photo editing, tutorials
Create a Killer Lightroom Preset in 5 Minutes
Are you tired of spending hours editing your photos in Lightroom? Well, say goodbye to those long and tedious editing sessions and say hello to creating killer Lightroom presets in just 5 minutes! In this blog, we will guide you through the process of creating a powerful preset that will transform your photos with just a few clicks. Whether you’re a professional photographer looking to streamline your editing workflow or an amateur photographer seeking to enhance your images effortlessly, this tutorial is for you. Get ready to take your photography to the next level with a killer Lightroom preset that will make your photos stand out from the rest!
Create a Killer Lightroom Preset in 5 Minutes
Today, we’re going to show you how you can create a killer Lightroom preset in about five minutes using just a few develop panels in Lightroom. Thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this video, let’s start that timer! This isn’t even a stopwatch, it’s a digital thermometer, so we’ll be working.
Getting Started with Lightroom Classic CC
In the latest version of Lightroom Classic CC, which is version 8.1, you should be able to follow along with just about any version. However, we will be using a little bit of the Dehaze feature which came out with a CC 2015 version. When creating a preset, we recommend starting with a photo of a subject and location that you often shoot. This will help you develop the look with common colors and tones of your work. We’re going to work with this photo of Christina we took at our studio. Before you work on a new preset, it’s crucial to ensure that your exposure and white balance are correct. Let’s warm the temperature up on this photo and we’ll also pump up the exposure a touch as well.
Tone Curve and Basic Adjustments
The next thing we’re going to do is add a lens correction to this photo. Now, let’s head over to the Tone Curve panel. We’re going to start by bringing the white point on the tone curve down. This helps to give the image a more muted look which we prefer. We’ll also pump the black point up ever so slightly. We’ll then add more points in the shadows to increase the contrast, one more point in the middle to help brighten things up, and that’s about it. Then, we’ll head back up to the Basic panel. We’ll drop the overall contrast, then drop the highlights down to bring more detail back into the photo. We’ll also boost the shadows to somewhere around the 70 range to bring back more information in the darker regions. This gives us a great starting point to work from.
Camera Calibration and Color Adjustments
Now, let’s get down to the Camera Calibration panel. We’ve talked about this in some of our past Lightroom videos, but basically adjusting these values will affect the RGB amount in every pixel of our photo. This is the best way to define how the colors will look with your preset. We’ll start with pulling the tint back toward green around negative 40. Looks great! Let’s skip down to the green primary. Let’s turn off the saturation so we can see exactly what the hue slider will do. As you can see, bringing the hue slider up brings in a lot of blue and magenta tones into the image. Turning the hue to the left changes the image to more sickly colors that we definitely don’t want. Let’s take the slider to +10. For this preset, we don’t want the colors to be too punchy, so we’re also going to take down the saturation a lot. We can do the same thing with the blue and red primary sliders to really lock down the colors we like for this preset.
Final Touches and Saving Your Preset
We’ve been adding grain to our images lately, so we’re gonna go ahead and add in a little to this preset. The last thing we want to do is just add in a little punch to the image by adding a little Dehaze. Now, we’re happy with where we’re at with this preset, so let’s go ahead and save it. You generally don’t want to have your white balance, exposure, or any photo-specific properties such as filters or transformations apply universally with just one preset. So, make sure those boxes remain unchecked. Now, we should test this preset out on other images, both from the same shoot and from completely different shoots, to see how well your preset holds up across a variety of photos. If you need to make any tweaks to your preset, well, it’ll work across the majority of your photos. Just update your preset as you make those tweaks and keep testing it across more of your images.
Conclusion
Alright, times up! Enjoy your new 5-minute preset, or whatever extra Skillshare course we’re sponsoring this video. Skillshare is an online learning community for creators to learn design, business, and a whole lot more. With the Premium Membership, you have unlimited access to join the classes and communities that will help you meet your new year goals. If you’re looking to further your curiosity, creativity, or your career, Skillshare can keep you learning and thriving in 2019. One class that I’ve checked out recently is a class on productivity by Thomas Frank, where he shows you how to develop a process to increase your efficiency so you can get more stuff done and have more time to spend on things you enjoy doing, like watching YouTube videos. Regardless of what you want to learn, there are over 25,000 classes that can teach you something new. The first 500 of our subscribers are going to get a free two-month trial when they use our link, so check out the description to get started. So, that’s all there really is to it. You can get more in-depth with HSL sliders if you so desire, but the advantages of camera calibration adjustments generally work better across a wide range of photos than more specific HSL adjustments. Subscribe if you haven’t yet, and be sure to ring the notification bell so you won’t miss a video. I’ll see you in the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a Lightroom preset?
A Lightroom preset is a saved set of editing adjustments that can be applied to your photos with just one click. It saves you time by automatically enhancing your images in a consistent and efficient manner.
2. Can I create my own Lightroom preset?
Definitely! Creating your own Lightroom preset allows you to establish a unique style and easily apply it to multiple photos. It’s a great way to achieve a consistent look for your images.
3. How do I create a killer Lightroom preset in 5 minutes?
To create a killer Lightroom preset in just 5 minutes, follow these steps:
1. Open Adobe Lightroom and select a photo you want to edit.
2. Make adjustments to the exposure, contrast, saturation, and other settings to achieve your desired look.
3. Once you’re satisfied with the editing, go to the Develop module and click on the ‘+’ icon next to “Presets” in the left panel.
4. Choose “Create Preset” and give it a name that reflects the style you’ve created.
5. Select the settings you want to include in your preset, such as tone curve, color adjustments, and sharpening settings.
6. Click on “Create” to save your preset.
Congratulations! You’ve created a killer Lightroom preset in just 5 minutes.
4. How can I apply a Lightroom preset to my photos?
To apply a Lightroom preset to your photos, follow these simple steps:
1. Open the photo you want to edit in Lightroom.
2. Go to the Develop module.
3. On the left panel, under “Presets,” you’ll find a list of available presets.
4. Click on the desired preset to apply it to your photo.
Your photo will instantly be transformed according to the preset settings, saving you time and effort in manual adjustments.
5. Can I customize a Lightroom preset?
Absolutely! While Lightroom presets offer a quick solution, you can always customize them to suit your specific needs. After applying a preset, feel free to make further adjustments to exposure, white balance, or any other settings to refine the final look of your image.
6. Where can I find Lightroom presets?
You can find a wide variety of Lightroom presets online, either for free or for purchase. Websites specializing in photography resources, online marketplaces, or photography blogs often offer presets that cater to different styles and preferences.
7. Can I share my Lightroom presets with others?
Definitely! Lightroom allows you to export and import presets, making it convenient to share your presets with others. You can save your presets to a specific folder and then share that folder with fellow photographers, or even upload them to a website or photography community for others to download and use.
Remember, practice and experimentation will help you fine-tune your Lightroom preset creation skills. Have fun editing and creating your killer presets!
I hope you find useful my article Create a Killer Lightroom Preset in 5 Minutes, I also recommend you to read my other posts in my blog at this link.
If you need help with anything join the community or do not hesitate to contact me.
Best of luck! and follow your passion.
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