How to Create Camera Raw Presets for Batch Processing

Creating presets from Adobe Camera Raw allows photographers to save custom adjustments and apply them across hundreds of photos simultaneously. This guide covers how to dial in your ideal raw settings, save them as an accessible preset, and execute a batch process across an entire set of photos to speed up your editing workflow significantly.

1. Dial in Your Baseline Settings

Open a representative image from your photo shoot in Adobe Camera Raw through Photoshop or Adobe Bridge. Adjust your exposure, contrast, color temperature, tone curves, color grading, and sharpening until you achieve the desired visual style. Ensure this photo represents the overall lighting conditions of the entire shoot.

2. Save the Adjustment as a Preset

Once your edits are complete, navigate to the Presets panel on the right sidebar (indicated by an icon of two overlapping circles) or press Shift + P.

Click the Create Preset icon (the sheet of paper with a folded corner) at the bottom or top of the panel. A dialogue box will appear prompting you to configure your preset:

  • Preset Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Golden Hour Portrait Base").
  • Group: Choose "User Presets" or create a dedicated group for your project.
  • Settings Selection: Check the boxes for the adjustments you want to include. It is usually best practice to leave settings like White Balance, Exposure, and Crop unchecked unless all photos were shot under identical studio lighting and framing. This prevents the preset from overwriting photo-specific exposures.
  • Click OK to save.

3. Batch Apply the Preset Directly in Camera Raw

To batch process within the Camera Raw interface:

  1. Select all the images you want to edit in Adobe Bridge or Windows Explorer/macOS Finder, right-click, and choose Open in Camera Raw.
  2. All loaded images will appear in the Filmstrip view on the left or bottom of the screen.
  3. Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (macOS) to select all images in the filmstrip.
  4. Open the Presets panel and click your newly saved preset. The adjustments will instantly apply to all selected images.
  5. With all images still selected, click the Save Options (download icon) in the top-right corner to define file names, format (such as JPEG, TIFF, or DNG), and destination folder, then click Save.

4. Alternative: Batch Apply via Adobe Bridge

If you manage assets in Adobe Bridge, you can batch apply the preset without launching the full Camera Raw interface:

  1. Select the group of raw files inside Bridge.
  2. Right-click the selected files.
  3. Hover over Develop Settings.
  4. Click on your custom preset from the menu. Bridge will apply the metadata to all selected files in the background.