1. Understanding the Goals:
Before we dive into the settings, understand what we're trying to achieve:
* Soft Skin: Reduce blemishes and soften fine lines without making the skin look plastic.
* Reduced Contrast: Diminish harsh shadows and highlights to create a gentler look.
* Subtle Glow: Add a hint of luminosity to brighten the subject and make them pop.
* Color Grading: Adjust colors to be warm and inviting, or cool and ethereal, depending on your preference.
2. Import and Select a Test Image:
* Import a portrait image into Lightroom 4. Choose a photo that needs some softening and contrast reduction.
3. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust this to achieve a good overall brightness. Usually a slight increase (+0.1 to +0.5) works well.
* Contrast: This is key. Reduce the contrast significantly. Try a value between -20 and -40 as a starting point.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights. This helps recover detail in bright areas and prevents blown-out skin. Start with a value of -15 to -30.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows to lift the darker areas and reveal detail. Start around +15 to +30.
* Whites: Adjust whites to control the brightest points in the image. Subtle adjustments are usually best. -5 to +5 should do.
* Blacks: Lower the blacks slightly to add a little depth without sacrificing the overall soft look. -5 to -15 is usually good.
* Clarity: *This is crucial.* Reduce clarity significantly. This softens the image and helps smooth skin. Start with -20 to -40. Go higher for more noticeable effect but be careful of overdoing it.
* Vibrance: Increase vibrance slightly to enhance colors without over-saturating the image. +5 to +15 is a good starting point.
* Saturation: Make subtle adjustments to saturation if needed. A slight increase can help, but be cautious. 0 to +5 is a good starting point.
4. Tone Curve Panel Adjustments:
* Point Curve: Create a subtle "S" curve to add a little contrast back without being harsh. Click on the point curve and gently pull down the bottom left point a bit, and the top right point up a bit. Be very subtle! An alternative (and potentially better) option is the channel curve.
* Channel Curve (Red, Green, Blue): Slightly adjusting each color channel can enhance the effect. Often, gently lifting the shadow point on the red curve and subtly lowering the highlight point on the blue curve can add a pleasing warmth. Experiment! These adjustments should be very small.
5. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments:
* Luminance: Adjust the luminance of specific colors, particularly skin tones (orange and red). Slightly increasing the luminance of these colors can brighten the skin. Try +5 to +15.
* Saturation: Subtly adjust the saturation of colors to complement the overall look.
* Hue: Very subtle hue adjustments can be used to fine-tune skin tones, but be very careful here.
6. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening significantly. We want to avoid harshness. Try an Amount of 20-40 with a Radius of 0.7-1.0 and Detail of 20-40.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Increase Luminance noise reduction to smooth out skin textures and reduce grain. Start with a value of 10-25, adjusting as needed. The sweet spot is usually around 20. Be very cautious about overdoing it, as it can lead to a waxy look.
* Color Noise Reduction: Slightly increase color noise reduction to clean up any color artifacts. 5-15 is usually sufficient.
7. Lens Corrections (Optional but Recommended):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the "Enable Profile Corrections" box to automatically correct lens distortions. This is usually found under the Lens Corrections panel.
8. Effects Panel (Optional):
* Post Crop Vignetting: A subtle vignette can help draw focus to the subject. Try a negative value (around -10 to -20) with a midpoint around 50.
* Grain: Adding a *very* subtle amount of grain (around 5-10) can prevent the image from looking *too* smooth and artificial. This is optional.
9. Saving the Preset:
* Once you're happy with the adjustments, go to the "Presets" panel (usually on the left side).
* Click the "+" icon next to "Presets" and select "Create Preset."
* Give your preset a descriptive name, such as "Soft Portrait - Warm" or "Soft Portrait - Ethereal."
* Crucially, ensure you select all the settings you want to include in the preset! Pay particular attention to the "Develop Settings" section. Double-check that all the settings you adjusted are checked. Typically, you'll want to check everything except "Local Adjustments".
* Click "Create."
10. Applying and Refining the Preset:
* Apply the preset to other portrait images.
* Remember that presets are just a starting point! You'll likely need to fine-tune the settings for each individual image based on its lighting and content.
* Pay close attention to skin tones and adjust accordingly.
Example Starting Point Settings (Adjust to Taste):
* Basic:
* Exposure: +0.3
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -20
* Shadows: +25
* Whites: -5
* Blacks: -10
* Clarity: -35
* Vibrance: +10
* Saturation: +2
* Tone Curve: Subtle S-curve (channel curves can be more effective)
* HSL/Color:
* Luminance (Orange): +10
* Luminance (Red): +5
* Detail:
* Sharpening: Amount 30, Radius 0.8, Detail 30
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): 15
* Color Noise Reduction: 8
* Effects:
* Vignetting: -15, Midpoint 50
Important Tips:
* Subtlety is Key: Don't overdo any single setting. Small, incremental adjustments are better.
* Skin Tones: Pay very close attention to skin tones. Adjust the HSL/Color panel to achieve natural and pleasing results.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings and combinations. There's no one-size-fits-all solution.
* Iterate: Create several variations of your preset. Save them with different names (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Warm", "Soft Portrait - Cool", "Soft Portrait - B&W").
* Back Up Presets: Periodically back up your Lightroom presets to prevent data loss.
By following these steps and tips, you can create a beautiful "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will enhance your portrait photography. Remember to customize the settings to suit your own style and the specific needs of each image. Good luck!