Do I need custom profiles for infrared photography?

As you explore infrared photography, you will inevitably find yourself wondering if you need custom profiles. Whether you need custom profiles depends on your camera, which infrared filter you’re using, your workflow, and your raw editor. Let’s discuss the many situations where you do NOT need custom profiles and the one where you absolutely do need them. Specifically, we’ll be talking about DNG Custom Profiles or DCP files. We can also discuss where to get custom profiles if you cannot create your own.

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Transcript for Do I need custom profiles for infrared photography?. Duration: 6:14.

• 0:01 Do you need custom profiles for editing infrared images? As you explore infrared photography, you will inevitably find yourself wondering if you need custom profiles. Whether you need custom profiles depends on your camera, which infrared filter you're using, your workflow, and your raw editor. Let's discuss the many
• 0:21 situations where you do not need custom profiles and the one where you absolutely do need them. Specifically, we'll be talking about DNG custom profiles or DCP files. We can also discuss where to get custom profiles if you cannot create your own. If your camera only shoots JPEG, you don't need custom profiles for infrared
• 0:44 photography. However, you should set a custom white balance in your camera anytime you change filters or the lighting conditions change dramatically. Since you're not shooting in raw, you won't have access to your raw editor's Kelvin scale for white balance corrections. Instead, the blue-yellow white balance slider for JPEG
• 1:05 images in combination with an in-camera white balance will allow you to set a good white balance. You don't need custom profiles when shooting JPEG. Just remember to set a custom white balance in camera. If you're shooting infrared video, consider it the same as shooting a JPEG still image. You don't need custom profiles, but
• 1:28 should set a custom white balance in camera. While white balance is important for color infrared images, it's irrelevant for monochrome images. You can use any monochrome profile in your raw editor. You can also use a tool like Silver Efex in the Nik Collection. It doesn't matter which infrared filter you're using, whether you use a 750
• 1:50 nanometer or greater high-pass filter that passes only infrared light, or a lower-numbered high-pass filter that also transmits visible light, you won't need custom profiles to process a monochrome image. You don't need custom profiles if your raw editor doesn't support them. The following editors don't support custom
• 2:12 profiles, but they can set a good white balance on infrared images without them. This includes Capture One, darktable, Nikon NX Studio, ON1 Photo Raw, Photomater, Pixelmater Pro, RawTherapee, and Affinity Photo. Visit the Editors page on my website to learn more about these raw editors. Later, we'll talk about raw editors
• 2:39 that do require custom profiles. There is an edge case where you can process color infrared images without custom profiles or even setting a white balance. This is done via the tone curve. You can set a white balance by altering the individual color channels in the tone curve. This technique is more cumbersome, so I wouldn't
• 2:59 use it for most processing, but it is available in a pinch. You can learn more about it in this video. Okay, now that we've covered all situations where you do not need a custom profile, let's cover the situations where you do. Unsurprisingly, they are the opposite of everything we've already covered. If you're shooting a raw photo
• 3:20 with a color infrared filter and using certain editors, then you will need a custom profile. Color infrared filters are high-pass filters lower than 750 nanometers, such as 550, 590, 665, or 720 nanometers. They transmit visible color light and infrared light. Raw files have a key benefit when setting a white balance. They can
• 3:50 use the Kelvin-based temperature slider. These sliders have values from 2000 to 50,000 Kelvins. However, infrared light has a color temperature of around 900 Kelvins below this scale. A custom profile shifts the scale to lower values, allowing you to set a good white balance in infrared. These raw editors need custom
• 4:14 profiles for color infrared images. Adobe Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop Camera Raw, DxO PhotoLab, Exposure X, and Luminar. When using custom profiles, you can set a good white balance with these raw editors. Again, you can visit the Editors page on my website to learn more. How can you create custom
• 4:38 profiles? By using the Adobe DNG Profile Editor. However, this software is 13 years old, unsupported by Adobe, and no longer runs on the Mac. Instead, check out the Infrared Profile Pack. This free download contains infrared profiles for more than 400 cameras. Two profiles for each camera support high-pass filters from 550 to 720
• 5:06 nanometers. A link is in the description. In some cases, using a custom profile is helpful, but not required. For example, you don't need a custom profile when shooting with the IR Chrome filter. You could set a white balance in camera and shoot JPEG, or shoot raw and set a white balance with standard profiles.
• 5:28 The color temperature may be over 50,000 kelvins, so I created the Chrome Profile Pack for a more refined white balance and some punch to the reds. A link is in the description. I've also tested creating custom profiles for other dual bandpass filters, such as the NDVI filter or Super Blue IR filter. Let me know if you'd like
• 5:54 to see profile packs for these filters as well. If you find these videos helpful on your infrared photography journey, like, subscribe, or comment. Hope you enjoyed, thanks.
• 6:12 (Soft Music)