1. Understanding the Goal:
* Soft Portraits: Aim for a delicate, flattering look. Think of slightly muted details, glowing skin, and a dreamy atmosphere. You want to minimize harsh lines and textures.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments (The Foundation):
* Exposure: Adjust to the ideal overall brightness of the image. Generally, portraits can benefit from being slightly brighter, but avoid overexposure.
* Contrast: Reduce slightly. A lower contrast creates a gentler, less dramatic look. A value around -10 to -20 is a good starting point.
* Highlights: Bring them down a bit to recover detail in bright areas (skin highlights, bright skies). -10 to -20.
* Shadows: Open them up slightly to reveal more detail in darker areas and brighten the overall image. +10 to +20.
* Whites: Adjust to find a balance. If the image is too bright, pull them down; if it's too dark, push them up. Pay attention to skin tone; don't make it look washed out or artificially bright.
* Blacks: Slightly increase them to lift the shadows a bit more. +5 to +15. This adds to the overall softer feel.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments (Subtle Shaping of Light):
* The Key to Softness: The tone curve is crucial for creating a soft, pastel look. Avoid harsh S-curves.
* Point Curve (Recommended):
* Create a subtle "S" curve, but VERY subtle. Instead of a strong "S," imagine a gentle wave.
* Anchor Points: Click on the line to create 3-4 points: one in the shadows, one in the midtones, and one in the highlights.
* Lift the Shadows: Slightly raise the lower left point of the curve to brighten the shadows (add a bit of a faded, matte look). A small adjustment goes a long way.
* Gentle Midtone Bump: Slightly raise the midtone point to brighten the overall image and add to the glow.
* Slightly Lower Highlights: Very slightly lower the upper right point to protect highlights from becoming too blown out.
* Region Curve (Alternative):
* Highlights: Decrease slightly (-5 to -10).
* Lights: Increase slightly (+5 to +10).
* Darks: Decrease slightly (-5 to -10).
* Shadows: Increase slightly (+5 to +10). This creates a subtle flattening effect.
4. HSL / Color Panel Adjustments (Color Grading):
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to refine skin tones.
* Orange & Red: Adjust to fine-tune skin tone. Small adjustments make a big difference. Experiment with slightly shifting orange towards red or yellow depending on the existing skin tone.
* Saturation: Reduce saturation overall, *especially* in the orange channel (skin tones). This helps to create a softer, less intense color palette. Reduce the overall saturation of the entire image by -5 to -10. Orange can be reduced by -10 to -20.
* Luminance:
* Orange: Increase the luminance of the orange channel to brighten skin tones and give a subtle glow. +5 to +15.
* Yellow: May need a slight luminance adjustment depending on the image.
5. Split Toning (Optional for Subtle Color Casts):
* Highlights: Add a subtle, warm color (e.g., orange or yellow) with very low saturation (around 5-10).
* Shadows: Add a cool color (e.g., blue or purple) with very low saturation (around 5-10).
* Balance: Adjust the balance to favor either the highlights or shadows effect. Start with a balance around 0.
6. Detail Panel Adjustments (Crucial for Softening):
* Sharpening:
* Amount: Reduce the amount significantly. Set it to around 0-20. This is a KEY component of the soft portrait look. You want to *minimize* sharpness.
* Radius: Reduce the radius as well (0.5-0.7).
* Detail: Lower this value. Around 0-10.
* Masking: Increase the masking value (around 60-80) to apply sharpening primarily to edges and details, avoiding excessive sharpness on skin. This helps preserve some sharpness in the eyes and hair while softening the skin.
* Noise Reduction:
* Luminance: Increase the luminance noise reduction slightly to smooth out the skin. Start with around 10-20 and adjust based on the image's noise levels.
* Color: Slightly increase Color noise reduction, around 5-10.
7. Lens Corrections Panel (Optional):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the box to automatically correct lens distortions and chromatic aberration. This can improve overall image quality.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check the box.
8. Effects Panel Adjustments (Subtle Vignette):
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Consider adding a very subtle, light vignette (Amount around -10 to -20) to draw the viewer's eye towards the center of the image. Use a mild positive mid-point value (around +10) for a more natural effect.
9. Calibration Panel (Advanced - Optional):
* Adjusting the Red, Green, and Blue primary hue and saturation can influence the overall color tone of the image. These adjustments are highly dependent on your specific image and the desired look. Experiment cautiously! Moving the red primary hue towards orange can warm up skin tones, for example.
10. Saving Your Preset:
* Once you're happy with the adjustments:
* Click the "+" icon in the Presets panel.
* Name your preset (e.g., "Soft Portrait", "Dreamy Portrait").
* Select the adjustments you want to include in the preset. Be sure to include all the settings you've changed.
* Click "Create".
Important Tips and Considerations:
* Image Dependency: Every image is different. A preset is a starting point. You'll almost always need to make adjustments to the preset *after* applying it to a specific photo.
* Subtlety is Key: The best soft portrait presets are subtle. Avoid making drastic changes.
* Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tone. The goal is to create a flattering, natural look, not an artificial or overly processed one.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings to find what works best for your style and your images.
* Batch Processing: Once you've refined your preset, you can apply it to multiple images and then make individual adjustments as needed.
Summary of Key Adjustments for Soft Portraits:
* Reduce Contrast: Gentler look
* Lift Shadows: Brighter, more open shadows
* Subtle Tone Curve: Gentle S-curve or flattening adjustments
* Reduce Saturation (Especially Orange): Muted colors, softer skin
* Increase Orange Luminance: Glowing skin
* Reduce Sharpening: Soft skin and overall image softness
* Increase Luminance Noise Reduction: Smoother skin
By following these steps and understanding the principles behind them, you can create a beautiful and effective soft portrait preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a dreamy, flattering look in your photos. Remember to practice and experiment to refine the preset to your own style and preferences!