Setting Import Defaults in Adobe Lightroom

Following up on the Lightroom creative workflow video tutorial I posted last week, a few people emailed to ask how they can set specific Lightroom import default settings. Specifically I mentioned setting Lens Corrections to be on for every image imported as this is probably going to be needed for most if not all images you process in Lightroom. Why have to check this off every time when you can have Lightroom do it for you automatically? And even better, Lightroom allows you so set this and other default settings per specific camera, which is great if you have more than one camera and want to use different default settings for each.

For example, I sometimes import iPhone photos into Lightroom for more precise editing, and use a higher than normal setting for noise reduction simply because photos tend to be noisier, especially in low light. Yes you can edit other file types in LR such as JPEG, PSD, and TIFF – which is very powerful when you have scans and other images that you want to edit, print, and organize. This is a great time saver and makes your workflow so much more efficient. Plus you can always override a default, so no need to worry about making changes later.

Steps to Setting up Import Defaults

1. This has to be done in the Develop Module, so I advise choosing an image that you do not intend to develop, or make sure you save the current develop settings as a Snapshot since we’ll be resetting the image.  To save a snapshot, click on the plus sign in the Snapshots section in the left column and give it a name – “Version 1” for example.

2. Now select “Reset All Settings” from the Settings Menu. This zero’s out ALL settings on the image.

3. Now under the Lens Correction panel, in the Profile section click the checkbox to turn it on.

4. If there are any other defaults you’d like for this particular camera, set them now. For instance, I also set luminance and color noise reduction to 10 and 20 respectively.

5. Now under the Develop Menu, choose Set Default Settings. In the following dialog box, click on “Update to Current Settings”.

6. That’s it! Now anytime you import an image from this camera, it will have these settings applied. Repeat these steps for any other cameras you regularly use.

7. IF you saved a Snapshot for your image, you can go ahead and select it to revert the image back to it’s original settings. Or better yet, try and process it differently for a better result – practice makes perfect!

Hope that helps your workflow – any questions or comments, ask away.