Understanding the Goal: What is a "Soft Portrait?"
Before we dive in, let's define what we mean by a "soft portrait." Typically, it includes these characteristics:
* Reduced Harshness: Less contrast and fewer sharp edges.
* Smooth Skin: Skin appears smoother and more even-toned.
* Gentle Highlights: Highlights are diffused and not blown out.
* Slightly Subdued Shadows: Shadows aren't too deep or harsh.
* Overall Dreamy Feel: A slightly ethereal, almost film-like aesthetic.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Preset:
1. Start with a Test Image:
* Choose a portrait image that's reasonably well-exposed and in focus. This will be your baseline. It's best to use a variety of images when creating the preset to see how it works on different skin tones and lighting conditions.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to achieve a good overall brightness. Slightly underexposing might give a more cinematic look, but generally, you want to aim for correct exposure.
* Contrast: This is key to the soft look. Reduce the Contrast significantly. Try starting around -20 to -40. Adjust as needed based on your image.
* Highlights: Lower the Highlights to recover detail in bright areas. Start around -30 to -50.
* Shadows: Increase the Shadows to lift and soften the darker areas. Start around +20 to +40.
* Whites: Experiment with slightly increasing or decreasing the Whites. This is often image-specific. A slight decrease (e.g., -5 to -15) can further soften the highlights.
* Blacks: Slightly increase the Blacks (e.g., +5 to +15) to lift the darkest tones and prevent harsh blacks.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* Parametric Curve (The Easier Option):
* In the Tone Curve panel, select the Parametric Curve.
* Adjust the Highlights and Lights sliders downward slightly to further soften the highlights.
* Adjust the Darks and Shadows sliders upward slightly to lift and soften the shadows.
* The goal is a very gentle "S" curve (or even a slightly flattened curve) to reduce contrast.
* Point Curve (More Control, but Steeper Learning Curve):
* In the Tone Curve panel, select the Point Curve.
* Create a gentle S-curve: Place points in the top-right (highlights), middle (midtones), and bottom-left (shadows) of the curve.
* Pull the highlights point down slightly to reduce the brightness of highlights.
* Push the shadows point up slightly to lift the shadows.
* Anchor points: Add anchor points on either side of your adjustment points to constrain the curve and prevent extreme changes in the tones.
* This gives you finer control over the tonal range but requires more practice.
4. HSL/Color Adjustments:
* Saturation: Desaturate slightly, especially in the reds and oranges. This helps smooth skin tones and create a more muted feel. Reduce the saturation in these hues by -5 to -15.
* Luminance: Increase the Luminance in the oranges and yellows. This can brighten skin tones, making them appear softer. Adjust by +5 to +15.
* Hue: Very subtle hue adjustments can refine skin tones. Experiment with moving the orange slider slightly towards red or yellow, depending on the skin tone of your test image.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the Sharpening amount. A sharp image is the opposite of a soft image. Set the Amount to around 20-40 (or even lower, depending on your lens and the original image sharpness).
* Radius: Keep the Radius relatively low (around 0.5 - 1.0).
* Detail: Lower the Detail slider (around 20-40) to further soften the image.
* Masking: Increase the Masking slider (around 60-80). This protects areas like hair and eyes from excessive softening, ensuring they retain some sharpness.
* Noise Reduction: Increase Luminance Noise Reduction to smooth out any noise and further soften the skin. Start with a value of 10-20 and adjust as needed. Don't overdo it, or you'll lose detail.
6. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Grain: Consider adding a very small amount of Grain (Amount: 5-15, Size: 25-35, Roughness: 40-60). This can add a subtle film-like texture and break up overly smooth areas.
* Vignetting: A subtle Vignetting (Amount: -5 to -15) can draw the viewer's eye to the center of the image. Use a slight *negative* amount for darkening edges. Adjust the Midpoint and Roundness sliders as needed.
7. Calibration (Optional, but Powerful):
* The Camera Calibration panel (at the bottom of the right-hand panel stack) can be used to fine-tune color rendering. Experiment with slight adjustments to the Red, Green, and Blue primary Hue and Saturation sliders.
* A common technique is to shift the Red Hue slightly towards Orange and the Blue Hue slightly towards Purple. Be subtle!
8. Saving the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the look, go to the Presets panel (on the left side of Lightroom).
* Click the "+" button to create a new preset.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait," "Dreamy Portrait").
* Crucially, make sure all the relevant settings are checked in the "Check All/Check None" list. Generally, you want to include:
* Basic Tone
* Tone Curve
* HSL / Color
* Detail
* Effects
* Camera Calibration (if you made adjustments)
* Uncheck:
* White Balance (unless you want the preset to *always* force a specific white balance)
* Local Adjustments (like Spot Removal or Adjustment Brush)
* Transform
* Process Version (unless you want to force a specific process version)
* Click Create.
9. Testing and Refining:
* Apply your preset to different portrait images. Notice how it looks on various skin tones, lighting situations, and image types.
* Fine-tune the preset as needed. You can modify the preset by applying it to an image, adjusting the settings, and then right-clicking the preset in the Presets panel and choosing "Update with Current Settings."
* Consider creating variations of your preset. For example, you could create a "Soft Portrait - Warm" or "Soft Portrait - Cool" version.
Important Considerations:
* Image-Specific Adjustments: No preset is a one-size-fits-all solution. You'll almost always need to make further adjustments to each individual image after applying the preset.
* Skin Tone: Be mindful of skin tones. Avoid making skin look too orange, gray, or unnatural. Use the HSL/Color panel to fine-tune skin tone rendering.
* Over-Processing: Avoid excessive softening and smoothing, which can make images look artificial. Strive for a natural, flattering look.
* Monitor Calibration: Ensure your monitor is properly calibrated to accurately display colors.
* Experimentation: Don't be afraid to experiment and try different settings to find what works best for your style.
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 practice and refine your preset over time as you gain more experience.