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Presets will they work across versions of Lightroom

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Deleted member 39308

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Operating System: Windows 10
Exact Lightroom Version (Help menu > System Info):2015.12

Currently still running Lightroom 2015. I have just found some Lightroom presets I bought for Lightroom 4. Will these still work as expected in Lightroom 2015? And the obvious follow up question will they work in Lightroom Classic?

I am not a big fan of presets but wondered if these old Lightroom 4 presets will still work and give the same effect they were designed for back in the days of Lightroom 4.

Many thanks
 
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I'm pretty sure they will work just fine since LR4 & 6/2015.x use the same process version. And in Classic, I believe someone (Johan perhaps?) tested that PV3(2012) presets/settings will work fine in PV4. Although I think it's been found that if making ANY new settings after applying that PV3 preset, that the PV will be set to PV4 automatically. (EDIT: Just tested - the last 2 points are true.)

Best thing to do: just add them and see for yourself - you won't damage anything.
 
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Thanks Hoggy,

I remember now it was LR3 to LR4 that changed the process version a lot and resulted in presets not working the same way.

Not made the jump to LR Classic yet, a new process version invokes memories of the LR3 to LR4 debate at the time so is putting me of upgrading. Are the changes in process version just for the range selection masks or have there been other changes in things like noise reduction, exposure that will mean learning the sliders again?
 
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Yes, LR3 to LR4 was a bigger change, in the effect of the process version affecting what an image looked like. LR4 uses what is now called Process 3 (I think previously called Process 2012), CLassic (LR7) introduces Process 4, and there is very close to zero change when you change an image from 3 to 4; the only effect is if you had auto-masking turned on, 3 and 4 differ very slightly in which pixels are affected based on whether it uses noise reduction first or after. So LR will automatically upgrade from 3 to 4 if no auto-mask, and if there is auto-mask will do so only on need (e.g. you use range masking, or you tell it to update).

Presets include the version (just to be confusing using the ACR version number not the process version, so you'll see something like 6.7 for process 3, and 10 for process 4 if I recall -- that's going on memory).

The only time this becomes an issue is if you get an image in process 4 and use new features, then apply a process 3 preset. Since most presets are applied as the first step in editing this should not happen, but it can, and if you do so it turns off the new features you may have used (e.g. range masking).

It's probably a good idea to scrub any of your own presets and change the version number manually, or just resave the preset from the develop menu, but unless you use presets late in the development process, it's unlikely to cause a problem to keep using them. Applying a process 4 preset over a process 3 is very unlikely to make a visible change (and if so, a very tiny one, and probably an improvement). Applying a process 3 preset over a process 4 image on the other hand can make a mess if you used process 4 features.
 
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Ferguson said:
Applying a process 3 preset over a process 4 image on the other hand can make a mess if you used process 4 features.
Click to expand...

Just got around to testing this. Applying a luminance range mask grad first (in PV4, obviously) - then applying a PV3(2012) preset with no grads included.. The PV was reset to PV3. The same grad remained in effect, but the range masking was switched off - to leave behind a regular grad with the same adjustment settings. However, switching the range masking section back on to 'luminance', the prior mask settings were still retained - and the PV switched to PV4.
Although I think one way around that happening is if your presets didn't include the "Process Version" when they were saved. When trying to save a preset in Classic, that box will grey out and be checked automatically if either grad or radial is selected.​

Of course as Linwood mentions, doing the same when using auto-mask in PV4 - and then getting reset to PV3 may leave behind the dreaded 'spotted mask' effect that was possible in PV3/2012.

... And just for clarity: yes, the only changes in PV4 are to the auto-mask functioning and the range masking - as according to John Beardsworth.
 
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