Photoshop Lens Correction Profiles

What does lens correction do?

Lens correction tools in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop can compensate for several optical characteristics of a lens at different focal lengths, apertures and focus distances. These corrections can improve the appearance of an image, although they cannot turn every optical limitation into a perfect result.

• Vignetting: The corners or edges of the image appear darker than the centre.
• Barrel distortion: Straight lines appear to bow outwards.
• Pincushion distortion: Straight lines appear to bend inwards.
• Chromatic aberration: Different wavelengths of light do not converge at exactly the same point, creating coloured fringes around high-contrast edges.

Example photograph by Claus Møller, taken with a Sony A99V and Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 (A007) at 24mm, ISO 1600, f/2.8 and 30 seconds. No other corrections were applied to this photograph of the aurora.

Installing lens correction profiles

In the version of Adobe Camera Raw used when I wrote this article, I placed downloaded lens profile files (.lcp) in the following Windows folder:

C:\Users\your-username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\LensProfiles\1.0

Replace your-username with your Windows account name. Adobe software versions and folder structures change, so check the current Adobe documentation if this location does not apply to your installation. On Windows, the AppData folder is hidden by default; enable the display of hidden files and folders if necessary.

Disabling individual profiles

In older versions of Camera Raw, adding a tilde (~) to the beginning of a profile filename was a convenient way to prevent it from being loaded. For example, rename abc.lcp to ~abc.lcp. This behaviour may differ in current Adobe releases.

Choose the correct camera and lens profile

Pay attention to the camera format and lens variant. A profile made for a full-frame camera may not be appropriate for an APS-C model. Focal length and, in some cases, focus distance can also affect the correction.

If your exact lens is not listed, look for a profile for the same optical design or a closely related model. For example, I found that a profile associated with the Sony 70–200mm f/2.8 also worked well with my older Minolta 80–200mm APO HS f/2.8. Treat this as something to test, rather than assuming that profiles are interchangeable.

Where to find profiles

Adobe provides lens-profile support within its software, and profiles have also been shared by photographers and specialist communities. Some third-party tools can create or apply their own corrections. Availability and compatibility change over time, so check that a profile supports your version of Camera Raw or Lightroom.

• Tinkering Thermo
• Florian Knorn: Minolta 17–35mm lens profile
• LensProfiles
• DxO photo software

Applying the corrections

There is no need to cover the entire workflow here. Adobe’s current help pages and tutorials explain the available controls in detail. I usually consider lens corrections when importing RAW files, then check the result rather than applying every correction automatically.

Photograph by Jørgen Guldmann, taken with the Minolta 17–35mm D at 17mm, f/4, 6 seconds and ISO 1600. The only correction applied was the lens correction.

Also remember to calibrate your camera profile where appropriate.