Here are some of our favourite free picture profiles you can download, focusing primarily on video use. Many profiles "flatten" the image, which can optimise the dynamic range by giving the editor more flexibility during colour grading. Mostly, picture profiles are referred to in the context of video. There are fewer third-party profiles available for Nikon cameras, so you may want to read up on the ways to customise your own styles.
Load the picture profile into an empty slot. Canon has provided a simple how-to on its website here.įor Nikon cameras, you will need to unzip the picture profile into the root directory of the memory card from a computer, load the card into the camera and enter into the Manage Picture Control option in the shooting menu. You will also need an interface cable to connect the SLR to a computer. For Canon SLRs, you will need EOS Utility, which is a Canon-specific program that comes with the camera. Installing a picture profile is reasonably simple.
Some picture profiles will be designed to emphasise and flatter skin tones in the grading process, while others are more suited to landscapes. If you want to move beyond the presets, custom picture profiles can be used to give different effects. Within each of these existing settings, you can make more precise alterations to parameters, such as saturation and contrast.
Nikon SLRs have a similar range, including Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. They are called Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome. This makes the image look more defined, but often means that detail recovery and grading becomes a lot more difficult in post, particularly for video work.Ĭanon SLRs have a few default picture settings already loaded. On default settings straight out of the box, Canon and Nikon SLRs usually produce an image with lots of contrast. Picture styles, or picture profiles, are settings that can be installed on an SLR to help achieve different looks for both videos and stills.