[skipper954]

How to change defaults in Adobe Camera Raw

The engineers at Adobe concluded that ACR should show the images corrected for exposure, shadows and brightness and contrast. So ACR opens with the “auto” box checked. The algorithm then opens ACR with standard settings, which make all of your different exposures appear corrected to look alike.

So, open several images in Camera Raw. If you open more than one image a film strip appears on the left side. It is very useful. It doesn’t make any different if you open with CR or PS.



If the “auto” boxes for exposure, shadow, brightness and contrast are checked, uncheck them.



Next, go to the detail tab. Change sharpness to 10 (preview only). You may have to click the right arrow opposite image settings, then preferences, then apply sharpening to preview image only. Change luminance smoothing to 0, and noise reduction to 2 or 3. The color and highlights will not be degraded then.



Click the curve tab. I prefer a linear curve because I want to adjust the contrast myself, so I have linear checked.



Now click the right arrow beside image settings again and select “save new camera raw defaults”.





You can now make subsets of any parameters that you want. For instance, I initially view all my images in mono to more accurately (I think) set my exposure parameters. Since I am already in my new camera raw defaults, I set my saturation to –100 and save it as a subset. I could just as easily make this my default.

I also like to look at the shadows to see how much detail there is to bring out, so I set the brightness at 150 and save as another default with an appropriate name.



Then if you click the dropdown menu under image settings you will see all of the subsets you created.

I am told that you must do this for each camera you use, and so I did.



Finally, if for some reason you don’t want to go into Camera Raw, once you have your default setting, you can get there from Bridge. In bridge, select the pictures you want to change, click edit/apply camera raw settings/camera raw defaults (or any other presets from the dropdown.)

I hope that this little tutorial is helpful.

skip

[abirkill]

Extremely helpful - I've been using ACR for over a year now, and never knew it had this functionality! Thanks!

[skipper954]

Glad it was of benefit to you.

Between bridge and ACR, I can do most of my editing rapidly on multiple images, on a global basis, and save the local changes, which take the most time, for the "keepers".

skip

[Steve]

Thanks for this Skip..I have added you some rep points for your troubles

[skipper954]

Thank you

skip