Creating a "Soft Portrait" Preset in Lightroom 4
Here's a breakdown of how to create a soft portrait preset in Lightroom 4, focusing on the key adjustments and the reasoning behind them. Keep in mind this is a starting point – you'll likely need to fine-tune it based on the specific image you're editing.
Understanding "Soft Portrait" Look:
A soft portrait generally aims for:
* Gentle skin tones: Reduced harshness and smoother transitions.
* Subtle details: Slightly less defined features, avoiding a clinical or overly sharp look.
* Soft light: Often achieved with a slightly muted or diffused look.
* A relaxed, intimate feel: Often implying a sense of peace and calmness.
Steps to Create the Preset:
1. Select a Starting Image: Choose a well-exposed portrait that represents the type of images you want to apply this preset to. This will help you gauge the adjustments accurately.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust as needed to achieve a good overall brightness. Slightly overexposing (+0.10 to +0.30) can contribute to a softer look, but be careful not to blow out highlights.
* Contrast: Reduce Contrast (-10 to -30). This is crucial! Lowering contrast flattens the tonal range, making transitions smoother and reducing harsh shadows.
* Highlights: Lower Highlights (-20 to -50). This helps recover detail in bright areas, further reducing harshness.
* Shadows: Increase Shadows (+10 to +30). This lifts the shadows, reducing contrast and revealing detail in darker areas.
* Whites: Adjust carefully. Small adjustments (+/- 5 to +/- 10) can help fine-tune the overall brightness without blowing out highlights.
* Blacks: Adjust carefully. Slightly raising blacks (+5 to +15) can lighten the darker tones and contribute to a softer look, but be mindful of muddying the image.
* Clarity: Reduce Clarity (-10 to -30). This is another key adjustment for softening. Clarity adds mid-tone contrast, so reducing it creates a softer, less defined look.
* Vibrance: Increase slightly (+5 to +15). Vibrance boosts muted colors, adding subtle richness without oversaturating skin tones.
* Saturation: Adjust as needed. Be cautious with saturation, especially on skin tones. Slightly decreasing it (-5 to -10) can sometimes help.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* S-Curve: A subtle S-curve can add a touch of contrast without being harsh. Drag the lower left point up slightly to lift the shadows (very subtle) and the upper right point down slightly to protect highlights. Avoid aggressive S-curves! You want subtle softness, not high contrast.
* Channel Adjustments (Optional): You can adjust the Red, Green, and Blue channels individually to tweak color balance, but this requires more advanced understanding.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments:
* Luminance: This is where you can refine skin tones. Increase the Luminance of Orange and/or Red ( +5 to +15) to brighten skin tones slightly. Be cautious not to make them look unnatural.
* Saturation: Lowering the Saturation of Orange (-5 to -10) can sometimes help reduce overly orange skin tones. Adjust based on your subject's skin color.
* Hue: Adjust the Hue of Orange and/or Red to fine-tune skin tone color. Small adjustments are key!
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce Sharpening (Amount around 20-40, Radius around 0.7 - 1.0). You'll likely want less sharpening than the default Lightroom settings. Softer images require less sharpening.
* Masking: Increase Masking (around 50-70). This helps prevent sharpening from affecting smooth areas like skin, focusing it on edges and details.
* Noise Reduction: Increase Luminance Noise Reduction (+10 to +30, or more if the image is noisy). This smooths out noise and can further contribute to the soft look. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look plasticky.
6. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Vignetting: Consider adding a subtle vignette. A negative vignette (Darken) can draw the eye towards the subject. Use it sparingly (-5 to -15).
* Grain: Adding a tiny amount of grain (Amount 5-10, Size 25-30, Roughness 50) can sometimes add a film-like texture and break up perfectly smooth digital skin, which can appear more natural. This is optional.
7. Calibration Panel (Optional):
* The Calibration panel can be used for subtle color adjustments, particularly for skin tones. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue primary hues to adjust the overall color cast. Be careful, this is advanced.
8. Create the Preset:
* Once you're satisfied with your adjustments, go to the Presets Panel on the left.
* Click the "+" button to create a new preset.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait Light", "Dreamy Portrait", etc.).
* Crucially, choose *which* settings to include in the preset. It's best to *deselect* settings that are very specific to the original image (like Exposure) and only include settings that are more universally applicable to soft portraits. Good candidates to include are:
* Basic Tone Adjustments (Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Clarity)
* Tone Curve
* HSL/Color Adjustments
* Detail Panel Adjustments (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* Effects (Vignetting, Grain)
* Calibration (If you made changes)
* Click "Create".
Important Considerations and Tips:
* Skin Tones: Pay close attention to skin tones. The goal is to make them look healthy and natural, not overly orange, red, or yellow. The HSL/Color panel is your best tool for this.
* Practice and Experimentation: This guide is a starting point. The best way to refine your preset is to experiment with different images and settings.
* Batch Processing: Once you've created your preset, you can apply it to multiple images at once to speed up your workflow.
* Subtle is Key: The "soft portrait" look relies on subtlety. Avoid extreme adjustments that will make the image look unnatural.
* Image Specific: No single preset will work perfectly on every image. Be prepared to make minor adjustments to the preset after applying it to different photos. Exposure and White Balance are common settings that will need tweaking.
* White Balance: Ensure your initial white balance is accurate before applying the preset. A warm white balance can enhance the soft feel.
By following these steps and experimenting with different settings, you can create a beautiful and effective "soft portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a dreamy and flattering look in your portraits. Remember to always prioritize natural-looking skin tones and avoid over-processing. Good luck!