Understanding the Goal: What is a "Soft Portrait"?
A soft portrait aims to achieve:
* Reduced Harshness: Minimized contrast and shadows.
* Smooth Skin: Less visible blemishes and pores.
* Warm Tone: A generally pleasing, inviting feel.
* Subtle Glow: A slightly ethereal or dreamy look.
Steps to Create the Preset:
1. Choose a Starting Image: Select a portrait photo that's representative of the type of images you'll be using the preset on. This will help you fine-tune the settings. Ideally, choose an image that's already well-exposed and in focus.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments: These are the foundation of your preset.
* Exposure: Slightly increase if the image is underexposed. Don't overdo it; aim for a balanced exposure. A value between +0.15 to +0.30 might be a good starting point.
* Contrast: This is KEY. *Reduce* the contrast significantly. Try -20 to -40 as a starting point. Reducing contrast helps to flatten the image and reduce harsh shadows.
* Highlights: Reduce these. Between -30 to -50 is a good range. This helps to recover detail in bright areas, like skin highlights, making the image less contrasty.
* Shadows: *Increase* these. Between +20 to +40. Lifting shadows helps to reveal detail in darker areas and further reduces contrast.
* Whites: Adjust gently. Slightly decrease or increase (e.g., +/-5 to +/-10) depending on your image. The goal is to ensure you're not clipping whites (blowing out detail).
* Blacks: Adjust gently. Similar to Whites, adjust +/-5 to +/-10. Avoid making them too dark. Lifting blacks slightly contributes to the "soft" look.
* Clarity: *Decrease* the clarity. This is crucial for softening the skin. Start with -10 to -20 and see how it looks. Be careful not to go too far, or the image will look blurry.
* Vibrance: Increase this slightly (e.g., +5 to +15) to bring out the colors without over-saturating.
* Saturation: Adjust gently. Often a small increase (+2 to +8) can be beneficial.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments (Optional): The Tone Curve can add subtle nuance.
* Consider a slight "S-curve," but a *very gentle* one. Pull the top of the curve down slightly to reduce highlights and lift the bottom up a little to raise shadows. Avoid harsh curves; you want a smooth, gradual adjustment. You can also try experimenting with the Point Curve options (Linear, Medium Contrast, Strong Contrast) to see how they affect your image, and then adjust from there.
* For a more muted look, create a flatter curve by gently pulling both the highlights and shadows closer to the middle.
4. HSL/Color Adjustments (Optional): Fine-tune specific colors.
* Orange: Often, the orange hues in skin tones can be adjusted. You might slightly increase the Luminance of orange (+5 to +15) to brighten skin. You could also slightly decrease the saturation of orange (-5 to -10) if the skin looks too orange.
* Reds/Yellows: Adjust these based on your image. If the skin looks too red, slightly decrease the saturation of red. If the image feels too yellow, adjust the yellow hue and/or saturation.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments: This is where you control sharpening and noise reduction.
* Sharpening: Sharpening is necessary, but use it sparingly. A smaller amount than usual is best. Try Amount: 20-40, Radius: 0.7-1.0, Detail: 20-40, Masking: 60-80. The masking slider prevents sharpening in smooth areas like the skin.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Slightly increase this (e.g., 5-15) to further smooth skin and reduce noise. Don't overdo it, as it can make the image look plastic.
6. Lens Corrections (Highly Recommended):
* Enable "Remove Chromatic Aberration" and "Enable Profile Corrections." This fixes lens distortions and color fringing.
7. Effects Panel (Optional):
* Post-Crop Vignetting: A very subtle vignette (Amount: -5 to -15) can draw the viewer's eye towards the subject. Use "Highlight Priority" or "Color Priority" for a more natural look.
* Grain: Avoid adding grain for a soft portrait look.
8. Calibration Panel (Optional): Subtle adjustments here can influence the overall color tone. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue primary sliders.
9. Create the Preset:
* In the left-hand panel of Lightroom 4, click the "+" icon next to "Presets" and select "Create Preset."
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Warm," "Soft Portrait - Subtle").
* Crucially, check the boxes for all the settings you adjusted. It's essential to include only the adjustments you made. If you just want to include Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, and Shadows, only check those boxes.
* Click "Create."
10. Test and Refine:
* Apply your preset to several different portrait photos.
* Carefully examine the results. Are the skin tones natural? Is the image too soft or not soft enough? Are there any unwanted color casts?
* Go back to the Develop module, tweak the settings in your preset, and update it. Right-click on the preset and choose "Update with Current Settings."
* Repeat this process until you're happy with the results.
Important Tips:
* Exposure is Crucial: Start with a properly exposed image. The preset is designed to enhance, not fix, a poor exposure.
* Be Subtle: The key to a good soft portrait preset is subtlety. Avoid extreme settings, which can make the image look unnatural.
* Skin Tones: Pay close attention to skin tones. They should look natural and healthy.
* Batch Processing: Presets are great for batch processing, but remember that every image is different. You may need to make minor adjustments to the preset settings for each individual photo.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings. The best way to learn is by doing.
* White Balance: Ensure your white balance is correct *before* applying the preset. A good starting white balance is essential.
By following these steps and experimenting, you can create a soft portrait preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve beautiful, flattering results. Remember that the specific settings will vary depending on the original image, so it's essential to test and refine your preset. Good luck!