1. Develop Module: Basic Panel
* Exposure: Adjust to taste. Usually, slightly overexposing (+0.1 to +0.5) helps create a brighter, more airy feel. Be careful not to blow out highlights.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast significantly. This helps flatten harsh shadows and highlights, contributing to the soft look. Start around -20 to -40 and adjust as needed.
* Highlights: Decrease to recover detail in blown-out areas. A range of -30 to -60 is a good starting point.
* Shadows: Increase to lighten shadows and reveal detail in darker areas. A range of +20 to +40 can be effective.
* Whites: Adjust subtly. Experiment with a slight increase or decrease depending on the image. A small change can make a big difference.
* Blacks: Slightly increase to lift the blacks and prevent them from being too crushed. A small increase, like +5 to +15, is usually sufficient.
* Clarity: This is crucial. Reduce clarity significantly to soften the image. Start with -20 to -50. This softens hard edges and smooths skin.
* Vibrance: Increase slightly to boost the overall colors without making skin tones appear unnatural. Start around +5 to +15.
* Saturation: Adjust this very carefully. A small increase (+2 to +5) can enhance colors, but too much will look unnatural.
2. Develop Module: Tone Curve Panel
* Point Curve (or Region Curve): Create a subtle S-curve to add a bit of contrast without being harsh.
* Midtones: Gently lift the midtones by clicking on the curve in the middle and pulling upwards slightly.
* Shadows: Gently flatten the shadows by clicking on the curve on the bottom left and pulling it slightly upward, creating a matte effect.
* Highlights: Slightly pull down on the top right of the curve to reduce highlight intensity.
3. Develop Module: Detail Panel
* Sharpening: This is key for a soft portrait.
* Amount: Reduce significantly, or even turn it off. Lowering the amount helps to blur details and soften skin. Start at 0 and adjust upwards *slightly* only if the image looks too blurry. A value of 10-20 may be useful.
* Radius: Keep this low (around 0.5 to 0.7).
* Detail: Keep this low (around 10-20).
* Masking: Experiment. Increasing the Masking slider prevents sharpening from being applied to smooth areas like skin. This is important for preventing texture buildup in areas where you want smoothness. Start around 50-70.
* Noise Reduction:
* Luminance: Apply some luminance noise reduction to further smooth skin. Start with +10 to +20 and adjust to taste. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look plastic.
* Color: A small amount of color noise reduction (around +5 to +10) can help clean up any color artifacts.
4. Develop Module: HSL/Color Panel
* Luminance:
* Orange and Yellow: Increase the luminance of these colors to brighten skin tones. +5 to +15 can be effective.
* Saturation:
* Orange: Gently decrease the saturation of orange if skin tones appear too strong.
5. Develop Module: Camera Calibration Panel
* Profile: Experiment with different camera profiles (under 'Process'). Some profiles can inherently add a softer look. Adobe Standard or Camera Portrait are good starting points.
* Shadow Tint: Add a very slight green or purple tint in the shadows if desired for a specific mood. Be subtle.
Saving the Preset
1. Reset or Start Fresh: It's best to start from a photo with all settings at their default. Or you can reset an image to its original settings and then make the adjustments above.
2. Make Adjustments: Make all the adjustments described above to your photo.
3. Click the "+" button: In the "Presets" panel on the left-hand side of the Develop module, click the "+" button to create a new preset.
4. Name the Preset: Give your preset a descriptive name like "Soft Portrait" or "Dreamy Portrait."
5. Select Settings: A dialog box will appear. Here's what you need to select to ensure your preset works as intended.
* Check All or Specific Settings: You can select all settings by checking the "Check All" box. However, for a flexible preset, it's often better to select *only* the settings you specifically adjusted. This prevents the preset from changing things you didn't intend to, like white balance or lens corrections. *Crucially*, make sure these are checked, at a minimum:
* Basic Tone (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation)
* Tone Curve
* Detail (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* HSL / Color / B&W (only if you made adjustments here)
* Camera Calibration (only if you changed the profile)
* Uncheck Anything You *Don't* Want to Change: It's generally good practice to *uncheck* these things *unless* you specifically made an adjustment in your test image:
* White Balance: Different photos will have different lighting, so you usually want to preserve the original white balance.
* Lens Corrections: Unless you're *always* using the same lens, it's best to leave this unchecked. Different lenses require different corrections.
* Transform: (Rotation, vertical/horizontal distortion). These are usually specific to the photo.
* Effects (Grain, Vignetting)
6. Create: Click the "Create" button.
Tips and Considerations
* Start with a Good Image: Presets are not a magic bullet. They work best when applied to well-exposed, in-focus images.
* Adjust to Taste: Every image is different. After applying the preset, you'll almost always need to make additional adjustments to fine-tune it to the specific photo. Pay particular attention to exposure, white balance, and skin tones.
* Skin Tones are Key: Keep a close eye on skin tones. Make sure they look natural and healthy. Use the HSL/Color panel to adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance of orange and red if needed.
* Experiment with Masking: Lightroom has powerful masking tools. Consider using adjustment brushes to apply the "softening" effects only to the skin, while leaving the eyes and other details sharper.
* Avoid Over-Processing: The goal is a subtle, flattering effect, not a plastic or unnatural look. Less is often more.
* Batch Processing: Once you've perfected your preset, you can use it to batch process a series of similar images. However, remember to review and adjust each image individually.
By following these steps, you can create a versatile "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a beautiful, flattering look in your portrait photography. Remember to experiment and adapt the settings to your own style and preferences.