1. Start with a Reference Image:
* Choose a portrait photo that you feel could benefit from a soft, dreamy look. This will be your base for the preset adjustments.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust to achieve proper brightness. Aim for slightly brighter than normal.
* Contrast: Lower the contrast to soften the overall look. Start with a negative value, like -15 to -30, and adjust from there.
* Highlights: Decrease the highlights. This helps recover detail in bright areas and contributes to the softness. Try -20 to -40 initially.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows. This will lift the darker areas, reducing contrast and brightening the image. Try +15 to +30.
* Whites: Slightly reduce the whites to prevent clipping and retain detail. -5 to -15 could be a good starting point.
* Blacks: Raise the blacks slightly. This adds a slightly faded or matte look. Try +5 to +15.
* Clarity: Reduce the clarity. This is *crucial* for the "soft" effect. Lower it significantly, like -20 to -50. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look blurry.
* Vibrance: Increase the vibrance slightly. This enhances the more subtle colors without over-saturating the skin tones. +5 to +15.
* Saturation: Adjust the saturation gently. Usually, a slight increase (around +5 to +10) is beneficial, but monitor skin tones closely.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* Point Curve: Use the Point Curve to create a slight "S" curve, but very gently. This adds a subtle boost in contrast without being harsh. Avoid making the "S" too pronounced. Alternatively, you can experiment with the channel curve to affect individual colors.
4. HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) Panel Adjustments:
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to the skin tones.
* Orange and Red: Shift these slightly towards yellow/orange to warm the skin. (e.g. Orange: +5 to +10, Red: +3 to +8).
* Saturation: Adjust the saturation of skin tones.
* Orange: Slightly decrease the saturation of orange if the skin looks too orange. A small negative value, like -3 to -7.
* Luminance: Adjust the luminance of skin tones.
* Orange and Red: Increase these to brighten the skin. (e.g. Orange: +5 to +15, Red: +3 to +10).
5. Split Toning Adjustments (Optional):
* Highlights: Add a subtle warmth to the highlights. Choose a hue between 25-40 (orange/yellow) and a saturation around 5-10. This gives a gentle, sun-kissed effect.
* Shadows: Add a cool tone to the shadows. Choose a hue between 220-240 (blue/purple) and a saturation around 3-7. This helps create a subtle contrast with the warm highlights.
* Balance: Adjust the balance to favor the highlights or shadows depending on your preference. Usually setting it close to zero will be good.
6. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the sharpening amount. This further softens the image. A value around 20-30 is usually good, but it depends on the original image.
* Radius: Leave the radius at its default value (around 1.0).
* Detail: Reduce the detail slider slightly. This softens the fine details. Try a value around 20-30.
* Masking: Increase the masking slider. This protects smoother areas (like skin) from sharpening. Try a value around 50-70.
* Noise Reduction: Increase luminance noise reduction to smooth the skin and reduce grain. Start with a value around 10-20 and adjust as needed. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the skin look plastic-like.
7. Lens Corrections Panel (Optional):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the box to correct for lens distortions.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check the box to remove color fringing.
8. Calibration Panel (Optional):
* This is for more advanced color adjustments. You can experiment with these sliders to fine-tune the colors, especially the skin tones. Be subtle.
9. Saving the Preset:
1. In the left panel, click on the Presets tab. If the Presets tab isn't visible, click the small triangle next to the word "Presets" to open it.
2. Click the + button at the top of the Presets panel.
3. Choose Create Preset...
4. In the New Develop Preset dialog box:
* Preset Name: Give your preset a descriptive name, like "Soft Portrait."
* Group: Choose or create a group to save your preset in (e.g., "My Portrait Presets").
* Check All Boxes Except:
* Process Version: Leave this unchecked unless you specifically want to force a specific process version.
* Crop This is useful if you always use a specific crop, but if not, leave unchecked.
* Spot Removal (Leave unchecked, as this is image-specific)
* Transform (Leave unchecked)
* Enable Profile Corrections. While you may want lens corrections, it's best to leave this unchecked to allow the preset to be applied to different lenses correctly.
* Click Create.
Tips and Considerations:
* Subtlety is Key: The best soft portraits are those where the effect is noticeable but not overwhelming. Don't crank the sliders to extremes.
* Image-Specific Adjustments: Presets are a starting point. You'll likely need to tweak the settings on each individual image to get the best results.
* Skin Tone Monitoring: Pay close attention to the skin tones throughout the process. Avoid making them too orange, muddy, or plastic-looking.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings to find what works best for you.
* Opacity Adjustment: You can use the adjustment brush with a lowered opacity to make very slight localized changes.
In summary, the key elements of a "Soft Portrait" preset are:
* Lowering Contrast
* Reducing Clarity
* Increasing Shadows
* Adjusting HSL for Skin Tones
* Subtle Sharpening and Noise Reduction
By following these steps and experimenting with the settings, you can create a beautiful "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that adds a dreamy and flattering look to your portrait photography. Remember to adjust the preset based on the specific characteristics of each image. Good luck!