A Lightroom profile sets how a photo is rendered, and a preset saves a group of settings.

As of October 2026, Lightroom lists profiles in the Profile Browser and presets in the Presets panel, and the two do different jobs. This page explains the difference, the kinds of profiles and which profile to start from, and it shows where the film profiles of Lumenary Vision sit.

01Profile

A profile sets how Lightroom renders the colors and tonality of a photo, and applying one leaves the editing sliders where they are.

Adobe's help for Lightroom Classic describes profiles as the control over how colors and tonality are rendered in a photo, and it calls the profiles in the Profile area of the Basic panel a starting point or foundation for making image edits. The same page states that applying a profile does not change or overwrite the values of the other editing sliders. Julieanne Kost describes a profile in her post of July 2024 as a set of instructions that is used to render a photograph.

A profile therefore marks the start of an edit, and the sliders adjust the photo from there.

02Preset

A preset is a saved group of settings, so applying one moves sliders, and a preset can also include a profile.

Adobe describes presets as pre-defined settings that apply specific adjustments to a photo, such as changes to exposure, contrast, saturation and color grading. Lightroom lists them in the Presets panel of the Develop module and offers a Preset Amount slider for presets that support it. When a preset is saved in Lightroom Classic, the option Treatment & Profile stores the profile as a part of the preset, so one click on a preset can set a profile and move sliders in the same step.

03Side by side

Profiles and presets differ in what they store, where they appear, which files carry them and how their strength is set.

Profile Preset
What it stores How colors and tonality are rendered. Creative profiles can include a 3D lookup table. A saved group of settings, such as exposure, contrast, saturation and color grading.
Effect on the sliders The slider values stay as they are. The sliders that the preset contains move.
Where it appears In the Profile Browser, which opens from the Profile area at the top of the Basic panel. In the Presets panel on the left side of the Develop module.
Files .xmp and .dcp files, and .lcp files for lens profiles. Lightroom Classic takes a ZIP file with profiles in one import. .xmp, .lrtemplate or .dng files. A .lrtemplate preset cannot be part of a ZIP file.
Strength The Amount slider sets how strongly the profile applies, for profiles that offer it. The Preset Amount slider sets how strongly the preset applies, for presets that support it.

04Kinds of profiles

Lightroom lists several kinds of profiles, and the Adobe Raw, Camera Matching and creative groups each answer a different need.

For raw photos the Profile Browser lists Adobe Raw profiles such as Adobe Color and Adobe Standard, Camera Matching profiles and Adaptive profiles. The creative groups, for example Artistic, B&W, Modern and Vintage, sit next to them. When photos are imported, Adobe Color and Adobe Monochrome are applied by default to color and black-and-white photos.

Camera Matching profiles are listed by camera make and model, and they match the color and tone of the in-camera JPEG. Adobe describes them as the choice for photographers who prefer the color rendering of a raw file to match what the camera display shows. A camera profile in the technical sense converts the raw data of one camera model into colors and tones.

Creative profiles give a photo a look, and Adobe states that they work on any file type, including raw photos, JPEGs and TIFFs. Adobe introduced them in April 2018 and noted that they can include a 3D lookup table. Profiles from other makers appear in groups of their own in the Profile Browser once they are imported.

05Which profile

Lightroom starts a raw photo with Adobe Color, and a different profile is a choice at the start of the edit or a finishing touch at the end.

A raw photo in Lightroom already carries a profile before anything else is chosen, and for color photos that is Adobe Color. Adobe Learn shows two uses of profiles in a tutorial of March 2026: as the starting point of an edit and as a creative accent when the edit is done.

The choice follows the goal. Adobe Color is the default starting point, a Camera Matching profile fits when the result should follow the look of the camera's JPEG, and a creative or third-party profile fits when the photo should get a look of its own.

06This library

The film profiles of Lumenary Vision are profiles in this sense, and its workflow presets are presets in this sense.

The film profiles of Analog Vision Studio appear in the Profile Browser, in groups named after the film stock, the scanner and the version, with six exposures from −2 to +3 EV for every film stock. A film profile is a color transformation. It is not grain, it is not halation, and it is not sharpening. Because it is a profile, it leaves the sliders at zero, and the Amount slider sets its strength. The film profiles are built for an Amount of 100, and the slider runs from 0 to 200. HP5+ is the exception, because its Amount is locked at 100 by design.

The 37 workflow presets of the Lightroom version appear in the Presets panel, in four series for tone, color, film texture and masking. Grain comes separately, as luminance-based presets at ISO 100, 200 and 400.

07Limits

A profile does not replace the correction of light and exposure, and it shows up only after it has been imported in the right place.

A profile applies one fixed color transformation to a photo, so exposure and white balance still need their usual corrections. The film profiles run in Lightroom Classic 7.3, Lightroom 1.3 and Camera Raw 10.3 or newer. The Standard version works with raw and JPEG files from any camera that Lightroom supports, and the Professional version needs a raw file from a camera on the supported cameras list.

If a profile or a preset does not show up after the import, the troubleshooting page lists the causes in order, and the install guide shows the import for each program. The free sample contains two film profiles in the Standard version and is enough to check the import on your own setup.

08Sources

This page describes Lightroom as of October 2026, and its sources were read on 12 October 2026.

FAQQuestions

Questions, answered.

What are Adobe Lightroom profiles?
Profiles control how Lightroom renders the colors and tonality of a photo. The Profile Browser lists them in groups such as Adobe Raw, Camera Matching and the creative groups, and applying a profile leaves the editing sliders where they are.
How do Lightroom profiles work?
A profile is the starting point of an edit. It defines how colors and tonality are rendered, and the sliders adjust the photo from there. Applying a profile does not change the slider values, and the Amount slider sets how strongly the profile applies for profiles that offer one.
What is the difference between Lightroom profiles and presets?
A profile sets how a photo is rendered, leaves the sliders where they are and appears in the Profile Browser. A preset is a saved group of settings that moves the sliders it contains and appears in the Presets panel. A preset can also include a profile.
What profile should I use in Lightroom?
Raw photos start with Adobe Color. A Camera Matching profile fits when the result should follow the look of the camera's JPEG, and a creative or third-party profile fits when the photo should get a look of its own. A profile is a starting point, so exposure and white balance still need their usual corrections.
How do I add profiles to Lightroom?
Import the ZIP file, or the .xmp and .dcp files, in the program you use. In Lightroom Classic, open the Develop module and choose File, then Import Develop Profiles and Presets, or open the Profile Browser, click the plus icon and choose Import Profiles. In the cloud-based Lightroom app, choose File, then Import Profiles & Presets. The install guide shows each route with screenshots.
Can a Lightroom preset include a profile?
Yes. When a preset is saved in Lightroom Classic, the option Treatment & Profile stores the profile as a part of the preset.
Are the film profiles of Lumenary Vision profiles or presets?
They are profiles. The film profiles of Analog Vision Studio appear in the Profile Browser, and the 37 workflow presets of the Lightroom version appear in the Presets panel.

Next step

The Essential Frontier has six film stocks, each with six exposures from −2 to +3 EV.

See the Essential Frontier