Creating a “JPEG” Profile for your RAW Photos (Lightroom Only)
Posted: June 25th, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: calibration, color, jpeg, lightroom, preset, profile, raw | 6 Comments »Think RAW processing is a pain? Want the polished look of JPEGs with the flexibility of RAW’s uncompressed data and detail retention? You can have it all (or very close to it).
1) Create a custom Camera Calibration Profile
The first thing you need to do is make sure that you’ve created a Camera Calibration profile for your camera using a ColorChecker Color Rendition Chart. You can move ahead with this tutorial without creating a custom calibration profile, but I strongly recommend buying a ColorChecker card and creating a custom profile if you are concerned with getting accurate color.
Moving on …
2) Set your in-camera JPEG options (Contrast, Saturation, etc)
Set your Picture Control settings (or the Canon equivalent) to fine tune your in-camera JPEG processing. Set brightness, contrast, and saturation. Also select your desired sharpening and noise reduction settings if that’s something you normally do during RAW processing. Personally, I prefer to do my sharpening (presharpening and final sharpening) and noise reduction (using Noiseware) in Photoshop, so I’m setting sharpening to 0 and noise reduction to Low/Off.
3) Set your Camera to take JPEG (Fine) + RAW Images
You’re going to take a few sample shots, but first, make sure that your camera is going to be recording both RAW and the highest quality JPEG images.
4) Take two (or more) Unique Sample Images
Now it’s time for the sample shots. Try to compose a scene that includes most of the following:
1) Moderate dynamic range (a reasonably high contrast scene with both very light and very dark areas – try to strike a balance – this is a good time for matrix/evaluative metering!)
2) An array of colors, both saturated and neutral, including one or more of the following:
a) Skin tones (this is critical if you regularly shoot people)
b) Sky
c) Grass
You need your two sample shots to be completely different scenes (preferably different locations at different times of day — or perhaps one indoor shot and one outdoor shot).
Here are my two shots (these are SOOC JPEGs) — and they are only taken for this purpose, so ignore my lovely composition, underexposed face, etc:
5) Compare your JPEG and RAW images in Lightroom
Upload your images to Lightroom, and select the JPEG version of Sample #1. CTRL (Mac: Command) + Click on the RAW version of the same image. Now you want to view your images in “Compare” mode in the Library Module by pressing “C” (or go to View>Compare)
6) Zero Out Your Settings
Make sure that you have your RAW image active (don’t deselect the JPEG image, just click on the RAW thumbnail), and head over to the Develop Module. If you haven’t changed Lightroom’s default settings, you should be sitting at Brightness: +50; Contrast: +25, Blacks: +5. Everything else should (by default) be set at 0. You may or may not be able to see in the image above that Lightroom’s default settings (which are only applied to the RAW file) have resulted in a significantly brighter image than we see in the JPEG version; the RAW image also appears to be more contrasty and has lost a lot of detail in the highlights.
Click the Preset “General-Zeroed.”
I know, I know – it looks even worse (if you go back to the Library module, you can see the comparison side by side). Bear with me.
7) Adjust your Settings until the RAW Image looks like the JPEG Image
This is the fun part. It’s also the part where you’re kind of on your own.
If you have set up a Camera Calibration Profile, make sure you have applied it to your RAW Image.
Now start tinkering with the develop sliders. Start with Recovery (leave Exposure alone – trust me), and work your way down. FWIW, I recommend starting with Exposure and working your way down when you are tweaking your images in Lightroom generally.
Your goal is to make the tonal values of the RAW image look like the JPEG image.
To start off, you’ll be working with both the Basic and Tone Curve panels; I don’t recommend adjusting the HSL sliders, especially if you’re using a custom Calibration Profile. IGNORE any differences in sharpness and noise between your RAW and JPEG images. If you want to match your JPEG’s sharpness and noise settings, you’ll need to do that separately. We’ll get to it.
