1. Import and Select a Suitable Portrait:
* Choose a portrait with good lighting and a subject you want to soften. A portrait with natural light often works well.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Slightly increase the exposure if the image is underexposed. Aim for a balanced exposure where skin tones look natural. Don't overdo it or you'll lose details. Start with +0.3 to +0.5 and adjust from there.
* Contrast: Lower the contrast significantly. This is crucial for the soft look. Aim for a value between -20 and -40. Lowering contrast flattens the image, reducing harsh lines and highlights.
* Highlights: Reduce the highlights. This helps to recover detail in bright areas of the face and smooth out potential overexposure. Try a value of -30 to -60.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows slightly. This opens up the darker areas and adds more evenness to the skin tone. Try a value of +10 to +30.
* Whites: Adjust whites according to the scene. A slight decrease (-5 to -15) can sometimes prevent blown-out highlights. If the image looks flat, a slight increase (+5 to +15) may be needed.
* Blacks: Adjust blacks according to the scene. Similar to Whites, play with this until you get a good tonal balance. If things are too muted, lower it (-5 to -15).
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* Slight S-Curve (Optional): You can create a very gentle S-curve to add a touch of contrast back in without making the image harsh. *However*, for a truly soft look, you might skip this or make it extremely subtle. Click on the "Point Curve" option.
* Lift the Shadows: Gently lift the bottom left point of the curve upwards a small amount. This further softens the shadows and reduces contrast.
* Slightly Lower Highlights: Gently lower the top right point of the curve a small amount. This reduces highlight harshness.
* Important: Keep these movements very subtle!
4. Detail Panel Adjustments (Crucial for Softness):
* Sharpening: This is where the magic happens. Reduce the sharpening amount drastically. This is the main tool that will soften the skin.
* Amount: Reduce to 0 or even a negative value like -10 to -20 (experiment!). A value of 0 will essentially disable sharpening, contributing significantly to the soft look.
* Radius: Keep this very low, around 0.5 - 0.7. A larger radius will counteract the softening effect.
* Detail: Reduce this slightly (5-15), as well. This helps to smooth out fine details.
* Masking: Increase the masking slider to isolate the sharpening effect to the edges and avoid over-sharpening the skin. Start around 50-70 and adjust as needed. Holding the Alt/Option key while adjusting the Masking slider will show you which areas are being sharpened (white) and which are not (black). You want mostly edges to be white.
* Noise Reduction: Apply a small amount of Luminance noise reduction. This helps to smooth out the skin and reduce any graininess. Start with 10-20 and adjust as needed. Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make the image look artificial. Do *not* apply Color noise reduction unless there's a specific color noise issue.
5. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments (Subtle Tweaks):
* Luminance: Adjust the luminance of skin tones (Orange and Red). You can often increase the luminance of these colors slightly (+5 to +15) to brighten the skin.
* Saturation: Reduce the saturation of skin tones (Orange and Red) very slightly (-5 to -10) if the skin looks too vibrant.
* Hue: Very subtle hue adjustments can improve skin tones. A small shift towards orange in the Red hue can warm up the skin.
6. Split Toning (Optional - Adds a Subtle Color Tint):
* Highlights: Add a very subtle warm tone to the highlights (e.g., a slight yellow or orange hue) with a very low saturation (e.g., 5-10).
* Shadows: Add a very subtle cool tone to the shadows (e.g., a slight blue or green hue) with a very low saturation (e.g., 5-10).
* Balance: Adjust the balance slider to control the proportion of highlights and shadows affected by the split toning.
7. Calibration Panel (Optional - For Further Color Toning):
* This panel allows for advanced color adjustments that can contribute to a specific mood or look. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue Primary sliders. Small adjustments can significantly impact the overall color cast.
8. Save the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the adjustments, click on the "+" button in the Presets panel (usually on the left side of the screen).
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Natural Light").
* Make sure to check the boxes next to the settings you want to include in the preset (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Tone Curve, Sharpening, Noise Reduction, HSL, Split Toning, Camera Calibration).
* Click "Create."
Tips and Considerations:
* Experiment: These are starting points. Adjust the values to suit your specific image. Every portrait is different!
* Subtlety is Key: Avoid overdoing any of these adjustments. The goal is to create a soft, natural-looking portrait, not an artificial or blurry one.
* Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tones. Don't make them look unnatural or overly processed.
* Context Matters: The best preset will depend on the lighting and overall style of the image.
* Brush Tool: For more targeted softening, use the Adjustment Brush. You can paint over specific areas (like the skin) and reduce clarity, sharpness, and add a slight negative contrast for localized smoothing.
* Opacity: If the preset is too strong, reduce the overall opacity of the preset in the "History" panel.
Example Starting Values (Remember to Adjust!):
* Exposure: +0.4
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -50
* Shadows: +20
* Whites: -10
* Blacks: -5
* Sharpening Amount: 0 (or -10 if you can do negative values)
* Sharpening Radius: 0.5
* Sharpening Detail: 10
* Sharpening Masking: 60
* Luminance Noise Reduction: 15
By following these steps and experimenting with the settings, you can create a beautiful "soft portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will give your portraits a dreamy and flattering look. Good luck!