What are your color tweaks in Lightroom/ACR for A7riii?

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc. Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Thanks

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc. Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Why would I apply the same set of tweaks to everything that I shoot?

Personally I never do that, every image is different and the mood, atmosphere and the particular effect that I am looking for play a large part in exactly what I adjust.

Actually, if you are not happy with the out of camera colors Lightroom has numerous tools to adjust them and those were just recently further extended.

aSevenArr said:

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc. Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Why would I apply the same set of tweaks to everything that I shoot?

Personally I never do that, every image is different and the mood, atmosphere and the particular effect that I am looking for play a large part in exactly what I adjust.

Actually, if you are not happy with the out of camera colors Lightroom has numerous tools to adjust them and those were just recently further extended.

Click to expand...

I didn't say that I apply the same color adjustments to every image, you are absolutely right. However, it helps to get a good start and that is something I don't have yet for Sony raw files. My goto initial profiles in the Fuji ecosystem were Fuji provia, Adobe Color or Adobe Landscape, and tweak from there. I am a proficient user of LR/PS so I know what to do to get to a desired endpoint. But as I said, it helps having a semi-decent starting point, especially when processing large amounts of files which I usually have when I get back from trips.

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

Click to expand...

First question: Do you work with a calibrated monitor?

This is not about good or bad color, but about personal preferences. With raw, it is mostly about profiles, not camera brand.

Have you tried the different Lightroom profiles? There are many. Or do you think that default settings should please everybody?

zurubi said:

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc.

Click to expand...

Could you define "weird color tints"? If you can do so, you should be capable of fixing this easily.

zurubi said:

Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

Click to expand...

Well, my impression is that this is a "internet thing" and that those who talk about bad Sony color are mostly people using other camera brands - or those who think color is "bad" (they don't define how, or they talk against each others), simply since this is what they have been told, and what they expect.

I am sure you could not pick "Sony color" from other cameras in a blind test. If Sony color are "that bad" or "weird" it should be the easiest task to sort out this brand, but real world tests shows the opposite. Sony is doing well. So also with blind tests done among media students here.

zurubi said:

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Click to expand...

Just make your own profile as a starting point. As said, if you can describe what is wrong, making such a custom setting for your own work should be a piece of cake.

Magnar W said:

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

Click to expand...

First question: Do you work with a calibrated monitor?

Click to expand...

Yes, I have a perfectly calibrated monitor and a 100% calibrated workflow.

Thanks

Igal

I don't know if this would nuke your workflow, but you might want to try the free CaptureOne Express for Sony and see if it renders colors in a more pleasing way.

BrentSchumer said:

I don't know if this would nuke your workflow, but you might want to try the free CaptureOne Express for Sony and see if it renders colors in a more pleasing way.

Click to expand...

Yes it would ... but I might want to try that to see if it’s better. Thanks

zurubi said:

aSevenArr said:

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc. Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Why would I apply the same set of tweaks to everything that I shoot?

Personally I never do that, every image is different and the mood, atmosphere and the particular effect that I am looking for play a large part in exactly what I adjust.

Actually, if you are not happy with the out of camera colors Lightroom has numerous tools to adjust them and those were just recently further extended.

Click to expand...

I didn't say that I apply the same color adjustments to every image, you are absolutely right. However, it helps to get a good start and that is something I don't have yet for Sony raw files. My goto initial profiles in the Fuji ecosystem were Fuji provia, Adobe Color or Adobe Landscape, and tweak from there. I am a proficient user of LR/PS so I know what to do to get to a desired endpoint. But as I said, it helps having a semi-decent starting point, especially when processing large amounts of files which I usually have when I get back from trips.

Click to expand...

its easy .when you get back from a trip process one image to your liking and save in ACR and keep using that setting. Thats all i do after a pro shoot then i take the image into PS and have my actions set as well.

Don

It's been a while since I posted this question here. Someone suggested that I try the color profiles by colorfidelity.com

I tried them and ended up buying them. They are an improvement over the native Sony profiles. For example, the replacement for the "Standard" profile is much more balanced, gone are those weird green or red tints I'd get in some landscapes. Yes, I end up tweaking each image individually in ACR/LR but this is a much better starting point.

I am not affiliated with that website, just a happy customer.

zurubi said:

I recently moved from Fuji to the Sony ecosystem and the only thing that got worst (relatively speaking) is color rendition. I shoot RAW only and mostly landscapes, so it's easy to correct in PP. It was super easy with Fuji as the color profiles in LR/ACR matched really close the in-camera color profiles such as Fuji Provia, Astia, Velvia, etc. Back then my default was Provia and I would edit from that.

This is different with the A7RIII. The built in colors in LR/ACR are kind of bad, I get weird color tints in the shadows of landscapes, etc. Folks that shoot with Sony often complain about color rendition but I mostly read about that in the context of skin tones.

So if you are a landscape shooter, and use Adobe LR/ACR, what are your initial/default processing tweaks for RAW files?

