1. Understanding the Goal:
A soft portrait generally aims for:
* Reduced Harshness: Minimizing contrast and hard edges.
* Softened Skin: Smoothing out blemishes and imperfections while retaining natural texture.
* Slightly Dreamy Look: A gentle bloom or diffused light effect.
* Pleasant Tones: Warm or muted colors that complement the subject.
2. Starting with a Clean Slate:
* Open a portrait photo you want to use as a test subject in Lightroom's Develop module.
* Click the "Reset" button at the bottom right of the panel. This will revert all settings to their defaults.
3. Basic Adjustments (Panel 1 - Basic):
* Exposure: Adjust to achieve a good overall brightness. Usually, a slight increase (e.g., +0.3 to +0.7 stops) can help. Be careful not to overexpose highlights.
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast significantly. Start with -20 to -40 and adjust to taste. This is crucial for the "soft" effect.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights (e.g., -30 to -60) to recover details in bright areas like skin and hair.
* Shadows: Raise the shadows (e.g., +20 to +40) to lighten dark areas and reduce overall contrast further.
* Whites: Adjust to bring out the bright details. Start with +5 and move up or down based on the image.
* Blacks: Adjust to set the dark points. Start with -5 and move up or down based on the image.
* Clarity: *This is a key setting for softness.* Reduce Clarity significantly. Start with -15 to -30. Too much negative Clarity will make the image look blurry and unnatural.
* Vibrance: Increase Vibrance (e.g., +10 to +20) to subtly enhance muted colors without oversaturating skin tones. This is generally better than Saturation for portraits.
* Saturation: Adjust Saturation sparingly. A slight increase (e.g., +5 to +10) might be needed, but avoid making skin tones look unnatural.
4. Tone Curve (Panel 2 - Tone Curve):
* Point Curve (Recommended): Switch the Tone Curve to "Point Curve" if it's not already. This gives you more precise control.
* Gentle S-Curve: Create a very subtle S-curve.
* Anchor Point: Add a point in the middle (around the center of the curve).
* Shadow Lift: Slightly lift the shadows by dragging the bottom left portion of the curve upwards a small amount.
* Highlight Softening: Slightly lower the highlights by dragging the top right portion of the curve downwards a small amount. Don't overdo it; the goal is a gentle smoothing effect.
* The key is *subtlety*. Avoid making the curve too dramatic.
* Alternative - Parametric Curve: If you prefer, you can use the Parametric curve to adjust Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows. Lowering the Highlights and raising the Shadows will achieve a similar effect to the S-curve.
5. Detail (Panel 3 - Detail):
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening. You want a softer look, so lowering the amount is important.
* Amount: Reduce the Amount significantly. Try 0 to 25.
* Radius: Keep the radius low (e.g., 0.5 to 0.8).
* Detail: Reduce Detail slightly to further smooth out skin. Start with around 25.
* Masking: Increase the masking to protect smooth areas like skin from excessive sharpening. Hold the Alt/Option key while dragging the Masking slider to see the mask. Aim to mask out the smooth areas of the skin.
* Noise Reduction: Apply a small amount of luminance noise reduction to smooth out skin further.
* Luminance: Start with 5 to 15. Too much will make the skin look plastic.
6. HSL / Color (Panel 4 - HSL / Color):
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to hue if needed. Often, slight tweaks to Orange (skin tones) can make a difference.
* Saturation: Adjust saturation in individual color channels if needed. For example, you might slightly desaturate Reds or Yellows if they're too intense.
* Luminance: Adjust luminance to brighten or darken specific colors. Brightening Orange (skin tones) can be helpful.
7. Split Toning (Panel 5 - Split Toning):
* Subtle Warmth (Optional): Add a very subtle warm tone to the highlights to create a dreamy effect.
* Highlights: Select a warm hue (e.g., Orange around 30-40) and a low Saturation (e.g., 5-10).
* Balance: Adjust the Balance slider to favor the highlights.
8. Lens Corrections (Panel 6 - Lens Corrections):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check "Enable Profile Corrections" to automatically correct for lens distortion and chromatic aberration. This is generally a good idea for all photos.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check "Remove Chromatic Aberration."
9. Effects (Panel 7 - Effects):
* Post-Crop Vignetting: A subtle vignette can draw the eye to the subject. Consider adding a slight, negative vignetting amount (e.g., -5 to -15). Adjust the Midpoint and Roundness sliders to suit your image.
10. Calibration (Panel 8 - Camera Calibration):
* This is highly subjective and image-dependent, but you can experiment with the Camera Calibration settings to fine-tune colors. Try adjusting the Red, Green, and Blue primary Hue and Saturation sliders to achieve the desired look. Many photographers like to slightly shift the Blue primary towards Teal.
11. Fine-Tuning and Saving the Preset:
* Zoom in to 1:1: Examine the photo at 1:1 zoom to check for over-smoothing, unnatural skin tones, and other artifacts.
* Iterate: Adjust the sliders until you achieve the desired soft portrait look.
* Save the Preset: Once you're happy, click the "+" button in the Presets panel on the left side of the Develop module. Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - v1"). Carefully select which settings to include in the preset. *Crucially, leave White Balance, Transform, and Spot Removal unchecked, as these are often image-specific.* Click "Create."
Tips and Considerations:
* Start with a well-exposed photo: The preset will work best if the original image has a good starting point.
* Presets are a starting point, not a magic bullet: You will likely need to tweak the preset for each individual photo to account for differences in lighting, skin tones, and subject matter.
* Experiment with different camera profiles: Different camera profiles (e.g., Adobe Standard, Camera Portrait) can have a significant impact on the final look. Try different profiles to see which you prefer.
* Skin Tone Adjustments: Use the HSL panel (specifically the Orange and Red channels) to adjust skin tones as needed. Pay attention to the Luminance of these channels to brighten or darken the skin.
* Practice: The more you experiment with these settings, the better you'll become at creating soft portrait presets that work well for your style.
By following these steps, you can create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that gives your photos a beautiful, flattering, and dreamy aesthetic. Remember to fine-tune the preset for each individual image to get the best results. Good luck!