Understanding the Goals of a Soft Portrait Preset:
* Soften Skin: Reduce harshness and texture, creating a smoother, more flattering appearance.
* Lighten & Brighten: Lift shadows and overall exposure for a brighter, more optimistic feel.
* Gentle Colors: Mute vibrant colors and enhance skin tones for a warmer, more natural look.
* Reduce Contrast: Lower contrast to minimize harsh shadows and highlights, contributing to the softness.
* Sharpen Eyes (Subtly): Keep the eyes sharp to maintain focus and draw attention.
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Start with a Clean Slate: Open Lightroom and select an image you want to use as a test subject (preferably a portrait). Reset all the settings in the Develop module by going to Develop > Reset.
2. Basic Adjustments: This is where we'll lay the foundation.
* Exposure: Increase slightly, usually between +0.20 and +0.50. Adjust based on the specific image. The goal is to brighten the overall image without blowing out highlights.
* Contrast: Decrease. A good starting point is -15 to -30. This will flatten the image and soften shadows.
* Highlights: Decrease significantly. Try -30 to -60. This recovers detail in bright areas and contributes to the overall softness.
* Shadows: Increase slightly. +10 to +30 will help open up darker areas and reduce harsh shadows.
* Whites: Adjust based on the image. Often, a slight increase (+5 to +15) can help brighten the overall image, but watch for clipping.
* Blacks: Slightly decrease (-5 to -15) to add a little bit of depth, but avoid making the image look muddy.
3. Tone Curve: This is crucial for fine-tuning the tonal range. Lightroom 4 has a *Point Curve*, which gives you precise control.
* Subtle S-Curve: Create a very gentle S-curve by dragging the bottom left of the curve upwards slightly (to lift shadows) and the top right of the curve downwards slightly (to tame highlights). The key here is *subtlety*. A harsh S-curve will create too much contrast.
4. HSL/Color: This is where you'll fine-tune color tones.
* Hue:
* Orange: Slight adjustment toward red (+3 to +8) can enhance skin tones.
* Yellow: Minor adjustments to yellow might be needed, depending on the image's lighting and color cast.
* Saturation: Reduce overall saturation, especially for vibrant colors.
* Orange: Slightly increase (+5 to +10) to enhance skin tones. Be careful not to overdo it.
* Red: Decrease (-5 to -15) to prevent overly saturated reds, especially in lips and cheeks.
* Yellow: Decrease (-5 to -15).
* Other Colors: Evaluate the image and subtly adjust other colors as needed to reduce harshness.
* Luminance: Adjust the brightness of individual colors.
* Orange: Increase (+5 to +15) to brighten skin tones.
* Yellow: Increase slightly if needed.
5. Detail:
* Sharpening:
* Amount: Reduce the amount of sharpening compared to the default. Start with around 30-40. The goal is to sharpen *selectively* later.
* Radius: Keep this low (around 0.5 to 0.8). A larger radius will make sharpening more noticeable.
* Detail: Adjust this to around 30-50.
* Masking: Hold down the ALT/Option key while dragging the Masking slider to the right. This reveals the areas that will be sharpened. Aim to mask most of the image *except* the eyes and perhaps a few other key details. This will sharpen the eyes without adding sharpening artifacts to the skin. A value of 50-80 is a good starting point.
* Noise Reduction: This is essential for softening skin.
* Luminance: Apply a small amount of Luminance noise reduction (around 10-20). Increase it gradually until the skin looks smoother, but be careful not to make it look plastic. Too much noise reduction will destroy detail.
* Detail: Set this to around 50% to retain details.
* Color: Apply a small amount of color noise reduction (around 10-20) to remove color blotches.
6. Lens Corrections:
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the "Enable Profile Corrections" box to automatically correct for lens distortion and chromatic aberration.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check the "Remove Chromatic Aberration" box.
7. Effects:
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Consider adding a subtle vignette (Amount around -10 to -20) to draw the viewer's eye towards the center of the image.
8. Save the Preset:
* Go to the Develop module's Presets panel (usually on the left).
* Click the "+" button at the top of the Presets panel (or right-click and select "New Preset").
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait").
* Check the boxes next to all the settings you want to include in the preset. Usually, you'll want to include all of the adjustments you made (Basic Tone, Tone Curve, HSL/Color, Detail, Lens Corrections, and Effects).
* Click "Create".
Important Considerations:
* Experimentation is Key: These are starting points. Every image is different, so you'll need to tweak the settings based on the specific photo.
* Subtlety is Crucial: Avoid making extreme adjustments. The goal is a natural, softened look, not an overly processed one.
* Skin Tone Accuracy: Pay close attention to skin tones. Ensure they look natural and healthy.
* Targeted Adjustments: The Adjustment Brush in Lightroom is your friend! Use it to selectively brighten eyes, smooth skin further in specific areas, or add subtle color adjustments.
* Profile Settings and Camera Calibration: These are often overlooked. Experiment with different camera profiles (under the Camera Calibration panel) to see if one better suits your taste. You can also adjust the shadow tint here.
* Preset Stacking: Don't be afraid to apply multiple presets. You can create a basic "soft portrait" preset and then another preset that *only* adjusts sharpening settings, or *only* adjusts camera calibration, giving you a layered approach to your editing.
Troubleshooting:
* Overly Smooth Skin: Reduce Luminance Noise Reduction.
* Muddy Colors: Adjust Saturation values in the HSL/Color panel. Increase Vibrance instead of Saturation for a more natural look.
* Harsh Shadows: Increase Shadows and Whites in the Basic panel.
* Unnatural Skin Tones: Adjust Hue and Saturation of Orange and Red in the HSL/Color panel. Also, check your camera calibration.
* Too Much Sharpening: Reduce the Sharpening Amount, increase the Masking slider, or use the Adjustment Brush with negative sharpness on skin.
By following these steps and experimenting with the settings, you can create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve beautiful, flattering results. Remember to save variations of your preset as you refine it, so you can easily compare and choose the best option for each image. Good luck!