Today’s Question: How do you set Lightroom to apply automatic Lens Correction on Import?
Tim’s Quick Answer: There are two steps involved here. First, you need to create a preset in the Develop module for the adjustments you want to apply on import (such as Lens Corrections in this case). Then select that preset from the Develop Settings popup in the “Apply During Import” section of the right panel in the Import dialog.
More Detail: To create a preset in the Develop module you establish the applicable adjustment settings for an image, and then save those settings in a preset. In this case, if you want to apply an automatic Lens Corrections adjustment, you would simply establish the desired settings.
So, select an image and go to the Develop module. Then scroll down to the Lens Corrections section and go to the Profile tab. Turn on the “Enable Profile Corrections” checkbox, and set the Setup popup to “Auto”. You can also go to the Color tab and turn on the “Remove Chromatic Aberration” checkbox if you’d like. And, of course, you can add any other adjustments you’d like to apply during the Import process.
Once those adjustment settings are established, you can go to the left panel in the Develop module and click the plus symbol (+) to the right of the Presets heading. In the New Develop Preset dialog, first enter a meaningful name, such as “Add Lens Corrections”. Then click the “Check None” button so that none of the selection options are turned on. Then turn on the checkbox for only those adjustments you want to include with this preset. In this case, for example, you might only turn on the “Lens Profile Corrections” and “Chromatic Aberration” checkboxes. Then click the Create button to save the preset.
In the Import dialog when you next import photos, you can choose your new preset from the Develop Settings popup in the “Apply During Import” section of the right panel in the Import dialog. That setting will remain applied until you change it, so that all imported images will in this case receive the Lens Corrections adjustments.