Understanding the Goal:
A soft portrait aims to:
* Reduce Sharpness: Soften skin and overall details.
* Increase Exposure (Slightly): Brighten the image for a lighter, airier feel.
* Slightly Desaturate: Mute colors for a more delicate look.
* Adjust Tone Curve: Add a subtle "S-curve" for gentle contrast.
* Reduce Contrast: Soften harsh shadows and highlights.
* Smooth Skin (if possible within Lightroom 4): Lightroom 4 doesn't have advanced skin smoothing, but we can minimize textures.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Start with a Baseline Image: Open a portrait image in Lightroom 4's Develop module. Choose an image that's reasonably well-exposed.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Increase slightly (around +0.10 to +0.30). Adjust to your liking.
* Contrast: Reduce (around -10 to -30). This softens the overall image.
* Highlights: Reduce significantly (around -50 to -80). Recover details in bright areas.
* Shadows: Increase slightly (around +10 to +30). This lifts the shadows and reduces contrast.
* Whites: Adjust slightly, probably reducing (-5 to -15) to prevent blown highlights.
* Blacks: Adjust slightly, likely increasing (+5 to +15) to lift the blacks a bit.
* Clarity: Crucially, reduce Clarity! (around -20 to -40, or even lower). This is key to softening the image.
* Vibrance: Increase slightly (around +5 to +15). This adds a gentle boost to colors.
* Saturation: Reduce slightly (around -5 to -10). This mutes the colors a bit.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* Click on the "Tone Curve" panel.
* Select the "Point Curve" option (the one with the graph).
* Create a *very subtle* "S-curve" by:
* Clicking on the line in the lower-left quadrant and dragging it down slightly (subtle, just a little).
* Clicking on the line in the upper-right quadrant and dragging it up slightly (again, subtle).
* Important: The curve should be very gentle. Overdoing it will make the image look unnatural. The goal is to add just a touch of contrast back in after reducing it in the Basic panel.
4. HSL / Color Panel Adjustments (Optional but Recommended):
* This section allows for fine-tuning skin tones and other colors.
* Luminance: Adjust the Luminance of the orange and yellow channels to brighten skin tones. Slightly increase orange and yellow luminance (around +5 to +15).
* Saturation: Slightly reduce the saturation of red and orange channels if needed (around -5 to -10) to soften skin tone further.
* Hue: You can subtly adjust the Hue of orange to make skin tones warmer or cooler, depending on the subject's complexion. Experiment cautiously.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the "Amount" significantly (around 0-20). You want to minimize sharpness. Consider setting the "Radius" to a low value (0.5 or 0.6).
* Noise Reduction: *Crucially, increase Luminance Noise Reduction.* (around +10 to +30). This helps smooth out skin and reduce grain, contributing to the soft look. Don't overdo it, or the image will look plastic.
6. Effects Panel Adjustments (Optional):
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Adding a very subtle vignette (negative amount, like -5 to -15) can draw the viewer's eye towards the subject.
7. Camera Calibration (Optional):
* This Panel affects the colors in a broader way. It is the last in Lightroom's processing, so changes made here can impact how your previous edits appear.
* Some professional photographers will adjust Camera Calibration as part of their signature look, but for a beginner preset, it's probably best to leave this alone to avoid unexpected color shifts.
8. Save the Preset:
* In the left-hand panel, click the "+" button in the "Presets" panel.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait LR4").
* Crucially: Make sure you *only* select the boxes for the settings you adjusted. If you don't, the preset will override other settings you might have previously applied. For example:
* Basic Tone: Check this.
* Tone Curve: Check this.
* HSL/Color/B&W: Check this if you adjusted these settings.
* Detail: Check this (very important, as sharpening and noise reduction are key).
* Effects: Check this if you added a vignette.
* Lens Corrections: Usually leave this unchecked unless you want it to *always* apply the lens profile.
* Camera Calibration: Usually leave this unchecked unless you changed this panel.
* Transform: Leave unchecked.
* Spot Removal: Leave unchecked.
* Red Eye Correction: Leave unchecked.
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations:
* Image-Specific Adjustments: Every image is different. Your preset will be a starting point. You'll likely need to tweak the settings slightly for each photo. Pay particular attention to the Exposure, White Balance, and Noise Reduction.
* White Balance: Make sure your white balance is correct *before* applying the preset. A good white balance is essential for accurate skin tones.
* Skin Tone: Monitor skin tones carefully. Adjust the HSL/Color panel to ensure they look natural.
* Subtlety: The key to a good soft portrait preset is subtlety. Avoid extreme adjustments.
* Practice: Experiment with different settings to find what works best for your style and the types of portraits you shoot.
* Presets are Starting Points: Don't rely solely on presets. Use them as a base and then customize each image for the best results.
Troubleshooting:
* Image Looks Washed Out: Increase contrast or adjust the tone curve.
* Image Looks Too Smooth/Plastic: Reduce Luminance Noise Reduction.
* Colors Look Off: Adjust the HSL/Color panel.
* Image is Too Bright/Dark: Adjust Exposure.
By following these steps and practicing, you can create a beautiful "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a dreamy, flattering look for your portrait photography. Good luck!