I. Start with a Suitable Image:
* Choose a portrait image with decent lighting. This will help you visualize the changes you're making more effectively. Avoid images that are already extremely underexposed or overexposed.
II. Develop Settings Adjustments:
* Basic Panel:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to achieve a balanced overall brightness. Be careful not to overexpose, as you'll be reducing Clarity later.
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast. Aim for something between -20 and -40 to flatten the tonal range. This is key to the soft look.
* Highlights: Reduce the highlights (-20 to -50). This helps recover detail in brighter areas of the skin and softens highlights.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows (+10 to +30). This opens up the shadows and reduces harshness.
* Whites: Adjust based on the image. Slightly lower the Whites to prevent clipping and retain detail.
* Blacks: Adjust based on the image. Slightly raise the Blacks (+5 to +15) to lift the blacks and contribute to the overall softness.
* Clarity: Reduce the clarity significantly. This is a crucial step! Go for a value between -30 and -60. This is what gives the portrait that dreamy, soft look. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look flat.
* Vibrance: Increase the Vibrance slightly (+5 to +15) to bring back some color without oversaturating the skin tones. This is often preferable to increasing saturation as it targets less saturated areas first.
* Saturation: Adjust according to your taste, but generally avoid large increases. A small bump (+0 to +10) can be helpful, but watch for overly orange skin.
* Tone Curve: (Crucial for a soft look)
* Point Curve (Recommended): In the "Point Curve" area of the Tone Curve panel, gently lift the blacks and lower the highlights. Create a subtle S-curve, but much gentler than a traditional contrast-enhancing S-curve. This is often called a "filmic" or "faded" look.
* Click on the line to create points, then drag:
* Drag the lower left point (shadows) slightly upwards.
* Drag the upper right point (highlights) slightly downwards.
* Adjust the middle point as needed to fine-tune the overall brightness and contrast.
* Alternatively (Parametric Curve): You can also use the parametric curve, but the point curve gives you more precise control. If using the parametric curve:
* Increase the Shadows slider.
* Decrease the Highlights slider.
* HSL / Color Panel:
* Hue: Subtle adjustments to skin tones. You might slightly shift the orange and red hues to make the skin more pleasing. Be subtle! Only adjust a few points at a time.
* Saturation: Reduce the saturation of oranges slightly (-5 to -10) to avoid overly orange skin. You can also slightly increase the saturation of reds to bring out lip color (but be careful not to overdo it).
* Luminance: Increase the luminance of oranges (+5 to +15) to brighten skin tones.
* Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Reduce the sharpening amount. Since you're going for a soft look, you don't want excessive sharpness. Start with an Amount of around 20-40, a Radius of 0.8-1.0, and Detail around 25-50. Adjust based on the image. Masking will help prevent sharpening in areas that don't need it (like backgrounds).
* Noise Reduction: Increase Luminance Noise Reduction slightly (5-15) to smooth out any noise that might be emphasized by the reduced clarity. Don't overdo it or you'll lose detail.
* Effects Panel:
* Grain: Adding a *very* subtle grain can enhance the filmic look, but it's optional. If you add grain, keep the Amount low (around 5-10), the Size small (around 20), and the Roughness moderate (around 50).
* Vignette: Consider adding a subtle vignette (Amount around -10 to -20, Midpoint adjusted accordingly) to draw the viewer's eye to the subject. This is optional.
* Camera Calibration: (Subtle adjustments can impact skin tones)
* Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue Primary Hue and Saturation sliders. Small changes here can make a big difference in skin tone. Move them in small increments and observe the results.
III. Save as a Preset:
1. In the left-hand panel, click the "+" icon next to "Presets" or find the "Presets" panel and click the little plus sign (+).
2. Choose "Create Preset."
3. Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait," "Dreamy Portrait").
4. Carefully select the settings you want to include in the preset. Generally, you'll want to include all the settings you adjusted above. Uncheck anything you *don't* want to be applied by the preset. Be especially mindful of the following:
* White Balance: Consider excluding this if your lighting conditions vary greatly.
* Basic Tone: Includes Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Clarity, Vibrance, and Saturation. *Definitely* include these.
* Tone Curve: *Definitely* include this.
* HSL/Color/B&W: *Definitely* include this.
* Detail: *Definitely* include this.
* Effects: Include if you used Grain or Vignetting.
* Camera Calibration: Include if you adjusted these settings.
5. Choose a group to save the preset in (e.g., "User Presets," "Portrait Presets," or create a new group).
6. Click "Create."
IV. Important Considerations and Tips:
* Image Specific Adjustments: No preset will work perfectly on every image. After applying the preset, you'll almost certainly need to make further adjustments based on the individual photo. Pay particular attention to exposure, white balance, and skin tones.
* Skin Tone Accuracy: Always check the skin tones to make sure they look natural and healthy. Use the HSL panel to fine-tune the colors if needed.
* Experiment! This is just a starting point. Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings to find what works best for your style and the images you're editing.
* Practice: The more you practice creating and applying presets, the better you'll become at understanding how the different settings interact with each other.
* Compare Before/After: Use the backslash key (\) to toggle between the before and after views to see the impact of your adjustments.
Summary of Key Elements for a Soft Portrait Look:
* Reduced Clarity: The cornerstone of the soft look.
* Lowered Contrast: Flattens the tonal range.
* Lifted Blacks and Lowered Highlights (Gentle S-Curve): Creates a filmic or faded feel.
* Reduced Sharpening: Prevents harshness.
* Slightly Increased Vibrance: Adds color without oversaturation.
* Careful Attention to Skin Tones (HSL Panel): Ensures natural and pleasing skin.
By following these steps and experimenting, you can create a beautiful "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will give your portraits a dreamy, ethereal quality. Remember to always adapt the preset to each individual image for optimal results. Good luck!