What are Lightroom Profiles?

Profiles themselves are not new to Lightroom or Camera Raw, but with the latest release of Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw we can now “interact” with them by using the new Profile Browser!  Archipelago Presets and Profiles are designed so that they work in unison with one another, however the profiles can also be used independently or with other presets. (Just think of the combination possibilities!)  

Watch this tutorial video to learn how to use creative profiles:

Image by Azahar Acosta

Image by Azahar Acosta

The Creative Profiles we develop are in themselves “similar” to presets, however they are created by first developing 3D Look Up Tables or LUTs which contain elements such as RGB curves, color balance, gradient maps and a series of other adjustments, which are beyond the basic capabilities of Lightroom itself. By doing so, it allows us as developers to create adjustments that we could not simply do with presets alone, and in turn let’s the user modify the “opacity”. (Think of them as a layer that can be applied on it’s own or “over top” of a preset, and controlled with “Amount” or intensity slider! ) Unlike presets, though, profiles are a foundation on which to build edits. The presets that you click on (for example NOMAD 01) simply activate the profile (which contains a series of complex adjustments or LUTs) and then does a few minor adjustments in the basics panel. The beauty of profiles is that you can apply a profile to an image that’s already edited, and it won’t change any of the edit sliders in Lightroom. Or you can mix and match other presets with profiles.


So when you adjust the slider on the profile, it is adding or removing the intensity of the multitude of adjustments that are built into the Profile/LUT. The preset adjustment in the basics panel are simply making minor adjustments on-top of the complex LUT/Profile. This allows the user to continue (if they wish) to make further adjustments in Lightroom on a “clean slate”.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL Archipelago/Quest sets are compatible with the NEWEST current subscription versions of the Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Lightroom CC, and Adobe Photoshop/Camera Raw (ACR) apps. After purchase, please refer to our Install Page for installation. The presets are in .XMP format, and are installed in a different manner versus the previous LRTEMPLATE files.