Print module ICC Profile Location on Mac OS

[kitjv]

Lightroom Version Number

14.3.1

Operating System

1. macOS 15 Sequoia

I recently downloaded printer paper profiles from WHCC labs. Where do I need to place these profiles so that they will be available in the pop-up menu when I soft proof photos in LrC? Thank you so much.

Kit

 

[Ed Anderson]

With Finder active, click on Go, then Click on Computer from the drop down menu or use the shortcut Shift+Command+C
In Finder, Select Macintosh HD>Library>Color Sync>Profiles
Copy the ICC profiles to the Profiles Folder.

 

[kitjv]

Thank you, Ed. However, after I copied the new ICC profiles to the Profiles Folder, those profiles did not show up in the profile drop-down menu when soft proofing. I clicked on "Others" & scrolled through the list of profiles. The profiles weren't there. I tried closing out of LrC & opening it again. No luck. Did I miss something here?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I believe you must place them in the User/Library/ColorSync folder, not the root Library folder. This folder can be hidden: https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

 

[clee01l]

I recently downloaded printer paper profiles from WHCC labs. Where do I need to place these profiles so that they will be available in the pop-up menu when I soft proof photos in LrC? Thank you so much.

Kit

Color Sync reports the file here: /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/WHCC-Lustre-16x20 and Larger v3.icc is where my WHCC profile ended up.

I believe this is the root Library folder making them universally available and not limited to a single user

 

[kitjv]

Thank you, Johan & Clee. I will follow up on your suggestions later today. (I can't remember if I tried them already .

 

[kitjv]

I followed up on both of your suggestions & the only profiles listed were the display profiles; not the ICC paper profiles. Currently the current profiles that I use for soft proofing are located here: Mac HD>Library>ColorSync>Profiles>Profiles (subfolder)>Printer Profiles (subfolder). But, as I previously mentioned, when I put the WHCC profiles in the same location, they do not appear in the profile list when soft proofing.

Let me just move the WHCC profiles around to see if I can get them to appear the in the soft proofing drop-down list.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Are these profiles CMYK based perhaps? Lightroom Classic does not support CMYK based profiles.

 

[clee01l]

Are these profiles CMYK based perhaps? Lightroom Classic does not support CMYK based profiles.

I don't think these are CMYK. as the one I listed in my previous post shows up in my Soft Proof list.

However! The profiles that appear in the popup are only those user selected
Note the check box beside my WHCC profile

In the Profile drop down list, select other and then you can add a checkbox beside the WHCC profile

In the

 

[Conrad Chavez]

Just some background info…

Mac apps including Lightroom Classic and Photoshop should find ICC profiles at both paths…

/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/
and
~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/

In the past, we always used the first one (system-wide). However, as Apple tightened up security for system-wide locations, in recent versions of macOS they started directing user-installed profiles to the ColorSync folder within the user account (the second one) and they restricted permissions on the system-wide location. So today Apple recommends using the ColorSync folder inside a user account.

It’s still possible to put profiles in the system-wide ColorSync folder if you want to and they should still work, but I think putting them there now requires bypassing the restricted permissions.

If Lightroom Classic shows other profiles that you don’t see in either of the paths above, they might be loading from a printer driver’s folder. For example, macOS and Lightroom Classic list Epson 3880 profiles installed by the Epson printer driver installer at:
/Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter2/ICCProfiles/Pro3880.profiles/Contents/Resources/

That location is more difficult to find by browsing the Finder because to open “Pro3880.profiles” you have to know it isn’t a folder or a single file, it’s a macOS package/bundle.

 

[kitjv]

First, the newly-downloaded profiles are NOT CMYK. And now the good news....when I moved the new WHCC profiles to: Finder>Library>ColorSync>Profiles, they now appear in the soft proofing drop-down menu. I then ticked their checkboxes accordingly.

Conrad, thank you for the information. Since the Noritsu37 Luster profile I have been using for images sent to ProDPI is located elsewhere, I plan to just leave it there since it already is in my soft proofing profile list.

Thank you,all, for your help.

 

[Ed Anderson]

First, the newly-downloaded profiles are NOT CMYK. And now the good news....when I moved the new WHCC profiles to: Finder>Library>ColorSync>Profiles, they now appear in the soft proofing drop-down menu. I then ticked their checkboxes accordingly.

Conrad, thank you for the information. Since the Noritsu37 Luster profile I have been using for images sent to ProDPI is located elsewhere, I plan to just leave it there since it already is in my soft proofing profile list.

Thank you,all, for your help.

Kit, that's good the hear. I just finished experimenting and Conrad is correct, it will work in either profile location. When I last installed profiles, it would only work in the root profile folder. The key seems to be don't use subfolders.