Understanding the Goal:
The "Soft Portrait" look typically involves the following adjustments:
* Reduced Sharpness: Creates a softer skin texture.
* Slightly Lowered Contrast: Reduces harsh shadows and highlights.
* Subtle Glow/Bloom: Adds a delicate, dreamy feel.
* Smooth Skin Tones: Even out skin imperfections.
* Gentle Color Tones: Often warm or slightly muted.
Steps to Create the Preset:
1. Import and Select a Photo:
* Import a portrait image into Lightroom 4 that you want to use as your test subject. Choose an image with good lighting and a natural expression.
* Go to the Develop module.
2. Basic Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust exposure to achieve a good overall brightness. A slight increase is usually preferred for a softer look. Experiment until the skin tones look naturally lit.
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast a bit. Start with a value around -10 to -20. This will soften harsh shadows.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights to recover details in bright areas. Try -15 to -30.
* Shadows: Slightly increase the shadows to lift the dark areas. Try +10 to +25. This will further reduce contrast.
* Whites: Make minor adjustments as needed. A slight decrease can help control overly bright areas.
* Blacks: Make minor adjustments as needed. A slight increase can help lift the blacks.
3. Tone Curve:
* This is crucial for creating that soft, dreamy look.
* Switch to the "Tone Curve" panel.
* Point Curve (Recommended): Click the Point Curve icon (the one with the curve).
* Create a subtle "S" curve. Lift the bottom point slightly (to lift shadows) and pull down the top point slightly (to slightly reduce highlights). This will gently reduce contrast. Make it *very* subtle. A more aggressive curve can create a vintage look rather than a soft one.
* Alternatively, Parametric Curve: If you're more comfortable with the parametric curve, adjust the "Lights," "Darks," "Highlights," and "Shadows" sliders similarly to what you did in the Basic panel, but with finer control.
4. HSL/Color Adjustments:
* Go to the "HSL / Color" panel.
* Hue: Subtle shifts can add warmth or cool tones. Generally, small adjustments are best.
* Orange: Slightly adjust the orange hue towards red for warmer skin tones, or towards yellow for cooler tones.
* Yellow: Adjust yellow hues for a warmer or cooler feel.
* Saturation: Reduce saturation *slightly* to create a more muted look. Try -5 to -15 overall. You can selectively adjust saturation in the HSL panel:
* Orange: Reduce slightly to soften skin tones.
* Red: Reduce slightly to prevent overly red faces.
* Luminance: This is important for skin tones.
* Orange: Increase the luminance of orange. This will brighten skin tones and create a smoothing effect. Try +5 to +15.
* Yellow: Adjust yellow luminance as needed.
5. Detail:
* This is the key to the "soft" aspect.
* Sharpening: Significantly reduce the sharpening amount. Try setting "Amount" to 0 or very low (e.g., 10-20).
* Noise Reduction: Increase "Luminance" noise reduction slightly to smooth out skin. Try 5-15. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look artificial.
6. Effects (Optional):
* Vignetting: A very slight negative vignette can draw focus to the subject. Be subtle; try an amount of -5 to -10. Adjust the midpoint and roundness to your liking.
7. Camera Calibration (Optional):
* This section can influence the overall color and tone of your image. Experiment with different camera profiles to see what suits your style. Try the Adobe Standard profile as a baseline.
8. Iterate and Refine:
* Experiment! Every photo is different, so the exact settings will vary.
* Apply these settings to several different portraits and adjust them until you find a consistent look you like.
9. Save the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the adjustments, go to the "Presets" panel on the left side of the Develop module.
* Click the "+" icon in the Presets panel.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Warm").
* Important: In the "Create Preset" dialog box, *carefully select which settings to include*. You generally want to include:
* Basic Tone (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, etc.)
* Tone Curve
* HSL / Color
* Detail (Sharpening and Noise Reduction)
* Effects (Vignetting, if used)
* Camera Calibration (if you made changes)
* Avoid including settings that are image-specific, such as cropping, spot removal, or graduated filters. These will apply the same adjustments to every image, which is rarely what you want.
* Click "Create."
Tips and Considerations:
* Start Subtle: Err on the side of subtle adjustments. You can always increase the effect later.
* Skin Tones: Pay close attention to skin tones. The goal is to make them look natural and healthy, not overly smooth or artificial. Adjust luminance, saturation, and hue in the HSL panel to achieve this.
* Don't Over-Sharpen: Over-sharpening defeats the purpose of a soft portrait. The key is to *reduce* sharpness.
* Test on Different Images: Apply the preset to a variety of portraits with different lighting conditions to ensure it works well. You may need to make minor adjustments for each image.
* Face Detection in Newer Lightrooms: Lightroom Classic (newer versions) has a "Masking" feature that uses AI to detect the subject (and even the subject's skin). This allows you to selectively apply some of these adjustments only to the subject's skin, giving you even more control. Lightroom 4 doesn't have this feature, but you can achieve similar effects with careful overall adjustments.
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 flattering and dreamy look. Remember that the best presets are tailored to your own style and preferences, so don't be afraid to customize them to suit your needs.