making Lightroom/Bridge-ACR work. The procedure below seem to be wrong or not really necessary.
snegron7 wrote:
Example:
1. I use my Canon R6II with a Canon RF 16-28mm f2.8 STM to take a picture of a building. My R6II is set to RAW + JPEG.
2. I get home, remove the SD card from my R6II, insert it into a card reader that's plugged into my laptop, and save my images to a folder on my desktop.
3. I then open that folder to view the picture I took of that building. In order to view the RAW version of that image, I have to use Adobe Photoshop ACR (Adobe Camera Raw).
4. When ACR shows me the RAW image of the building, it looks dark, warped, soft, with heavy vignetting, and low contrast. It appears at first glance Like a picture taken with an old, 110 film camera from the 1970's (pardon the reference, but I'm old).
5. I then proceed to "work" on the image in ACR to improve the vignetting, lack of contrast, darkness, white balance, optical disortion, etc.
6. After finally getting the image to look like what I remember the building actually looked like in real life, I open it in Photoshop.
7. I then compare it to the original JPEG image (remmber that I shot with both RAW + JPEG when I first captured the image of the building?). I realize that both images are pretty much the same; the RAW image I just finished processing AND the JPEG image hat was first captured when I took the image to begin with.
8. I then become frustrated for having spent so much time in ACR when I could have just used the original JPEG that I captured initially when I shot the image. After all, both my original JPEG and my proceesed RAW images look nearly identical; both look good.
9. My frustration = TIME spent processing that RAW image.
This is strange. I read the thread and see you are paying for the Adobe software and yet you are asking for a profile for the WA zoom you use. I have the same software and use ACR for my RAW to PSD conversions. Looking at all the tools to the right in ACR I see the section "Optics" close to the bottom. There, when choosing Canon, you certainly should find the profile for your 18-28mm lens. If you don't have that re-installing the software might help.
Clicking that one and then choosing a good profile (now at the top just above the "Light" section) you should immediately be where your OOC JPG files are.
Set everything in ACR as you like to have it and then make a new preset used as default starting point for your images (there are detailed instructions on-line).
The RF 16-28mm f2.8 STM does not appear as an option on the lens profile list for me.
Granted, I haven't updated Adobe for the past several months because I have been under the assumption that because it's a monthly subscription, it should be updating on its own.
Last time I updated the Adobe app on my laptop I was able to (briefly) use their "Firefly" AI option. It was cute until it required me to subscribe to a more expensive plan. As far as I know, there is no updated profile in ACR for the Canon RF 16-28mm f2.8.
After reading through this post, it seems to me that you might want to consider a different post-processing platform. While I don't use either ACR or Lightroom, my understanding is that Lightroom is more automated in its application of lens/camera profiles. This may solve your issues with raw files.
My main post-processing platform is Capture One and the majority of manufacturers' lenses are present in the profiles regardless of price point. I believe the same is true for LR. C1 also automates white balance/exposure/contrast which shortens your processing time. (if you choose to do so) I'm pretty sure LR does the same.
I can appreciate your frustration. As for the quality of glass, that is your decision on what glass to purchase and use.
Best - Kk
I think it's better making Lightroom/Bridge-ACR work. The procedure below seem to be wrong or not really necessary.
snegron7 wrote:
Example:
1. I use my Canon R6II with a Canon RF 16-28mm f2.8 STM to take a picture of a building. My R6II is set to RAW + JPEG.
2. I get home, remove the SD card from my R6II, insert it into a card reader that's plugged into my laptop, and save my images to a folder on my desktop.
3. I then open that folder to view the picture I took of that building. In order to view the RAW version of that image, I have to use Adobe Photoshop ACR (Adobe Camera Raw).
4. When ACR shows me the RAW image of the building, it looks dark, warped, soft, with heavy vignetting, and low contrast. It appears at first glance Like a picture taken with an old, 110 film camera from the 1970's (pardon the reference, but I'm old).
5. I then proceed to "work" on the image in ACR to improve the vignetting, lack of contrast, darkness, white balance, optical disortion, etc.
6. After finally getting the image to look like what I remember the building actually looked like in real life, I open it in Photoshop.
7. I then compare it to the original JPEG image (remmber that I shot with both RAW + JPEG when I first captured the image of the building?). I realize that both images are pretty much the same; the RAW image I just finished processing AND the JPEG image hat was first captured when I took the image to begin with.
8. I then become frustrated for having spent so much time in ACR when I could have just used the original JPEG that I captured initially when I shot the image. After all, both my original JPEG and my proceesed RAW images look nearly identical; both look good.
9. My frustration = TIME spent processing that RAW image.
This is strange. I read the thread and see you are paying for the Adobe software and yet you are asking for a profile for the WA zoom you use. I have the same software and use ACR for my RAW to PSD conversions. Looking at all the tools to the right in ACR I see the section "Optics" close to the bottom. There, when choosing Canon, you certainly should find the profile for your 18-28mm lens. If you don't have that re-installing the software might help.
Clicking that one and then choosing a good profile (now at the top just above the "Light" section) you should immediately be where your OOC JPG files are.
Set everything in ACR as you like to have it and then make a new preset used as default starting point for your images (there are detailed instructions on-line).
The RF 16-28mm f2.8 STM does not appear as an option on the lens profile list for me.
Granted, I haven't updated Adobe for the past several months because I have been under the assumption that because it's a monthly subscription, it should be updating on its own.
Last time I updated the Adobe app on my laptop I was able to (briefly) use their "Firefly" AI option. It was cute until it required me to subscribe to a more expensive plan. As far as I know, there is no updated profile in ACR for the Canon RF 16-28mm f2.8.
Feb 05, 2026 at 02:29 PM
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