How to install & use Presets in Adobe Camera Raw
You can now install your presets into Photoshop just like you can in Lightroom, and the Adobe Camera Raw looks and functions more like Lightroom Classic than ever!
There are two quick methods for installation for installing presets into Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop (There is also a manual Manual Installation, but the two methods listed here are the quickest and easiest). Please note that these only work with the newer .XMP file extension, not the older .template extension.
Sync from Lightroom Classic
The good news is if you subscribe to Lightroom Classic and import presets there, these should automatically sync to Adobe Camera Raw for Immediate use on your next launch. All you need to do is select to use, but I’ll cover that below.
Quick Installation:
Installing XMP presets into (ACR) Adobe Camera Raw is easier and faster than ever!
1. Download your presets in XMP format. These will probably download as a .zip file. (Do NOT unzip)
2. Launch Photoshop and open an image. (This image can be in JPEG or RAW format)
3. From the top menu, select “Filter” > “Camera Raw Filter…” or (Shift + Ctrl + A) to launch Camera Raw:
4. From the Camera Raw window, you can locate the “Presets” tab from the right toolbar. This appears as two overlapping circles:
5. From the Presets tab, open the “…” menu and select “Import Profiles & Presets…“:
6. Select the entire .zip file(s) you downloaded (containing the XMP format presets) and select “Open” to import. Once populated, they should appear in their organized folders underneath that “Presets” header.
7. To Use Your New Presets: Simply expand the newly imported presets folder (via the little arrow to the left), select a preset or hover over to view multiple options, and click to apply your desired edit. Click “OK” at the bottom of your Camera Raw window to continue editing your image in Photoshop.
Now all you need is some presets right? Well you can grab yourself some freebies from my website, or even buy a pack or two for some really great kits.
Note: MAC USERS NOTE (If Safari is instantly unzipping your XMP files and the XMP files are greyed out in ACR):
To solve the unzipping issue and import the .zip whole in ACR:
1. Open Safari
2. Click Preferences
3. Under general tab, uncheck the option at the bottom which reads “Open “safe” files after downloading”. Then, simply download those files once more, and import that .zip file whole via “Import Profiles & Presets…” in ACR.
