1. Start with a Well-Exposed Image:
* This preset works best on photos that are already reasonably well-exposed and sharp. Underexposed or very blurry images won't benefit as much.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust to taste, usually a slight increase (e.g., +0.10 to +0.30) to brighten the overall image. Be careful not to overexpose highlights.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast slightly (e.g., -10 to -20) to flatten the tonal range and contribute to the soft look.
* Highlights: Pull highlights down (e.g., -30 to -50) to recover detail in bright areas like skin and skies.
* Shadows: Open up shadows (e.g., +20 to +40) to reveal more detail and reduce harshness.
* Whites: Adjust Whites slightly, often reducing them a bit (e.g., -5 to -15) to prevent clipping and add a smoother feel.
* Blacks: Adjust Blacks, often increasing them slightly (e.g., +5 to +15) to lift the blacks and contribute to the softer look.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments (Subtle S-Curve):
* Switch to the Tone Curve panel.
* Create a very subtle S-curve. Click on the line to add points.
* Top Point: Gently pull the top point (highlights) down a tiny bit.
* Bottom Point: Gently pull the bottom point (shadows) up a tiny bit.
* The goal is to slightly brighten the shadows and darken the highlights, adding a subtle contrast boost without being harsh.
4. HSL/Color Adjustments:
* Go to the HSL / Color panel.
* Luminance:
* Increase the Luminance of Orange (e.g., +10 to +20). This brightens skin tones.
* Increase the Luminance of Yellow (e.g., +5 to +15). Adds warmth and light.
* You may also consider slightly increasing the Luminance of Red (e.g., +5 to +10) if there is a lot of red in your subject.
* Saturation:
* Reduce the Saturation of Orange slightly (e.g., -5 to -10). This helps prevent overly orange skin.
* You may consider slightly decreasing the saturation of other vibrant colors like greens if they are distracting.
* Hue: Generally, avoid significant hue shifts for skin tones, but you might consider small adjustments if needed:
* Orange Hue: A small shift towards red (e.g., +3 to +5) can sometimes create a healthier skin tone. Be very subtle.
5. Detail Panel: Crucial for Softening
* Sharpening:
* Reduce the Amount to a very low value (e.g., 0-25). You want minimal sharpening. If you had substantial sharpening applied previously, reduce it significantly.
* Increase Masking (e.g., 50 to 80). This protects areas with fine detail (like skin) from excessive sharpening, concentrating sharpening on edges.
* Reduce Radius slightly (e.g., 0.8 to 1.0). A smaller radius affects smaller details.
* Noise Reduction:
* Luminance Noise Reduction: Increase this (e.g., +5 to +15) to smooth out skin and reduce grain. Don't overdo it, or you'll lose too much detail and create a plastic-looking effect.
* Color Noise Reduction: Add a small amount (e.g., +5 to +10) to reduce color noise, especially in shadows.
6. Effects Panel (Subtle Vignette):
* Post-Crop Vignetting:
* Amount: Add a *very* subtle negative value (e.g., -5 to -10). This darkens the edges slightly, drawing the eye towards the subject.
* Midpoint: Adjust the midpoint to control how far the vignette extends towards the center. A higher midpoint makes the vignette less noticeable.
* Roundness: Keep this value near 0.
7. Calibration Panel (Optional, Advanced):
* This panel allows you to fine-tune the color rendition of your image. Be careful with these adjustments as they can easily overdo it.
* Consider small adjustments to the Red, Green, and Blue Primary Hue sliders to refine the overall color balance. Generally, small adjustments (-5 to +5) are all you need.
8. Save as a Preset:
* Once you're happy with the settings, click the "+" button in the Presets panel on the left-hand side.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait v1").
* Choose which settings to include in the preset. Make sure to include all the settings you adjusted above. You can exclude things like Lens Corrections and Transform if you prefer to apply those separately.
* Click "Create".
Tips and Considerations:
* Experiment: These settings are a starting point. You'll likely need to adjust them to suit individual photos and your personal preferences.
* Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tones. Don't make them too orange, too red, or too pale.
* Less is More: The key to a good soft portrait is subtlety. Avoid excessive adjustments.
* Local Adjustments: For even more control, use the Adjustment Brush (or Graduated Filter) to selectively apply adjustments to specific areas of the image, such as brightening the eyes or smoothing skin.
* Overlays: Consider using subtle texture or light leak overlays in Photoshop (or other editing software) for an added touch of atmosphere.
Example Settings (Approximate):
These are just starting points and will vary depending on your image.
* Basic:
* Exposure: +0.20
* Contrast: -15
* Highlights: -40
* Shadows: +30
* Whites: -10
* Blacks: +10
* Tone Curve: Subtle S-Curve
* HSL/Color:
* Orange Luminance: +15
* Orange Saturation: -7
* Yellow Luminance: +10
* Detail:
* Sharpening Amount: 15
* Sharpening Radius: 0.8
* Sharpening Detail: 25
* Sharpening Masking: 70
* Luminance Noise Reduction: +10
* Color Noise Reduction: +7
* Effects:
* Vignette Amount: -7
* Vignette Midpoint: 50
Remember to experiment and refine these settings to create a soft portrait look that you love! Good luck!