Thanks

Click to expand...

The auto generated profile I got from one of those calibration card things, oh X-rite color checker is what it's called.

zurubi said:

It's been a while since I posted this question here. Someone suggested that I try the color profiles by colorfidelity.com

I tried them and ended up buying them. They are an improvement over the native Sony profiles. For example, the replacement for the "Standard" profile is much more balanced, gone are those weird green or red tints I'd get in some landscapes. Yes, I end up tweaking each image individually in ACR/LR but this is a much better starting point.

I am not affiliated with that website, just a happy customer.

Click to expand...

Thanks for providing this. I'm also a Fuji shooter and I'm about to receive my A7RIII this Tuesday. I'm hoping there's another way to use existing color profiles that are pleasing in lightroom without having to pay for it. Did you try and set the color profile set as camera settings instead of adobe standard settings?

I'll try and figure something out after I receive my camera and update you later this week.

zurubi said:

It's been a while since I posted this question here. Someone suggested that I try the color profiles by colorfidelity.com

Click to expand...

I have been purchasing these profiles for years. I use the low profile.

zurubi said:

I tried them and ended up buying them. They are an improvement over the native Sony profiles. For example, the replacement for the "Standard" profile is much more balanced, gone are those weird green or red tints I'd get in some landscapes. Yes, I end up tweaking each image individually in ACR/LR but this is a much better starting point.

I am not affiliated with that website, just a happy customer.

Click to expand...

When you purchase the colorfidelity profiles for the A7Riii, how many do you get?

Kylon said:

When you purchase the colorfidelity profiles for the A7Riii, how many do you get?

Click to expand...

Usually 4 or 5. Here is a description that came with the profiles I got for the a7R IV:

Color Fidelity Camera Profiles


Color Fidelity camera profiles have been designed for use with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and the Adobe Lightroom.

About the Profiles
The four profiles supplied are designed for the following purposes: ‐


Color Fidelity Low
This profile is ideal for scenes that requires a lower contrast.


Color Fidelity Standard
General-purpose profile, suitable for all scenes.


Color Fidelity High
Achieves a vibrant and lively atmosphere, whilst projecting a deep and rich color tone.


Color Fidelity Portrait
This profile is particularly well-suited for shooting women and children.


Contact
For news and notification of product updates please visit my site, I also welcome feedback on my profiles, and can be contacted at the email address below.
Twitter: http://www.colorfidelity.com
E-Mail: [email protected]

The LR Camera profiles for the a7r3 are pretty close OOC and match Sony's own Imaging Edge. But color profiles are presets. Create your own profile or use a base profile (like Camera Neutral) and take it from there. I have not noticed any issues in shadows with the a7r3. Fuji's marketing is all hyped about their film simulations. I find them nice but not overly useful. Don't want some tech at a company decide how my images look. What is important is a starting point that provides as close to neutral color and tone curve as possible. if no camera profile is able to provide that, then as a last resort you can always create your own profile. If you liked Fuji colors on your monitor, then there is no reason that keeps you from creating colors from other camera brands that are just as pleasing.

okmarzo said:

zurubi said:

It's been a while since I posted this question here. Someone suggested that I try the color profiles by colorfidelity.com

I tried them and ended up buying them. They are an improvement over the native Sony profiles. For example, the replacement for the "Standard" profile is much more balanced, gone are those weird green or red tints I'd get in some landscapes. Yes, I end up tweaking each image individually in ACR/LR but this is a much better starting point.

I am not affiliated with that website, just a happy customer.

Click to expand...

Thanks for providing this. I'm also a Fuji shooter and I'm about to receive my A7RIII this Tuesday. I'm hoping there's another way to use existing color profiles that are pleasing in lightroom without having to pay for it. Did you try and set the color profile set as camera settings instead of adobe standard settings?

I'll try and figure something out after I receive my camera and update you later this week.

Click to expand...

I tried the camera matching profiles, but in my opinion (and citing other Sony owners too), they have a weird color tint. Could be that the jpgs SOOC have that too, but I don't use jpgs, only RAWs. You can try the Adobe profiles, which are not bad, but I think the profiles I bought are much more balanced. It's only $15 after all....

I bought the Colorfidelity profiles for the A7Riii and received them a couple of days ago. I like them, possibly even a bit more than the camera matching profiles. They are only a starting point but I find that they require a bit less work to get the picture where I want it to be.

Kylon said:

I bought the Colorfidelity profiles for the A7Riii and received them a couple of days ago. I like them, possibly even a bit more than the camera matching profiles. They are only a starting point but I find that they require a bit less work to get the picture where I want it to be.

Click to expand...

That was exactly my point and glad that we are on the same page. The answer that that some people give: "you can do anything you want in LR/ACR to your RAW files to get to the endpoint" misses the point that having a starting edit reduces the amount of work that we need to invest working on an image.

I was using the Adobe profiles before having these but these are better so I changed my workflow.