Lightroom: Default Raw Processing Settings

[d2creative]

A lot of the time, when I import my raw nikon files into Lightroom, I'll click on a thumbnail and the big image preview while it loads looks nice and neutral but then once it's done loading it looks way too saturated and it loses a lot of detail. It seems like whatever the default raw processor settings are, they're set too high. Is there anyway to adjust them? I can't find anything of the sort.

[JohnT]

Get your settings in the Develop panel the way you want them as a general setting, then save them as a Preset. You can then choose this Preset to be applied during download. Or you can save one of the LR Nikon camera profiles as a Preset and apply that at download. That's what I do with files from my Canons.

[d2creative]

Ya, but this all happens before I even have a chance to do anything in the develop panel. This is just during importing. I'm not quite sure i understand what you mean, and about the nikon profiles?

[JohnT]

Right. But you can choose a Preset to apply in the Import dialog box. It's definitely applying settings from somewhere within LR.

[d2creative]

Oh right! Duh! I totally forgot about that little pulldown menu in the import dialog box.
I'll have to check later when i go home.
Thanks!

d2creative added 405 Minutes and 2 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Ok, I checked and the develop setting is set to "none".
I really thought that was going to be it.
So now what?

[JohnT]

Check your Develop settings right after you import. LR is applying whatever those settings happen to be.

[d2creative]

The only things I can see is that the Contrast is +50 and the Brighteness is +25.
There is an ever so slight s-curve applied... so slight I almost didn't see it.
And some sharpening.

I found these by going to the preset "General - Zeroed" and switching back and forth.

So i went under Develop ---> Default Settings and chose "Restore Adobe Default Settings". I then did another import and the same adjustments were applied.

I guess I can tell it to use the zeroed out setting or the flat tone curve setting. It just seems odd though that the initial import setting would be that strong.