Understanding the Goal
A "Soft Portrait" look typically involves:
* Reduced Sharpness: To minimize wrinkles and skin texture.
* Slightly Reduced Contrast: To create a flatter, more even tone.
* Subtle Glow/Bloom: Giving the image a gentle, ethereal feel.
* Warm or Neutral Tone: To enhance skin tones.
* Slightly Lifted Shadows: To make the image appear brighter and softer.
Step-by-Step Guide in Lightroom 4
1. Import an Example Portrait:
* Choose a portrait that represents the type of image you'll typically use this preset on. Different lighting and skin tones will react differently to the settings.
2. Develop Module:
* Make sure you are in the "Develop" module of Lightroom.
3. Basic Panel:
* Exposure: Adjust this *slightly* based on the specific image. A little brighter might be good for soft portraits, but don't overdo it. Aim for a comfortable overall brightness. (+0.10 to +0.30 is a good starting point, but may vary wildly)
* Contrast: Reduce this to flatten the image and create a more even skin tone. A setting between -15 and -30 is usually a good starting point. The lower the contrast, the softer the look.
* Highlights: Reduce highlights further if needed to prevent blown highlights on skin. Start with -10. Adjust to your taste.
* Shadows: Lift the shadows to brighten the darker areas and give a softer appearance. +10 to +30 is a good range to experiment with.
* Whites: Slightly reduce the Whites. This is similar to Highlights, but controls only the absolute brightest parts. -5 to -15.
* Blacks: Adjust the blacks *carefully*. Lifting them slightly (+5 to +15) can contribute to the softness, but too much can make the image look washed out. Lowering the blacks increases depth and contrast a bit, so it's a balancing act.
* Clarity: This is important! Reduce the Clarity setting. Clarity adds mid-tone contrast and sharpness. Reducing it will soften skin texture. Start with -10 to -30. The exact value depends on how strong you want the effect.
* Vibrance: Increase Vibrance slightly to bring out natural colors. +5 to +15 is usually sufficient. This is gentler than Saturation.
* Saturation: Increase Saturation *very slightly* if needed. Be cautious with this, as too much saturation can make skin tones look unnatural. +0 to +5.
4. Tone Curve Panel:
* Point Curve (Recommended): Create a gentle "S" curve, or a very slight "V" curve that is inverted (humps up in the middle, down on the sides). This lifts shadows and slightly darkens highlights, which gives a softer tonal range.
* Click the "Point Curve" icon in the top right corner.
* Click on the curve and add a point in the lower left, a point in the middle, and a point in the upper right.
* Drag the lower left point up slightly (to lift shadows).
* Drag the upper right point down slightly (to reduce highlights).
* Parametric Curve (Alternative): If you prefer the parametric curve, you can adjust the highlights, lights, darks, and shadows sliders to achieve a similar effect. Increase the "Lights" and "Shadows" sliders slightly, and slightly reduce "Highlights" and "Darks".
5. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: This is crucial for softness.
* Amount: Reduce the Amount significantly. Try 0-20. Completely removing sharpening can make the image look *too* soft and a little blurry.
* Radius: Leave this at 1.0
* Detail: Leave this around 25.
* Masking: Increase masking significantly (around 60-90). This setting controls which areas are sharpened. By masking, you sharpen only the edges, and not the skin. Hold the "Alt" key (Option on Mac) while dragging the masking slider, and you will see what parts are sharpened. The white part is where the sharpening effect is applied.
* Noise Reduction: Slight noise reduction can further smooth the image.
* Luminance: Increase this to around 5-15. Be careful not to overdo it, as too much luminance noise reduction can create a "plastic" look.
* Color: Leave this at the default (25) unless you have noticeable color noise.
6. HSL / Color / B&W Panel (Optional):
* Skin Tones: Fine-tune skin tones to your liking. Experiment with adjusting the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance of the Orange and Red channels. Slightly increasing the Luminance of the Orange channel can often be flattering to skin.
7. Effects Panel:
* Grain: Adding a *tiny* amount of grain can sometimes give a film-like quality to the image. Experiment with an Amount of 5-10. This is optional and stylistic.
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Apply a subtle vignette if desired. A slight darkening vignette can draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame. Use the "Amount" slider with a negative value.
8. Camera Calibration Panel (Optional):
* Experiment with different Camera Profiles (e.g., Camera Portrait, Camera Standard). These profiles affect the overall color rendering of the image.
* Adjust the Red, Green, and Blue Primary Hue and Saturation sliders to fine-tune color tones. *Be very careful with this panel!* Small adjustments can have a big impact.
9. Create the Preset:
* Click the "+" (New Preset) button in the Presets panel (usually on the left side of the Develop module).
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Gentle Glow").
* In the "Check All" options, uncheck everything except for the settings you actually adjusted. This is important! You only want the preset to apply the settings you've defined for the soft portrait effect. Things like Crop, White Balance, Local Adjustments should almost always be unchecked. Important checkboxes: Basic Tone, Tone Curve, Detail, HSL/Color, Effects.
* Click "Create."
Tips and Considerations
* Experiment: The settings above are just starting points. The best settings will depend on your subject, lighting, and personal taste.
* Subtlety: "Soft" doesn't mean "blurry." Avoid overdoing any one setting, especially sharpness reduction.
* Lighting: This preset will work best with well-lit portraits. Poor lighting will require additional adjustments.
* Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tones. Use the HSL panel to fine-tune them.
* Iterate: Apply the preset to several different portraits and refine it as needed. Save different versions if you want to experiment with more or less extreme effects.
* Local Adjustments: Use the Adjustment Brush or Graduated Filter to make local adjustments to specific areas of the image (e.g., brighten the eyes, smooth skin texture). These are *in addition to* the global settings of the preset.
* Backup Your Presets! Lightroom doesn't always make it easy to find where your presets are stored. Make sure you have a backup of your presets so you don't lose them if you need to reinstall Lightroom or move to a new computer. You can export them in Lightroom by right-clicking on the preset in the Presets panel.
By following these steps, you can create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that gives your portraits a beautiful and flattering look. Remember to experiment and adjust the settings to suit your individual style and the specific characteristics of each image.