Photographers of all levels rely on Lightroom presets to simplify their editing process. Whether they use their own presets or purchase them, the idea is simple: one click can transform your photos with color grading, basic adjustments, and more. But let’s be real – it’s not always that easy. So are Lightroom Presets a real thing?
What Are Lightroom Presets?
For those who don’t know, Lightroom presets are pre-defined settings that encapsulate a specific look or style for your photographs. Think of them as digital filters or editing recipes that can be applied to your images with a single click. These presets intend to achieve various effects, moods, and enhancements.
Why Photographers Use Lightroom Presets?
- Efficiency: Time is precious, especially in the fast-paced world of photography. Lightroom presets streamline the editing workflow, allowing photographers to achieve consistent results across their images in a fraction of the time it would take to manually adjust each parameter.
- Consistency: Whether the goal is to maintain a cohesive aesthetic or create a signature look, Lightroom presets ensure consistency in the editing style, giving your body of work a polished and professional appearance.
- Inspiration: Stuck in a creative rut? Lightroom presets serve as a wellspring of inspiration, offering endless possibilities to experiment with different looks, tones, and atmospheres. They spark creativity and encourage you to play with the editing process.
Is it really just one click?
While Lightroom presets offer a convenient shortcut to achieving captivating edits, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each image is unique, with its own lighting conditions, color balance, and composition. So as a result, you may find yourself needing to tweak a few settings, such as exposure, contrast, and white balance, to suit your individual preferences and the unique characteristics of each image. This allows you to put your personal stamp on your work.
When creating a preset I, personally, don’t include exposure and white balance, as these can vary from image to image. The presets I create focus on color grading, calibration, HSL colors, and a few other settings that add style to your images.
This said, presets may streamline your editing process. But don’t be afraid to delve deeper, exploring the myriad possibilities for customization and refinement that Lightroom has to offer.
If you’re into mobile editing, you may enjoy this video.
In conclusion, Lightroom presets are a game-changer for photographers of all skill levels, offering a convenient and efficient way to enhance and stylize your images. However, it still requires some knowledge of the Lightroom tools for fine-tuning and getting the best results possible. This is why I’m offering for FREE a Lightroom Beginner’s Guide that will help you get familiar with the main adjustments.