Understanding the Goal: Soft Portrait Aesthetics
Before diving in, let's define what we mean by "soft portrait":
* Reduced Sharpness: Less emphasis on fine details, creating a softer appearance.
* Lowered Contrast: Highlights aren't as bright, shadows aren't as dark, leading to a more even tonal range.
* Smooth Skin: Minimizing skin imperfections and texture.
* Warm Tones: Often, soft portraits benefit from a warmer, more inviting feel.
* Gentle Colors: Muted or pastel-like colors can enhance the soft aesthetic.
Steps to Create the Soft Portrait Preset in Lightroom 4
1. Import an Image: Import a portrait image that you want to use as a reference. Choose an image that's well-lit and properly exposed, as it will make the adjustments easier to gauge.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments: This is where the core softness is achieved.
* Exposure: Adjust as needed to achieve a good overall brightness. Don't overexpose too much, as this will cause a loss of detail. Generally, start with a slight increase (+0.10 to +0.30).
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast significantly. Try a value between -20 and -40. This immediately softens the overall look.
* Highlights: Reduce the highlights to recover detail in brighter areas. Try a value between -20 and -50.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows to lift the darker areas and reveal detail. Try a value between +10 and +40. Avoid going too far, as this can create a flat look.
* Whites: Adjust slightly to control the brightest points in the image. A small decrease (-5 to -15) is usually helpful.
* Blacks: Adjust slightly to control the darkest points in the image. A small increase (+5 to +15) can add a bit of depth without harshness.
* Clarity: This is crucial for softness. Reduce clarity significantly. Try a value between -15 and -40. This softens the edges and reduces harshness.
* Vibrance & Saturation: Increase Vibrance slightly (+5 to +15) to bring out the colors gently. You can also adjust Saturation if needed, but be careful not to over-saturate. A slight decrease (-5 to +5) might be useful depending on the image.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments: (Optional, but can add subtle depth)
* Go to the Tone Curve panel.
* A subtle "S" curve can add a touch of contrast back in without being harsh.
* Click on the Point Curve icon (the small square with the curve).
* Create two points on the curve:
* One point in the highlights area (roughly 3/4 of the way up). Drag it down very slightly.
* One point in the shadows area (roughly 1/4 of the way up). Drag it up very slightly.
* Important: Keep the curve very subtle. Avoid extreme adjustments.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments: Focus on skin tones and overall color mood.
* Hue: Subtle shifts in Hue can warm up or cool down specific colors. For skin, you might slightly shift the Orange towards Red. Experiment with small adjustments.
* Saturation: Reduce the saturation of colors that are too vibrant. Pay attention to Reds, Oranges, and Yellows, as these affect skin tones.
* Luminance: Increase the Luminance of Orange and Yellow to brighten skin tones.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments: (Important for controlling sharpness and noise)
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening significantly! Set the Amount to a very low value (e.g., 0-20) or even turn it off completely. You want to avoid sharp edges.
* Radius: If you're using any sharpening at all, keep the Radius low (0.5 to 1.0).
* Detail: Set to 0 to further soften the image.
* Masking: Increase the masking to only sharpen edges that need it.
* Noise Reduction: Increase Luminance Noise Reduction to smooth out any noise, especially in shadows. Try a value between 10 and 30. Color Noise Reduction can also be increased slightly (5 to 15).
6. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Vignetting: A slight vignette (Amount between -10 and -30) can draw the viewer's eye to the center of the image. Use negative values for a darker vignette.
* Grain: (Optional) A very subtle amount of grain (Amount: 0-10, Size: Small, Roughness: Low) can sometimes add a film-like texture.
7. Calibration Panel Adjustments:
* This is an advanced step, but you can subtly tweak the color balance here. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue primary sliders to fine-tune the overall color mood. Subtle changes are key.
8. Saving the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the adjustments, go to the Presets panel (usually on the left side of the screen).
* Click the "+" icon to create a new preset.
* Give the preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Warm", "Soft Portrait - Muted").
* In the "Check" options, carefully select which settings you want to include in the preset. Generally, you'll want to include:
* Basic Tone (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks, Clarity, Vibrance, Saturation)
* Tone Curve
* HSL / Color
* Detail (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* Effects (Vignetting, Grain)
* Calibration
* Important: If you adjusted the Exposure specifically for the image you used as a reference, consider *not* including Exposure in the preset. This will allow you to adjust the Exposure independently when applying the preset to other images.
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations and Tips
* Experimentation is Key: These are starting points. The ideal settings will vary depending on the specific image, lighting conditions, and your personal preferences. Don't be afraid to experiment and tweak the values.
* Skin Tone Accuracy: Pay close attention to skin tones. Avoid making them too orange, red, or yellow. Use the HSL/Color panel to refine the skin tones.
* Subtlety is Important: The key to a good soft portrait is subtlety. Avoid overdoing any single adjustment.
* Apply and Adjust: Apply the preset to different images and adjust the settings as needed. A preset is a starting point, not a final solution.
* Local Adjustments: Use the Adjustment Brush tool to selectively apply the preset's effects to specific areas of the image, such as the skin. For example, you could selectively smooth the skin further or lighten the eyes.
* Consider Lens Correction: If you haven't already, enable Lens Correction to remove distortion and vignetting caused by your lens.
* Practice and Iterate: The more you practice creating and applying soft portrait presets, the better you'll become at understanding how different settings affect the final image.
Example Settings (Starting Point):
* Exposure: +0.20
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -40
* Shadows: +30
* Whites: -10
* Blacks: +10
* Clarity: -25
* Vibrance: +10
* Saturation: 0
* Sharpening Amount: 0
* Luminance Noise Reduction: 20
* Vignetting Amount: -15
Remember to adjust these settings based on your specific image and desired look. Good luck!