I. Understanding the Goal
A soft portrait generally aims for:
* Reduced Sharpness: Softer details minimize wrinkles and blemishes.
* Smooth Skin: Evens out skin tone and reduces texture.
* Bright, but not Blown-Out Highlights: Preserving details while adding light.
* Slightly Elevated Shadows: Less harsh contrast.
* Warm or Neutral Tones: Depending on your preference, but generally flattering to skin.
* Subtle Color Pop: Enhance skin tones and overall vibrancy.
II. Lightroom 4 Settings
These are the key adjustments you'll make in Lightroom 4's Develop module:
1. Basic Panel:
* Exposure: Adjust to achieve proper overall brightness. Start with a slight bump, maybe +0.10 to +0.50. Adjust according to the image.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast significantly. Try -20 to -40. This is crucial for the soft look.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights. Start with -20 to -40. This helps recover detail in bright areas like the forehead.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows. Try +20 to +40. This lifts the blacks and reduces harsh shadows.
* Whites: Slightly increase or decrease to fine-tune the brightness. Usually a slight increase (+5 to +10) is beneficial.
* Blacks: Lower the blacks slightly to add some depth. -5 to -15 is a good starting point.
* Clarity: This is a *very* important control. Reduce it significantly. Start with -20 to -40. This softens the image considerably. Be careful not to go too far, as it can make the image look muddy.
* Vibrance: Increase vibrance subtly. +5 to +15. This adds color without over-saturating. (Saturation can be used, but Vibrance is usually a better starting point for portraits.)
* Saturation: Adjust very carefully. Usually a slight increase (+0 to +10) is sufficient. If your subject has already strong skin tones, decrease it.
2. Tone Curve Panel:
* Point Curve (Recommended for Finer Control): Create a gentle "S-curve" (or an inverted S-curve).
* S-Curve: Slightly lift the shadows (bottom left part of the curve) and gently pull down the highlights (top right). This adds subtle contrast while protecting the highlights. It's similar to the Basic panel adjustments, but with more precise control.
* Inverted S-Curve: Slightly pull down the shadows (bottom left part of the curve) and gently lift up the highlights (top right). This reduces contrast, creating a flatter, softer look.
* Parametric Curve (If Point Curve feels too complex):
* Adjust the Highlights, Lights, Darks, and Shadows sliders to subtly refine the tonal range. The principle is similar to the Point Curve, but using broader ranges.
3. HSL / Color Panel:
* Hue: Minor adjustments to skin tones. For example, slightly shifting orange towards red or yellow can improve skin tone. (Usually very subtle, +/- 5 or less).
* Saturation: Fine-tune the saturation of specific colors, especially orange and red for skin. Slightly desaturate them if they are too strong or increase them if they look pale.
* Luminance: Adjust the luminance of skin tones. Increase the luminance of orange and red to brighten skin. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can create a "plastic" look.
4. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: *Reduce* Sharpening significantly. Start with Amount around 0-25. A low Radius and Detail can help reduce unwanted textures, too. Use masking to prevent sharpening on backgrounds.
* Noise Reduction: Apply some luminance noise reduction. Start with 10-20. This further smooths the skin. Increase carefully, as too much noise reduction can create a waxy look. (Color noise reduction is usually less critical for portraits).
5. Effects Panel:
* Vignetting: Consider adding a very subtle, negative vignette (Amount around -5 to -15) to draw attention to the subject. Use a low Midpoint to make it very subtle.
* Grain: Generally avoid adding grain to soft portraits.
6. Camera Calibration:
* Experiment with different Camera Profiles (e.g., Camera Portrait, Camera Standard). These can have a subtle impact on color rendition and skin tones. Often, a profile specifically designed for portraits works well.
III. Step-by-Step Creation Process
1. Import Your Portrait: Import the photo you want to use as your base.
2. Reset (If Necessary): If the photo already has adjustments, click the "Reset" button at the bottom of the Develop module. This ensures you're starting from scratch.
3. Adjust Basic Panel: Work through the Basic Panel settings as described above. Focus on Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Clarity, and Vibrance.
4. Fine-tune Tone Curve: Adjust the Tone Curve (Point Curve is preferred for control) to refine the contrast.
5. Refine Colors with HSL/Color: Make subtle adjustments in the HSL/Color panel to enhance skin tones.
6. Reduce Sharpness & Apply Noise Reduction: Go to the Detail panel and reduce sharpening and apply luminance noise reduction.
7. Add Subtle Vignette (Optional): Add a very subtle vignette in the Effects panel if desired.
8. Choose Camera Profile (Optional): Experiment with different camera profiles.
9. Iterate and Refine: The key is to adjust these settings iteratively. Zoom in on the skin and look for any areas that are too harsh, too soft, too bright, or too dull. Make small adjustments and re-evaluate.
10. Save as a Preset: Once you are satisfied with the result, go to the "Presets" panel on the left side of the Develop module.
* Click the "+" button at the top of the Presets panel.
* Choose "Create Preset."
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait v1," "Ethereal Portrait").
* Crucially: In the "Check" options, select which settings you want to include in the preset. Important: Usually you *don't* want to include "Local Adjustments" or "Process Version." You might also *not* want to include "Exposure" because that's image-specific. Select the rest.
* Click "Create."
IV. Important Considerations
* Image-Specific Adjustments: Every photo is different. Your preset will provide a good starting point, but you will *always* need to make adjustments on a per-image basis, especially to the Exposure.
* Skin Tone Variation: Be mindful of different skin tones. A preset that works well on fair skin might not be as flattering on darker skin.
* Overdoing It: It's easy to overdo the soft portrait effect. Avoid making the skin look plastic or blurry. Subtlety is key.
* Local Adjustments: For more complex edits, use the Adjustment Brush or Graduated Filter to apply the soft portrait effect selectively. For example, you could use the Adjustment Brush to smooth the skin on the face while leaving the eyes sharp.
* Backup: Periodically back up your Lightroom catalog and presets to avoid losing your work.
Example Settings (Starting Point):
These are example values. The best settings will depend on the specific image.
* Exposure: +0.30
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -30
* Shadows: +30
* Whites: +5
* Blacks: -10
* Clarity: -30
* Vibrance: +10
* Saturation: +5
* Sharpening Amount: 20
* Sharpening Radius: 0.8
* Sharpening Detail: 25
* Luminance Noise Reduction: 15
* Vignetting Amount: -10
* Camera Profile: Camera Portrait (if available)
In summary, creating a soft portrait preset in Lightroom 4 is a process of softening details, smoothing skin, and enhancing light and color in a subtle and flattering way. Experiment, refine, and always adjust your preset to suit the individual image.