In this blog, I will share a few ways I use Adobe Lightroom to get the best colours out of Hasselblad RAW files. These are the methods that work for me and reflect how I edit. There are, of course, other ways to adjust colour in Lightroom, so what I’m sharing here is based on personal preference rather than objective fact. It’s worth noting that some of the features mentioned are only available on the desktop version of Lightroom, not the mobile app.

Profiles

The first and most impactful way to get the best out of Hasselblad RAW files is to experiment with the profiles, which can be found at the very top of the editing panel. When working with a Hasselblad RAW file, you’ll unlock a custom profile exclusive to the Hasselblad cameras. This seems to be a somewhat neutral profile designed to be your starting point. This is Adobe’s interpretation and the result will differ from Hasselblad’s own software, Phocus. I always recommend making this adjustment early in the editing process, as it can set the tone for your edit and save time. Alongside the Hasselblad profile, you’ll also find Adobe’s own profiles, which offer a different aesthetic and might be a better choice if you need to match shots from different cameras.

Point Colour

This is my favourite tool in Lightroom, although sadly it’s only available on the desktop version (at the time of writing). The Point Colour tool lets you select specific colours in your image and adjust their hue, saturation, and luminance. Global adjustments often leave certain areas needing a little extra tweaking—perhaps the overall tone of the image is just right, but the bright red rooftops or skin tones look unnatural. With Point Colour, you can fine-tune these details without affecting larger colour groups. The range tool adds even more precision, allowing you to control how specific or broad your colour selection is.

Colour Mixer (HSL)

HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) is a tool I use on every single image without exception. In essence, it allows you to modify the hue, saturation, and brightness of all the main colours. It works similarly to Point Colour but is much broader, grouping many smaller shades under categories such as red, yellow, and green. HSL is one of the most powerful tools for transforming the overall look and feel of a photo. For a vintage cinematic feel, you could shift your reds towards orange and your blues towards teal. If your image has too many clashing colours, try bringing the warm tones (yellow, red, orange) closer together and do the same for the cool tones (blue, cyan, purple). There’s no definitive science to this—it’s an artistic process that depends entirely on the specific image and your creative preferences.

Camera Calibration

Camera Calibration is another powerful feature that, frustratingly, is missing from the mobile version of Lightroom (at the time of writing). Each colour in an image is built from the RGB channels: red, green, and blue. Camera Calibration lets you adjust the emphasis on each channel. For example, you might want more reds and fewer blues or a greenish undertone. Unlike HSL, which shifts a specific colour and all its shades, Camera Calibration tweaks the very foundation of how colours are rendered. This tool can be used to match colours from different cameras, harmonise tones, or add a unique stylistic touch. An easy starting point for many edits is to move the red primary slider to the right, the blue primary slider to the left, and add a touch of green.

Colour Grading

While this tool doesn’t necessarily alter your colours, it adds a colour grade over the image, which can change how the colours are perceived. Colour Grading is an opportunity to get creative—you can opt for a bold, stylised grade or something more subtle. Personally, I like to introduce blues, reds, or greens into the shadows and warmer orange tones into the highlights. The tool is straightforward to use: simply select the hue and intensity for the shadows, midtones, and highlights. You can also tweak the luminance, which I rarely adjust for shadows or highlights but often increase for midtones to give the image a slight lift. Finally, the balance and blending controls let you fine-tune the overall effect to achieve the desired result. For more precise control, you can use the Curves tool. I don’t use it much hence no mention of it in this blog.