Give the sliders a workout; for me, this process is a lot of trial-and-error. If working on dual monitors, you can view both images in Compare mode on your second monitor to watch your progress as you adjust. Otherwise, click on the JPEG thumbnail intermittently to compare the changes as you go … just make sure you always have the RAW version selected when you’re moving the sliders — you don’t want to change anything about the JPEG version. For a side by side comparison, just switch back to the Library module. When you think the images start looking close, Zoom in to 100% and closely examine any contrast/shadow/highlight differences between the two images — the darkest and lightest areas are the most critical to match. After all, that’s really what determines if your RAW exposure matches your JPEG exposure (and exposure inconsistencies between what you see on your camera LCD and what you see when you upload your RAW file can be maddening!).
When your JPEG and RAW images look nearly identical, you’re ready to move on.*
* You may find as your tweaking that you are making your RAW image look BETTER than the JPEG. Don’t go there; it might work for this picture, but it won’t work for all of them. Your goal is to define a preset that makes the tonal values of your RAW files look like the JPEG, which represents the image you see on the back of your LCD. You’re still going to be adjusting images individually during post processing. You may find down the road that you like your contrast (for example) a little higher in ALL of your shots. You can make that change then. Right now, just keep your eye on the ball – you are trying to make your RAW image tones look consistent with your camera’s JPEGs.
Save your New Default
You’re almost there. Switch to the Develop module, and select Develop>Set Default Settings>Update to Current Settings
9) Test and Tweak Your New Default
Deselect the JPEG version of Sample #1 (just CTRL+click on it to deselect). Then hold down CTRL+click the RAW version of Sample #2. You should have the RAW versions of both Samples selected. Press “Sync” (in the Develop module) to sync Sample #2 with the settings in Sample #1.
When Sample #2 looks good, sync its settings to Sample #1, and check to make sure Sample #1 still looks consistent with the JPEG. Go back and forth between the two, tweaking until you find settings that make both images look consistent with their corresponding JPEG versions. This can be a frustrating process … just when you think you get one Sample to look perfectly in line with its corresponding JPEG, it makes the other one look way off. Stick with it — and don’t overlook the Tone Curve sliders … sometimes those are the key to finding settings that work for both images. It does not have to be perfect — it just has to be close. Again, pay special attention to the lightest and darkest parts of your image. You’ll get it!
If you’re working with a Custom Calibrated Camera profile, your colors may look very different between the JPEG and RAW versions. You have to look past it and focus on ensuring that the TONAL values – especially those at the extremes – are consistent.
10) Finalize your New Default
If you’ve made any changes, you’re going to need to Update your default settings again. Once again, in the Develop module, select Develop>Set Default Settings>Update to Current Settings
11) Optional: Create noise reduction and sharpening Presets*
If you are want to perfectly match your RAW files to your JPEGs in Lightroom, you need to take into account sharpness and noise in addition to brightness/contrast/etc.* However, you also need to be aware that sharpening and noise reduction will vary according to your ISO, so you’ll want to take Sample shots at various ISO intervals (Perhaps ISO 200, ISO 800, and ISO 1600/3200 — which can represent low, medium, and high ISO settings).
Compare your JPEG and Sample Images for each of the various ISOs, and adjust sharpness and noise reduction accordingly. When you find the correct setting for Low ISO (For example), do NOT update your Default Settings. Instead, Create a Preset called “Low ISO NR and Sharpening”; do the same for “Medium ISO” and “High ISO.” When you create the Preset, make sure you only have Sharpening and Noise Reduction checked.
* Again, I don’t do this; I like to do my presharpening and noise reduction in Photoshop – I prefer to perform each of these processes individually at particular points in my workflow.
12) Put your New Settings to Use!
Now, whenever you upload your RAW images to Lightroom, if will automatically apply your new default settings – which should bring your RAW images in line with the images that you see on the back of your LCD screen during shooting. If you created NR/Sharpening presets, just click the correct preset button (depending on the ISO at which you shot). That’s it!
