When edited previews don't appear in Culling Studio, and you're only seeing your original photos, it's almost always related to the profile your AI Profile uses. This guide walks you through the most common causes and how to fix each one.
Before you start
Make sure your Adobe DNG Converter is up to date. Windows: adobe.com/go/dng_converter_win or Mac: adobe.com/go/dng_converter_mac
Why edited previews might not show
Edited previews need the correct profile to be present and correctly named on your computer. When you're not using an Adobe Standard camera profile, there are a few ways this can go wrong:
- You recently purchased or switched AI Profiles and haven't run an editing project with it yet.
- A purchased AI Profile's XMP creative profile is missing or has the wrong filename on your computer.
- The camera profile isn't installed on your computer.
- There's a filename mismatch between what Imagen expects and what's on your computer.
Scenario 1: You recently purchased or switched AI Profiles
If you selected a new AI Profile for your culling project, one you recently purchased, received, or switched to, edited previews may not show until the profile is properly installed on your computer.
Why this happens
Imagen installs the necessary profile automatically when you download an editing project that uses that AI Profile in Lightroom Classic. If you go straight to a culling project without doing this first, the profile won't be installed yet.
How to fix it
- Create a small editing project using the new AI Profile. Even 5–10 photos is enough.
- Download the edits to Lightroom Classic.
- Start a new culling project. Edited previews should now appear.
Note: The existing culling project can't be updated retroactively. You'll need to start a new one after completing step 2.
Scenario 2: XMP creative profile not found
If you're using a purchased AI Profile that includes an Adobe creative profile, Imagen looks for a specific XMP file on your computer when generating edited previews. If that file is missing or has the wrong filename, previews won't appear and no error message will show. For more info about creative profiles, see this Adobe guide.
Check if the XMP file exists
Look for it in one of these locations:
macOS:
- ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ImportedSettings/
- ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings/
- /Applications/Adobe Lightroom Classic.app/Contents/Resources/Settings/
- /Applications/Adobe Lightroom.app/Contents/Resources/Settings/
- /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings/
- /Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/ImportedSettings/
Windows:
- %AppData%\Adobe\CameraRaw\ImportedSettings\
- %AppData%\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings\
- C:\ProgramData\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings\Adobe\Creative\
If the XMP file is missing: Download any existing editing project that used this purchased AI Profile. Imagen's desktop app places the XMP file in the correct location automatically during download. Then start a new culling project.
If the XMP file exists but has the wrong filename: The filename must exactly match what Imagen expects, including any numbers, spaces, and special characters. Rename it to match the AI Profile name exactly, then start a new culling project.
If you're not sure what the exact filename should be, contact support with the AI Profile name and we'll check for you.
Scenario 3: Camera profile is missing
Check whether Lightroom Classic can find the camera profile:
- Open Lightroom Classic.
- Go to Develop mode.
- Open an original photo from the project.
- Look for a Profile missing warning at the top of the editing panel.
If you see that warning, Lightroom can't locate the profile.
Where camera profiles are stored
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles
The Library folder is hidden by default. To find it: open Finder, click Go, hold Option, then click Library.
Windows: C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\CameraProfiles
How to fix a missing camera profile
The fix depends on the type of profile:
- Third-party creative profiles, such as The Archetype and VSCO: Reinstall from the provider's website.
- Shared profiles: Get a fresh copy from the creator and copy it to your CameraProfiles folder.
- Purchased AI Profiles: Download an existing editing project that used this profile. The camera profile installs automatically.
- New camera: Contact support. We can help you get this camera working with your AI Profile.
Also make sure Adobe Camera Raw and the Adobe DNG Converter are up to date.
Scenario 4: Profile name mismatch
If the camera profile is installed but previews still don't show, the profile's filename on your computer may not exactly match what Imagen expects. Even small differences, such as spaces vs. underscores, different capitalization, or extra characters, can prevent previews from loading.
Contact support and share:
- The name of the AI Profile you're using
- A screenshot of the relevant files in your CameraProfiles folder
- The camera model you used for this shoot
Still need help?
Reach out to our support team and include:
- The AI Profile name
- The camera model used for this project
- Whether you're using a creative profile, purchased profile, or Adobe's built-in profiles
- Any Profile missing warnings visible in Lightroom
- Screenshots of the profile files on your computer