I. Start with a Representative Portrait:
* Open a well-exposed, in-focus portrait in Lightroom. This will serve as your base image for creating the preset. Choose an image that is somewhat representative of the types of portraits you'll typically apply the preset to.
II. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to get the overall brightness where you want it. Usually, a little brighter works well for soft portraits. Generally, a slight increase of +0.2 to +0.5 stops.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast. This helps to flatten the tonal range and contribute to the "soft" look. Try values between -15 and -30.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights to recover detail in bright areas, especially on the skin. Around -20 to -40.
* Shadows: Slightly increase the shadows to brighten up the darker areas and reduce harshness. A value between +10 and +30.
* Whites: Adjust whites to control overall brightness, but be careful not to clip them. A slight decrease of -5 to -15 can work well.
* Blacks: Adjust blacks to set the darkest point in the image. A slight increase, around +5 to +15, can help lift the blacks and add to the soft effect.
* Clarity: This is *key* for a soft portrait. Reduce clarity significantly to soften skin texture and create a dreamy effect. Start with -20 and go as low as -50, depending on the subject's skin. Be careful not to go too far, as it can make the image look unnatural.
* Vibrance: Increase vibrance to subtly boost the saturation of muted colors, especially skin tones. +10 to +20 is usually a good starting point.
* Saturation: Use sparingly. A slight increase of +3 to +7 can help if your image is a little flat. Avoid over-saturating, which can look unnatural.
III. Tone Curve Adjustments (Subtle S-Curve):
* Go to the Tone Curve panel.
* Create a very subtle S-curve. Click on the line to create two points, one in the upper midtones and one in the lower midtones.
* Slightly pull up the upper midtone point and slightly pull down the lower midtone point. The curve should be almost imperceptible. This adds a small amount of contrast and dimension.
* Alternatively, try a "point curve" and gently lift the black point to create a faded, dreamy effect. This is more advanced, so if you're new to Lightroom, stick with the S-curve.
IV. HSL/Color Panel:
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to skin tones if necessary. Generally, small adjustments of -5 to +5 in the Orange and Red hues can help.
* Saturation: Adjust the saturation of different colors, paying attention to skin tones, eyes, and clothing. Often, reducing the saturation of reds and oranges slightly can improve skin tone. Increase saturation on greens or blues in the background, if needed, to make the subject pop.
* Luminance: Adjust the luminance of colors to brighten or darken them. Increasing the luminance of oranges can brighten skin. Lowering the luminance of reds, greens, and blues can add depth.
V. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening amount. A low amount (around 20-30) with a small radius (0.5-0.7) is usually sufficient. Consider increasing the masking slider to prevent sharpening in smooth areas like skin.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Apply a small amount of luminance noise reduction to smooth out any remaining noise in the skin. 10-20 is usually enough. Too much will make the image look waxy.
* Color Noise Reduction: Leave this at default unless you have noticeable color noise.
VI. Effects Panel:
* Post-Crop Vignetting: A very subtle vignette can help draw the eye to the subject. Experiment with a slight amount, around -5 to -15. Adjust the midpoint and roundness to fine-tune the effect.
* Grain: Consider adding a very small amount of grain for a film-like effect (2-5).
VII. Calibration Panel (Optional):
* This panel allows you to fine-tune the color balance. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue primary sliders, but be careful not to overdo it. Subtle shifts can enhance the overall look.
VIII. Saving the Preset:
1. Once you're happy with the adjustments, go to the Presets panel on the left side of Lightroom.
2. Click the "+" button (New Preset).
3. Give your preset a descriptive name, such as "Soft Portrait v1".
4. Choose a Group to save your preset to (or create a new one called "Portraits").
5. Crucially, check all the boxes that you've adjusted. This is very important, as only the checked settings will be applied when you use the preset. Pay close attention to the checkboxes for clarity, sharpening, and noise reduction.
6. Click Create.
IX. Testing and Refining:
* Apply the preset to different portraits: Test the preset on a variety of portraits with different lighting conditions and skin tones.
* Fine-tune the preset: Make adjustments to the preset as needed. You can edit an existing preset by applying it to an image, making your adjustments, then right-clicking on the preset in the Presets panel and selecting "Update with Current Settings."
Important Considerations:
* Lighting: The effectiveness of this preset will depend on the original lighting of the photo. It will work best on photos with even lighting.
* Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tones. The HSL panel adjustments may need to be tweaked to suit different complexions.
* Subtlety: The key to a good soft portrait preset is subtlety. Avoid extreme adjustments that can make the image look artificial.
* Experimentation: This is a starting point. Experiment with the settings to create a preset that suits your personal style and the types of portraits you shoot.
* Batch Processing: Once you're happy with your preset, you can use it to batch process multiple portraits, saving you a significant amount of time. Remember to check each image afterwards, as some images may need minor individual tweaks.
By following these steps, you can create a versatile "soft portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a beautiful, dreamy look for your portraits. Good luck!