1. Find a Good Starting Image:
* Choose a portrait that you want to use as a base for your preset. It should have good lighting and represent the style you're aiming for. A slightly underexposed image can work well.
2. Develop Module Settings (Detailed Steps):
A. Basic Panel:
* Exposure: +0.10 to +0.50. Adjust to brighten the image subtly. Err on the side of slightly brighter, as we'll tone it down later.
* Contrast: -10 to -30. Reduce contrast to soften the overall look.
* Highlights: -30 to -60. Pull down the highlights to prevent blown-out areas and enhance skin smoothness.
* Shadows: +20 to +40. Open up the shadows to brighten the image and reduce harshness.
* Whites: +0 to +10. Subtly brighten the white areas. Be careful not to clip them.
* Blacks: -5 to -15. Slightly darken the blacks to add some depth without being harsh.
* Clarity: -15 to -30. *Key Step!* Reducing Clarity is vital for softening skin. Go too far and it'll look unrealistic.
* Vibrance: +5 to +15. Add a touch of vibrancy to enhance colors naturally.
* Saturation: +0 to +5. Adjust saturation sparingly, if needed. Usually, Vibrance is enough.
B. Tone Curve Panel:
* Point Curve: This is where you can add a subtle "S-curve" for gentle contrast, or a flat curve for maximum softness.
* Subtle S-Curve: Click the Point Curve icon (the icon with the little curve diagram at the bottom right of the panel). Create a very shallow S-curve by pulling down slightly in the highlights area (top right of the curve) and pulling up slightly in the shadows area (bottom left of the curve). This adds a subtle amount of punch back in, but gently.
* Flat Curve: If you want a very soft look, flatten the curve slightly. Click the Point Curve icon, and gently pull the top of the curve downwards and the bottom of the curve upwards. The goal is to make the curve less steep.
C. HSL / Color Panel:
* Hue: Fine-tune skin tones by subtly adjusting the Hue sliders for Orange and Red. Slight shifts can make a big difference.
* Orange: Adjust to make skin tones warmer or cooler. Generally, a slight shift towards red (+5 to +10) can be flattering.
* Red: Adjust to fine-tune lip color and overall redness. A slight shift towards orange (+0 to +5) can soften harsh reds.
* Saturation: Reduce the saturation of colors that might be too prominent or distracting (e.g., reds in the skin, blues in the sky).
* Luminance: Brighten skin tones using the Luminance sliders:
* Orange: +5 to +15. Brighten skin.
* Red: +0 to +10. Brighten lip color subtly.
D. Split Toning Panel:
* Highlights: Add a subtle warm tone to the highlights.
* Hue: 30-45 (Yellowish-Orange)
* Saturation: 3-7
* Shadows: Add a cooler tone to the shadows.
* Hue: 220-240 (Blueish-Purple)
* Saturation: 3-7
* Balance: +5 to +15. Shift the balance towards the highlights.
E. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening or turn it off completely. A soft portrait is not about sharpness.
* Amount: 0-20 (at most)
* Radius: Keep it low (around 0.5 to 0.7)
* Detail: Keep it low (around 0-10)
* Masking: You can increase the masking (40-60) to only sharpen the edges, not the skin. Hold the Alt/Option key while adjusting Masking to see the effect.
* Noise Reduction: Apply noise reduction *judiciously*. Overdoing it will make the image look plastic.
* Luminance: 5-15 (start low and increase gradually)
* Color: 10-20 (to remove color noise)
F. Lens Corrections Panel:
* Profile: Check "Enable Profile Corrections." Lightroom will attempt to automatically correct lens distortions and vignetting. This often helps improve the overall look.
* Manual: If you want more control, use the Manual tab to fine-tune distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting.
G. Effects Panel:
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Add a very subtle vignette (Amount -5 to -15, Midpoint around 50-70) to draw the viewer's eye to the subject. Use the "Highlight Priority" style for a softer look.
* Grain: Avoid adding grain for a soft portrait; it contradicts the smooth skin look.
3. Save the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the settings, go to the Presets panel (on the left side of the Develop Module).
* Click the "+" button (New Preset).
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Gentle Dream," "Soft Portrait - Natural Skin").
* In the "Check All / Check None" area, make sure that only the boxes for the settings you adjusted are checked. Generally, you *don't* want to save:
* Process Version: (This could break the preset on older versions of Lightroom)
* Crop: (Unless you specifically want the preset to always apply a crop)
* Spot Removal: (Spot removals are image-specific)
* Local Adjustments: (These are image-specific brush strokes or gradients)
* Camera Profile: (Camera Profiles can vary depending on the camera)
* Click "Create."
4. Test and Refine:
* Apply your new preset to other portraits.
* Remember that presets are just starting points. You'll likely need to fine-tune the settings for each individual image to get the best results.
* Pay attention to skin tones. Adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance sliders (especially for Orange and Red) to get them looking natural and flattering.
Key Considerations and Tips:
* Skin Tone is Paramount: The most critical aspect of a soft portrait is natural-looking skin. Pay close attention to the Orange and Red HSL sliders and adjust them to achieve the desired skin tone.
* Subtlety is Key: Avoid overdoing any single adjustment. Small, incremental changes are usually better than large, drastic ones.
* Lighting Matters: Your starting image's lighting will heavily influence the final result. Soft, even lighting is ideal for soft portraits.
* Learn to Use the Adjustment Brush: The Adjustment Brush is your friend! Use it to selectively smooth skin, brighten eyes, or dodge and burn areas of the image. Brush with a low Flow and Density for subtle effects.
* Layered Adjustments: Don't be afraid to apply multiple presets or adjustments. For example, you might apply your "Soft Portrait" preset and then add a subtle vignette using another preset or manual adjustment.
* Experiment: The best way to learn is to experiment! Try different settings and see what works best for your style.
* Process Version: Lightroom has updated its processing engine over time. Consider using the latest Process Version (under the Camera Calibration Panel) for the best image quality. But save your presets without the Process Version checked so they're compatible with older Lightroom versions.
By following these steps and experimenting, you'll be well on your way to creating beautiful, soft portrait presets in Lightroom 4! Remember to practice and refine your presets to achieve the perfect look for your images.