Set up default settings for raw images

Last updated on Apr 27, 2021

Introduced in Lightroom Classic 9.2 (February 2020 release)

Set default settings for importing raw file format images in Lightroom Classic based on Adobe defaults, camera-specific defaults, or custom presets.

Set default settings for importing raw images

To set default settings for importing raw images, do the following:

Navigate to Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS).
Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box.
From the Master drop-down, select one of the following:

Adobe Default

Select this option to apply Adobe default settings to your raw images.

Camera Settings

Select this option to keep the settings of the camera from which the raw image was taken.

Preset

Select this option and choose a preset to apply on your raw images while importing them.

Note:

If you select Camera Settings and there are no matching settings in Lightroom Classic, the Adobe Default settings will be applied.

Set default settings for importing raw images

Set raw defaults specific to camera model

You can set default settings for your raw images based on the camera model. You can even specify different default settings for multiple cameras of the same camera model based on their serial number.

Modify default settings

Create default settings

To set default settings based on camera model, do the following:

Navigate to Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS).
Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box.
Select Override master settings for specific cameras under Raw Defaults.
Select a camera model from the Camera drop-down. The drop-down list contains the name of all the camera models from which you have imported raw images.
(Optional) If you want to create default settings for a camera based on the serial number, select Show serial number. The Camera drop-down list now contains the name of camera models along with their serial numbers.

Set raw defaults specific to camera model
From the Default drop-down, select one of the following:

Adobe Default

Select this option to apply Adobe default settings to your raw images.

Camera Settings

Select this option to keep the settings of the camera from which the raw image was taken.

Preset

Select this option and choose a preset to apply on your raw images while importing them.

Note:

If you select Camera Settings and there are no matching settings in Lightroom Classic, the Adobe Default settings will be applied.
Click Create Default.

Modify default settings

To modify a default setting that you have created, do the following:

Navigate to Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS).
Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box.
Select the default setting that you want to modify and do one of the following:
- Click the down arrow next to the default setting.
- Right/Left-click on the default setting
Modify default settings
Select the new setting from the pop-up menu.

Delete default settings

To delete a default setting that you have created, do the following:

Navigate to Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS).
Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box.
Select the default setting that you want to delete and do one of the following:
- Click the down arrow next to the default setting.
- Right-click on the default setting
Select Delete from the pop-up menu.

Delete default settings

Set raw defaults specific to ISO values

You can set raw defaults based on the ISO values of your raw images. To do this, you need to create an ISO adaptive preset and set it as default for your raw images.

You can specify different settings for different ISO values in your preset. If an image has a different ISO value than the one you have specified in your preset, the appropriate value of the setting is calculated based on the values defined by you in the preset. For example, if you create the following preset

ISO 400 Luminance Noise Reduction 0
ISO 1600 Luminance Noise Reduction 10

and import an image with ISO 800, the Luminance Noise Reduction will be set to 5.

To set up raw defaults based on ISO values, do the following:

Create an ISO adaptive preset. For more information, see Create an ISO adaptive preset.
Navigate to Edit > Preferences (Win) or Lightroom Classic > Preferences (macOS).
Select the Presets tab from the Preferences dialog box.
Do one of the following:
- From the Master drop-down, select Preset > User Presets and select the ISO adaptive preset.
- Select Override master setting for specific cameras, select a camera model, and from the Default drop-down, select Preset > User Presets and select the ISO adaptive preset.

ISO adaptive presets examples

Here are a couple of examples of ISO adaptive presets. You can download and customize these presets as per your requirement.

Example 1

Get file

ISO adaptive preset 1

This preset sets the Luminance Noise Reduction in the following ways:

0 for images at ISO 400 and below
10 for images with 1600 ISO
30 for images with 6400 ISO and above

The primary use case for this preset is to customize and increase the amount of noise reduction as the ISO value of an image increases.

Example 2

Get file

ISO adaptive preset 2

This preset customizes the following settings:

Luminance Noise Reduction
Color Noise Reduction
Smoothness of Color Noise Reduction
Blacks
Clarity
Masking of Sharpening

This preset will make the following changes to the raw images based on their ISO values:

Completely disables noise reduction at ISO 400 and below
Disables Masking of Sharpening at lower ISO values and enables it at higher ISO values
Uses default values of Blacks and Clarity at lower ISO values but different values at higher ISO values.

Location of raw default settings

If you want to move your raw default settings from one machine to another or want to take the backup of your settings, you can find the raw default settings at the following location:

macOS: /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Defaults
Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Defaults\

FAQ

If I reset the preferences of Lightroom Classic, will I have to set up raw defaults again?

Resetting or deleting Lightroom Classic preferences will not affect your default raw settings as they are stored separately.
How can I export/import raw default settings?

There is no option in Lightroom Classic to export/import raw default settings. However, you can copy RawDefaults.xmp from the following location to export/import raw default settings manually.

macOS: /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Defaults

Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Defaults\

Get help faster and easier

New user?