Key Elements of a Soft Portrait Preset:
* Reduced Clarity: Less harshness and more smoothness.
* Subtle Sharpening: Just enough to keep things defined without emphasizing texture.
* Tonal Adjustments: Brighter highlights and lifted shadows for a softer light.
* Color Adjustments: Warm tones or subtle color grading for a pleasing look.
* Noise Reduction (if needed): Depending on your ISO, this can help further soften the image.
* Reduced Contrast: creates a softer feel.
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Import and Select an Image:
* Open Lightroom 4 and import a portrait photo you want to work with. Choose an image that will benefit from a softening effect (e.g., one with strong lighting or visible skin texture).
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to achieve the desired overall brightness. Aim for a well-exposed image, but avoid clipping highlights. Generally, a slight increase (e.g., +0.2 to +0.5) is good to lighten and soften.
* Contrast: Decrease this setting to soften the overall image. A value between -20 to -40 is a good starting point.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights to recover details and reduce harshness. Try -15 to -35.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows to lift the dark areas and create a more even light. Experiment with values between +15 to +40.
* Whites: Adjust to fine-tune the overall brightness, but be careful not to clip. A slight increase (e.g., +5 to +15) can help.
* Blacks: Adjust to set the darkest point of the image. A small decrease (e.g., -5 to -15) can help prevent a muddy look.
* Temperature: Increase towards warmer tones (yellow/orange) for a flattering look. Adjust according to the skin tones. Values of +5 to +15 are often good starting points.
* Tint: Adjust towards magenta or green to balance skin tones. Use sparingly. Usually +/- 5 is the most you would need.
* Presence (Clarity and Vibrance/Saturation):
* Clarity: *This is the most crucial setting for a soft portrait.* Reduce Clarity significantly to smooth skin and lessen texture. Start with a value between -20 to -50. The exact amount will depend on the initial texture of the image.
* Vibrance: Increase Vibrance to enhance the colors without over-saturating the skin tones. A value between +5 to +20 can be effective.
* Saturation: Adjust this carefully. A small increase (+3 to +10) might be useful, but avoid going overboard, especially with skin tones.
3. Tone Curve Panel Adjustments:
* You can subtly modify the tone curve to create a softer contrast.
* Point Curve: Instead of a harsh, straight line, create a subtle "S" curve or a gentle "U" curve. The exact shape will depend on the image. A flat curve is also an option. Focus on:
* Lifting the bottom of the curve: This lifts the shadows even further.
* Flattening the top of the curve: This reduces the highlights.
* Click the "Point Curve" button to access this. Adjust the curve gently. Experimentation is key here. Don't make extreme changes.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments (Optional):
* Use the HSL panel to fine-tune the skin tones.
* Hue: Make subtle shifts in the Orange and Yellow hues to achieve your desired skin tone.
* Saturation: Slightly decrease the saturation of Orange and Yellow if the skin tones are too intense.
* Luminance: Increase the Luminance of Orange and Yellow to brighten the skin.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the "Amount" of sharpening significantly. You only want a tiny bit of sharpening. Values around 20-30 for Amount is common.
* Radius: Keep this low (around 0.5 - 1.0) to prevent over-sharpening.
* Detail: Reduce this to soften textures. Around 10-20 is appropriate.
* Masking: Increase this (around 40-60) to prevent sharpening of areas like the background and only sharpen areas of detail, like eyes and lips.
* Noise Reduction: If your image has noise (especially at higher ISOs), use the "Luminance" slider to reduce noise. Start with a value of 10-20 and adjust as needed. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look artificial. Color noise reduction is usually helpful at a value of 15-25.
6. Lens Corrections and Camera Calibration (Optional):
* Lens Corrections: Enable "Remove Chromatic Aberration" and "Enable Profile Corrections" to fix any lens distortions.
* Camera Calibration: Experiment with different camera profiles for subtle color shifts. Often, a profile specifically designed for portraits will look good. Adobe Standard is a safe choice if you're unsure.
7. Save the Preset:
* In the left panel, click the "+" button next to "Presets."
* Give your preset a descriptive name, such as "Soft Portrait - Low Clarity" or "Soft Portrait - Warm Tones."
* Select the settings you want to include in the preset. It's generally a good idea to include:
* Basic Tone settings (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks)
* Presence settings (Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation)
* Tone Curve
* HSL/Color
* Detail (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* Lens Corrections
* Camera Calibration (optional)
* Click "Create."
Tips and Considerations:
* Experimentation is Key: Every image is different. These settings are starting points. Adjust the sliders to achieve the best look for each photo.
* Skin Tone Accuracy: Monitor skin tones closely. Use the HSL panel to refine skin tones if needed.
* Over-Processing: Avoid over-processing. Too much softening can make the image look blurry and unnatural. The goal is a subtle, pleasing effect.
* Local Adjustments: For even finer control, use the Adjustment Brush to apply the softening effect selectively to specific areas of the face (e.g., skin) or body.
* Batch Processing: Once you have a preset you like, you can apply it to a batch of similar photos. You'll likely need to tweak the settings slightly for each individual image.
* Preview: Use the "Before/After" view in Lightroom to compare your adjustments to the original image.
Example Starting Values:
This is *just a starting point*. You *must* adjust these based on the specific photo you're editing.
* Exposure: +0.3
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -20
* Shadows: +25
* Whites: +10
* Blacks: -10
* Clarity: -35
* Vibrance: +10
* Saturation: +5
* Temperature: +8
* Sharpening Amount: 25
* Sharpening Radius: 0.8
* Sharpening Detail: 15
* Sharpening Masking: 50
* Luminance Noise Reduction: 10 (if needed)
By following these steps and experimenting with the settings, you can create a custom "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will give your portrait photos a beautiful, smooth, and flattering look. Remember to practice and refine your preset over time to achieve the results you want!