If you’re looking for a way to quickly edit your images, presets are a great option because they contain adjustments you can apply to all your images with a single click. There are many ways to take advantage of presets, from applying basic edits to multiple images to making your images fit a certain style or mood. Knowing how to create Lightroom presets can maximize your workflow tremendously.
Let’s take an in-depth look at this process and how to best take advantage of this useful feature of Lightroom.
How To Create A Preset In Lightroom
Step 1: Add Your Desired Adjustments In The Develop Module of Lightroom
First, choose an image you’d like to build the preset on. Then, head to the Develop module and make sure the image is open in the preview. Use the sliders in the panels on the right-hand side to make your adjustments to the image (the Basic tab is the best place to start).
For my image, I increased the exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows and then darkened the blacks. I also increased the temperature slightly to add a bit of warmth.
Other areas you can edit that will translate well in a preset are Tone Curve, HSL/Color, Color Grading, Detail, and Effects. Once you’ve set the settings the way you like and you’re happy with how the image looks, it’s time to save them as a preset.
Step 2: Go To Develop > New Preset To Save The Adjustments As A Preset
Create your new preset with the settings you have added to the image by heading to Develop > New Preset.
The presets dialogue box will appear. Once you’ve named the preset and selected the preset group, you’ll see all the various settings that can be included in your preset. The checked adjustments will remain in the saved preset, while any you leave unchecked will not. By not saving certain adjustments into a preset, it gives you the option to create layered presets later on. You can choose which adjustments to save now.
Once you’ve selected the adjustments to include in the preset you can click Create. The preset will be visible under Presets > User Presets or the new group you saved it in, at the left of the Develop panel to use on any of your future images.
How To Create A Preset In Lightroom CC
Step 1: Use The Edit Tab To Set The Desired Adjustments On The Image
In Lightroom CC, the process of creating a preset is quite similar. With the image you’d like to build the preset on open, head to the Edit tab and set the various settings the way you’d like.
Step 2: Click The Presets Icon At The Top Of The Edit Panel To Save Your Adjustments As A Preset
Once you are satisfied, you can save the adjustments as a preset by clicking the Presets icon at the top of the Edit panel. This will bring up the Presets panel, where you can create a new preset using the adjustments you made by clicking the plus sign icon.
You can name your preset in the New Preset window. Make sure to uncheck any settings you don’t want to be included in it. Click Create to save your preset. You can access all your presets by clicking the same Preset icon in the Edit tab and going to Yours > User Presets.
Tips For Creating Your Own Lightroom Presets
1. Avoid Saving Spot Adjustments When Creating Presets
Masks and spot adjustments won’t translate well in a preset, as you can’t guarantee the local adjustments will be in the place you want them on different images. For example, if you’ve added a mask to the subject of a specific image, the mask won’t cover the same subject in an entirely different image.
Note: You can still add masks to an image whose settings you’re creating a preset from; just make sure you don’t include these adjustments by unchecking Masking in the New Preset window.
2. Don’t Include Crop Adjustments In Your Presets
It is best to avoid including cropping adjustments you’ve made to an image, as they might not be necessary or fitting for every image you want to apply this preset to. You can’t guarantee what areas of the image the crop adjustments will cut off if they’re already set into your adjustments.
3. Make Your Adjustments As General As Possible
It’s best to keep the adjustments you add to a preset as simple as possible. Anything related to exposure, contrast, and color will translate well across various images.
For instance, as we can see in the before-and-after below, the preset I made earlier works well on a different image.
If you don’t have all the motivation you need to make your own batch of Lightroom presets, I have 12 free premium presets that you can get access to. Just click here to learn more and download my Free Lightroom Starter Kit preset bundle!
