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How to Use Light’s L16 Adobe Presets


With our latest tone mapping update to the Light L16, your images will better display the range of tones and colors that the L16 can capture, making the final image closer to what your eyes actually see. Though our local tone mapping algorithms will be automatically applied to JPGs, remember that your DNGs won’t be equipped with this improved range—even though they might appear to in the Lumen preview.

We’ve created a couple different presets for you to use in Lightroom or Photoshop to play around with tonal range and instantly get some “pop” for your images.

To install, download the presets compatible with your editor of choice. We have provided two fully adjustable presets compatible with Lightroom 4-6 and CC, or Adobe Camera Raw via Photoshop CS6 & CC.


For Lightroom Classic CC (Mac/Windows):

  1. Open Lightroom
  2. Mac: Go to Lightroom → Preferences → Presets tab
    Windows: Go to Edit → Preferences → Presets
  3. Click the box labeled Show Lightroom presets folder
  4. Open the Lightroom folder then open Develop Presets
  5. Mac: Copy the downloaded presets folder to this location
    Windows: Create a folder for your L16 presets or add them to the user preset folder
  6. Restart Lightroom
  7. L16 Presets should now appear in the Presets Menu


For Lightroom CC (Mac/Windows):

  1. Open Lightroom
  2. Click on the Editing section of the app.  It is designated with three horizontal lines with a circle on each line.
  3. Click on the Presets bar at the bottom of the Editing section.
  4. Click on the three dots at the top of the Presets panel that opens. Choose "Open Presets Folder".
  5. Open the Lightroom folder then open Develop Presets
  6. Mac: Copy the downloaded presets folder to this location
    Windows: Create a folder for your L16 presets or add them to the user preset folder
  7. Restart Lightroom
  8. L16 Presets should now appear in the Presets Menu


For ACR/Photoshop (Mac/Windows)

  1. Open a Finder or File window and open the downloaded preset folder
  2. Open a second Finder or File window and navigate to:
    Mac: (Users)/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Camera Raw/Settings
    (To reveal the Library, hold down the Option key while selecting Go from the Finder toolbar).
    Windows: (Users)\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Camera Raw\Settings
  3. The Presets are accessed in Camera Raw from the Basic menu -> Apply Presets pullout list


These presets can be applied to the full size DNG file exported from Lumen. They are best used on images with ISO 100-800 and exposure within +⅓ to -⅔ of a stop of EV 0. They will also work with the exported jpg, just with a greater intensity (which may not be suitable for all images).

   

lightE1: The essential L16 preset

This preset gives your images a clean, pre-edited look by tuning brightness, contrast, color, and sharpening. It’s a great baseline to start with as it takes advantage of the L16’s dynamic range and ability to capture fine, distant detail.

 

lightA1: A preset made specifically for pop

This preset will make your images pop in every way. Best suited for photos with a strong subject, this preset adds a hint of bokeh, drawing more attention to your focal point. Use it for an instant punch.

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