Understanding the Goal: Softening and Flattering
The key to a good soft portrait preset is to:
* Soften Skin: Reduce harsh textures and blemishes.
* Slightly Blur or Diffuse: Create a dreamy, ethereal feel.
* Brighten and Lift Shadows: Open up the shadows under the eyes and add a gentle glow.
* Enhance Natural Colors: Make skin tones look healthy and vibrant.
Steps to Create Your Preset:
1. Choose a Suitable Image: Select a well-lit portrait image to work with. Preferably one with even lighting and neutral tones. This will give you a good baseline for adjustments.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Increase slightly to brighten the overall image. Adjust according to your image. (Example: +0.20 to +0.50 stop)
* Contrast: Decrease to flatten the dynamic range and reduce harsh shadows and highlights. (Example: -15 to -30)
* Highlights: Reduce further to recover details in bright areas (especially on the face). (Example: -30 to -50)
* Shadows: Increase to lift shadows and reveal detail. This helps brighten the face and add softness. (Example: +30 to +50)
* Whites: Adjust slightly to fine-tune the overall brightness. Be careful not to blow out highlights. (Example: +5 to +15)
* Blacks: Adjust to fine-tune the dark areas and contrast. (Example: -5 to -15)
3. Tone Curve Adjustments (Optional, but impactful):
* Point Curve (Preferred for more control):
* Create a gentle "S" curve. Very subtle.
* Lift the bottom of the curve (shadows) slightly to further brighten them.
* Slightly lower the top of the curve (highlights) to protect details.
* Parametric Curve (Alternative if you prefer):
* Increase the "Lights" and "Darks" sliders slightly.
* Decrease the "Highlights" and "Shadows" sliders slightly.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments:
* Hue:
* Subtle adjustments to skin tones can improve the overall look. For example, slightly shifting the Orange towards Red can add warmth.
* Saturation:
* Reduce the Saturation of Orange slightly to soften skin tones. (Example: -5 to -15)
* Slightly increase the Saturation of Red to enhance lip color. (Example: +5 to +10)
* Avoid over-saturating colors. A natural look is key.
* Luminance:
* Increase the Luminance of Orange to brighten skin tones. (Example: +5 to +15)
* Slightly increase the Luminance of Red to make lips pop. (Example: +5 to +10)
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening:
* Amount: Reduce Sharpening to soften the image. (Example: 20-40) This can also help minimize skin imperfections.
* Radius: Keep the Radius low (around 0.5 to 1.0) to avoid artificial sharpening artifacts.
* Detail: Reduce the Detail slider to further soften the image and textures. (Example: 10-25)
* Masking: Increase the Masking slider to protect areas of detail (eyes, hair) from excessive softening. (Example: 60-80)
* Noise Reduction:
* Luminance: Add a small amount of Luminance Noise Reduction to smooth out skin and reduce grain. (Example: 5-15)
6. Effects Panel Adjustments (Subtle is key):
* Vignette: A subtle vignette can help draw the viewer's eye to the subject. Negative values darken the edges, positive values brighten them. (Example: -5 to +5) Choose "Highlight Priority" style for a more natural look.
* Grain: Adding a very small amount of grain (Example: 2-5) can add a subtle film-like texture. Adjust the Size and Roughness to your preference.
7. Camera Calibration (Optional, but can refine colors):
* Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue Primary sliders to subtly adjust the overall color tone. This is highly dependent on the specific camera and the image.
8. Creating the Preset:
* In the left panel, find the "Presets" panel.
* Click the "+" button at the top of the Presets panel.
* Give your preset a descriptive name, such as "Soft Portrait," "Dreamy Portrait," or something similar.
* Crucially, select which settings to include in the preset. Check the boxes next to the settings you've adjusted. It's generally a good idea to include:
* Exposure
* Contrast
* Highlights
* Shadows
* Whites
* Blacks
* Tone Curve
* HSL / Color
* Detail (Sharpening and Noise Reduction)
* Effects (Vignetting and Grain)
* Camera Calibration (if you adjusted it)
* Uncheck "White Balance" and "Lens Corrections" unless you specifically want these settings to be applied every time you use the preset. White balance is very image-specific. Lens Corrections are often applied globally in your default Lightroom import settings.
* Click "Create."
Tips for Success:
* Experiment and Refine: No single preset works perfectly on every image. Be prepared to make slight adjustments to the exposure, white balance, and other settings after applying the preset.
* Non-Destructive Editing: Remember that Lightroom's editing is non-destructive. You can always revert to the original image or adjust the preset's settings.
* Use Adjustment Brushes: For even more control, use the Adjustment Brush to selectively soften skin, brighten eyes, or darken distracting areas.
* Batch Processing: Once you have a preset you like, you can apply it to multiple images to save time.
* Consider Skin Tone: Pay close attention to skin tones. Adjust the HSL/Color settings to ensure they look natural and healthy. If skin appears too orange, shift the Orange Hue slider towards yellow. If skin appears too red, shift it towards orange.
* Use a calibrated monitor: A calibrated monitor will display the colours and tones as they are intended, making it much easier to edit your images correctly.
* Practice: The more you experiment with Lightroom and different portrait styles, the better you'll become at creating custom presets.
Example Settings (Starting Point):
These are just starting points. Adjust based on your specific image:
* Exposure: +0.30
* Contrast: -20
* Highlights: -40
* Shadows: +40
* Whites: +10
* Blacks: -10
* Sharpening: Amount: 30, Radius: 0.8, Detail: 20, Masking: 70
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): 8
* Orange Saturation: -10
* Orange Luminance: +10
By following these steps and experimenting with different settings, you can create a custom "Soft Portrait" preset that perfectly suits your style and preferences. Remember to save your final preset for future use!