Linear Profiles… if you spend a great deal of time editing RAW files, you have more than likely heard of Linear Profiles. By design, Linear profiles are made from a DNG copy of your camera-specific RAW file. They are brought into Adobe’s DNG editor, and the tone curve for the RAW file is flattened. This makes the curve linear and removes the contrast bump hidden in the camera manufacturer’s RAW file.
Okay, so then what do we do with it? We use that Linear profile as a starting point in the RAW process. Is it worth all the effort? Do we genuinely gain anything from the process?
I’ll give you my thoughts in this video today. This was NOT meant to be a how-to guide to making Linear Profiles. This video was made to show the process I use to see if something will change in my workflow.
Video Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Linear Profiles explained
02:59 Linear Profiles vs. Regular Profiles
09:20 When Linear Profiles AREN’T Necessary
13:08 Linear Profiles Primary Benefit
14:10 Linear Profiles and HDR Brackets
16:00 Benefits of Linear Profiles
16:50 Downsides of Linear Profiles
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
Hi Blake,
I use Sony cameras and expose to the right (ETTR) to give the shadows as much exposure as I can. The Sun and specular highlights of course are always blown out.
I process my raw images in either Capture One or PS/ACR, or both, depending upon how deep I want to go. I mentioned Sony because Capture One provides linear profiles for Sony cameras. In ACR I have linear profiles that I have made or acquired from others.
My raw processing in ACR starts with a linear profile and Basic/Edit/Auto. I then adjust the sliders to taste, including Calibration, Detail, and whatever else is applicable to get a starting point for PS.
The main point here is starting with an ETTR exposure, actually EBTR which pushes the highlights beyond the right side of the camera histogram and then use an ACR linear profile to get highlight headroom for processing. EBTR requires camera testing to avoid highlight blowout.
If the shadows are still off the left end of the camera histogram I’ll bracket.
My camera images are also “uncompressed” which doubles the file size. I believe this gives maximum highlight color detail, but I need to test that more.
I believe all this effort results in the best possible images from the cameras I have: A7ii and A6000.
Is it worth it? I have the time to do it, so why compromise.
Good comparison and explanation of when a linear profile could be beneficial.
Thanks for these teaching sessions Blake.
Good analysis. I have been using LP’s as my starting point for a couple of years now. I find that they give me an understandable starting point for basic adjustments, and seem to intensify the results obtained from most contrast- and colour-oriented ACR sliders. I rarely use the Auto button unless I am in a hurry.
Having said that, I was very skeptical of them at first, and thought they were some sort of gimmick. But I wholeheartedly agree with you that the only way to find out if they fit your style and workflow is to experiment and use them in real life … something I continue to do with them on every image I process. So far, they continue to work for me.
Great breakdown of this topic.
Wow! You never cease to amaze me! You are like a blend of DaVinci & Einstein in your expertise of Photoshop! Wouldn’t those boys have had fun with Photoshop!
Hi Blake, it was really good to hear a well balanced argument for and against rather than the usual “you have to be doing this” type of presentation often seen from other educators.
I totally agree with your summation. I have got a set of LP’s with other profiles inside that I built for my Nikon D850 – I have even organised these to open via presets like your Intelligent Profiles so I can quickly browse through and compare. But, I actually use them on maybe 1 in 10 images or even 1 in 20 as I don’t think they give me a better jumping off point for the majority of my images.
Also, like John who commented, I use the histogam all the time when shooting and push my highlights as far right as I can but I bracket quite a lot to give myself that exra insurance as well.
Your point about workflow being personal is well made. I like dodging and burning and work in BW a lot and it may be that I am less demanding about the RAW process in ACR because I like to get to photoshop pretty quickly. That’s just my way of doing things.
Hi Blake,
Great explanation! I’ve been using Linear Profiles since Jim Welninski introduced them in one of his videos classes. However, as you explained, you don’t need them all the time. I have a series of xrite profile I made using their Color Checker Passport Photo system. Which I can use for my particular camera. I have found their profiles work best in my workflow depending on the darks and lights. Also, I discovered that you can make a combination profile that covers most of the lighting conditions. I made one of those and I really like it. It’s kind of a combination of linear and camera profile. But once again, it’s not a one fits all. I just mess with them all until I find the one that has the best starting point for that particular image.
Thanks again for letting us know your ideas!
Dennis