1. Import and Select Your Image:
* Import the portrait you want to use as a base for your preset into Lightroom 4.
* Select the image in the Library module and switch to the Develop module.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust to brighten the overall image slightly. Aim for a well-exposed but not overexposed image. A slight increase (+0.10 to +0.30) is usually good. This depends heavily on the original image's exposure.
* Contrast: Lowering contrast is key to softening the image. Reduce it significantly. Try -20 to -40 as a starting point. This will flatten the tonal range and reduce harsh shadows.
* Highlights: Reduce highlights to recover detail in bright areas and further soften the light. Start with -30 to -50.
* Shadows: Increase shadows to brighten the darker areas, reducing contrast and revealing detail. Try +20 to +40.
* Whites: Slightly increase whites to add a touch of brightness and dimension without blowing out highlights. +5 to +15 might be enough. Monitor for clipping!
* Blacks: Slightly decrease blacks to anchor the image and prevent it from looking washed out. -5 to -15 is usually sufficient.
* Clarity: This is the most important control for softening. Reduce Clarity significantly. This softens details and gives a more diffused look. Try -20 to -50. The lower you go, the softer the image becomes.
* Vibrance: Increase Vibrance slightly to enhance the colors without oversaturating the skin tones. +5 to +15 works well.
* Saturation: Make a small adjustment to saturation if needed. If vibrance made the colors too intense, decrease saturation slightly (-5 to 0).
3. Tone Curve Panel Adjustments:
* Point Curve: The Tone Curve can be used to subtly fine-tune the contrast and brightness.
* Subtle S-Curve (Recommended): Create a very gentle S-curve. Pull down the top right of the curve *slightly* to darken highlights and pull up the bottom left *slightly* to brighten shadows. This maintains a subtle contrast while keeping the soft feel.
* Linear Curve (Alternative): Some photographers prefer a linear curve for a truly flat and soft look. To achieve this, flatten the curve by reducing the contrast significantly in the point curve.
* Region Curve (Alternative):
* You can use the region curve as well to fine tune how the curve will affect the image.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments:
* Hue:
* Orange: Very slightly shift the orange hue towards red if the skin tones look too yellow. This is subtle (+2 to +5).
* Yellow: Adjust the yellow hue if there are distracting yellow tones in the image, especially in backgrounds.
* Saturation:
* Orange: Slightly reduce the saturation of the orange tones to prevent skin from looking overly orange. -5 to -10.
* Yellow: Reduce the saturation of the yellow tones to prevent overly saturated background elements.
* Luminance:
* Orange: Slightly increase the luminance of orange tones to brighten the skin. +5 to +10.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: This is crucial! Reduce sharpening significantly or even turn it off completely. Soft portraits are about minimizing sharp details. If you must sharpen, use a very low amount (around 20-30) with a high Radius (1.0) and low Detail (10-20). Masking can be helpful to only sharpen specific areas like the eyes.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Increase luminance noise reduction to smooth out skin and reduce grain. Start with 10-20 and adjust until the skin looks smooth but not plastic. Don't overdo it!
* Noise Reduction (Color): You usually don't need much color noise reduction unless the image has a lot of color noise. A small amount (5-10) can help.
6. Lens Corrections Panel:
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the box to automatically correct for lens distortion and chromatic aberration. This generally improves image quality.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check this box to further reduce color fringing along edges.
7. Camera Calibration Panel (Optional):
* Experiment with the Camera Profile. Some profiles like "Camera Portrait" or "Camera Standard" might be a good starting point.
* Adjust the Red, Green, and Blue Primary Hue and Saturation sliders to fine-tune the overall color tone. Subtle adjustments here can significantly impact the mood. Experiment to find what you like.
8. Saving the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the results, click the "+" button in the Presets panel (located on the left-hand side).
* Give your preset a descriptive name, such as "Soft Portrait - [Your Name]".
* In the "Check" box, be sure to select all the settings you adjusted (Basic, Tone Curve, HSL/Color, Detail, Lens Corrections, Camera Calibration). *Important: Deselect 'White Balance' or choose 'As Shot'* This will prevent the preset from changing the white balance of every image you apply it to, unless you *want* it to change the white balance.
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations & Tips:
* White Balance: Leave White Balance "As Shot" when creating the preset, unless you have a specific white balance in mind that you always want applied.
* Experimentation is Key: These are starting points. Each image is different. Fine-tune the settings for each portrait to achieve the best results.
* Skin Tones: Pay close attention to skin tones! The goal is to create flattering and natural-looking skin.
* Over-Processing: Be careful not to over-process the image. Overdoing noise reduction or clarity reduction can make the skin look artificial and plastic-like.
* Global vs. Local Adjustments: This preset provides a global adjustment. You might want to make additional local adjustments (using the Adjustment Brush or Graduated Filter) to refine the skin smoothing, sharpen the eyes, or dodge and burn specific areas.
* Practice: The more you practice, the better you'll become at creating presets that achieve the look you want.
By following these steps, you'll be able to create a custom "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that you can use as a starting point for your portrait editing workflow. Remember to experiment and adjust the settings to suit your individual preferences and the unique characteristics of each image. Good luck!