Understanding the Goal:
A soft portrait aims for:
* Reduced harshness: Minimizing strong shadows and highlights.
* Smooth skin: Reducing blemishes and wrinkles subtly.
* Gentle tones: Avoiding overly saturated or contrasted colors.
* Warmth and glow: Creating a welcoming and inviting feel.
* Eye emphasis (subtle): Bringing out the eyes without looking artificial.
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Start with a Well-Exposed Image: Good lighting is crucial. Choose a portrait that is already relatively well-exposed to begin with.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to achieve the desired overall brightness. Typically, increasing it a little can help create a brighter, softer look. Be careful not to overexpose. Look at the histogram and make sure you aren't clipping highlights. Start with a small adjustment like +0.10 to +0.30.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast. This is a key element of the soft portrait look. Try a setting of -10 to -30. Lower contrast softens shadows and highlights.
* Highlights: Lowering highlights is critical. Recovering detail in overexposed areas helps create a gentler image. Try -20 to -50.
* Shadows: Increase shadows to lift the darker areas and reduce harsh shadows. Try +10 to +30.
* Whites: Adjust to refine overall brightness and add subtle pop. Typically a slight decrease is better than an increase, so somewhere in the range of -5 to +5 is usually appropriate.
* Blacks: Adjust to fine-tune the black point and add depth. Try -10 to +10.
3. Tone Curve Panel:
* Point Curve (Recommended): Instead of using the Region tool, manipulate the point curve directly. Create a very subtle "S" curve.
* Grab the curve near the bottom left and gently pull it up *slightly*. This raises the blacks a bit, making them less intense and contributing to the soft look.
* Grab the curve near the top right and gently pull it down *slightly*. This tames the brightest highlights even further.
* Region Curve (Alternative): If you are using the Region tool, these are some starting points:
* Highlights: Reduce slightly (-5 to -10). This further softens highlights.
* Lights: Increase (+5 to +15). This brightens the midtones.
* Darks: Increase (+10 to +20). This lifts the shadows.
* Shadows: Decrease slightly (-5 to -10). This adds a touch of definition in the darkest areas.
4. HSL/Color Panel:
* Luminance:
* Orange: Increase luminance (+5 to +20). Orange affects skin tones most directly. Adding luminance makes skin appear brighter and smoother.
* Yellow: Increase luminance (+5 to +15). Yellow affects the skin a bit and adds overall warmth.
* Red: Increase luminance (+5 to +15). Red adds warmth and vibrancy to skin.
* Saturation:
* Orange: Reduce saturation *slightly* (-5 to -15). This can help prevent skin tones from becoming too intense.
* Consider selectively reducing the saturation of other colors if they are distracting (e.g., blues if they are too vibrant).
* Hue: Rarely necessary. Only adjust if the skin tones are off (e.g., too red or too yellow). Adjusting the hue of orange can help fine-tune skin tone.
5. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Reduce the default amount. Too much sharpening defeats the purpose of a soft portrait. Start with Amount: 20-40, Radius: 1.0, Detail: 25-50, Masking: 40-60. The masking slider is very useful. It only sharpens edges, so using it prevents sharpening on smooth skin areas.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Increase slightly to smooth skin and reduce grain, especially if shooting at a higher ISO. Start with 10-20. Be careful not to overdo it, as too much noise reduction can make the skin look plastic.
* Color Noise Reduction: Increase slightly to remove color artifacts. 10-20 is a good starting point.
6. Lens Corrections Panel:
* Enable Profile Corrections: This will correct for lens distortion and vignetting, improving the overall image quality.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check this box.
7. Effects Panel:
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Consider adding a subtle vignette to draw the viewer's eye to the subject. Use a negative value (-5 to -15) for a darker vignette. Adjust the midpoint and roundness to suit your image. Feather should be high (around 80-90) for a soft transition.
8. Calibration Panel:
* Camera Calibration (Profiles): Experiment with different camera calibration profiles. Some profiles (e.g., Camera Portrait, Camera Standard) can give a more pleasing base for skin tones. These will depend on the camera you used.
9. Save the Preset:
* In the Presets panel (left-hand side), click the "+" icon.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Gentle Glow").
* Check the boxes for the settings you want to include in the preset. Be sure to include at least the Basic, Tone Curve, HSL/Color, Detail, and Effects settings. *Important:* Don't check "Process Version" or "Crop" unless you want the preset to always use a specific processing engine version or crop setting.
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations and Tips:
* Customization is Key: These are just starting points. The best settings will vary depending on the specific image. Adjust the sliders until you achieve the desired look.
* Skin Tone Monitoring: Pay close attention to the subject's skin tone. Use the HSL/Color panel to fine-tune it and avoid an unnatural appearance.
* Facial Recognition Sharpening (Lightroom Classic): Lightroom Classic (not Lightroom 4) has a feature where you can use the Adjustment Brush with a softened, high-negative clarity setting and then use facial recognition. This is not an option in Lightroom 4.
* Use Radial Filters/Adjustment Brush for Local Adjustments: For more precise control, use the radial filter or adjustment brush to target specific areas of the image, such as brightening the eyes or softening the skin around the eyes.
* Avoid Over-Processing: The goal is a natural, soft look, not a plastic or overly smoothed one. Less is often more.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to try different settings and combinations. The best way to learn is through practice.
Example Starting Point (Remember to adjust to your specific image):
* Basic: Exposure +0.20, Contrast -20, Highlights -40, Shadows +20, Whites -5, Blacks -5
* Tone Curve: Very subtle "S" curve
* HSL/Color: Orange Luminance +10, Yellow Luminance +5, Red Luminance +5, Orange Saturation -5
* Detail: Sharpening Amount 30, Radius 1.0, Detail 40, Masking 50, Luminance Noise Reduction 15
* Lens Corrections: Enable Profile Corrections, Remove Chromatic Aberration
* Effects: Post-Crop Vignetting Amount -10, Midpoint 50, Feather 85
By following these steps and experimenting with the settings, you can create a beautiful and flattering "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that enhances your portrait photography. Good luck!