Understanding the Goals of a Soft Portrait Preset
* Smoothing Skin: Reducing blemishes and softening fine lines.
* Softening Shadows: Minimizing harsh shadows and creating a more even light.
* Adding a Dreamy Feel: Introducing a gentle blur or glow.
* Enhancing Eyes: Making them brighter and more captivating.
* Maintaining Naturalness: Avoiding an overly processed or artificial look.
Steps to Create a Soft Portrait Preset in Lightroom 4
1. Open Lightroom 4 and Select an Image:
* Choose a portrait image that you want to use as a reference. Ideally, it should be well-lit and representative of the types of portraits you'll be applying the preset to.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust slightly to achieve a good overall brightness. Typically, increasing it a bit can help brighten the subject. Start with a small positive adjustment like +0.10 to +0.30. Adjust to taste.
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast. This will help soften shadows and highlights. Try a negative value, such as -10 to -25.
* Highlights: Decrease the highlights. This can recover detail in overexposed areas and further soften the light. Try -20 to -40.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows to brighten the darker areas and reduce harshness. Try +20 to +40.
* Whites: Adjust slightly, typically decreasing, to prevent clipping in the brightest areas. Experiment with -5 to -15.
* Blacks: Adjust slightly, typically increasing, to lift the blacks and reduce the overall contrast. Try +5 to +15.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* Channel: Select the "Point Curve" (you might also find the "Region Curve" helpful).
* S-Curve (Subtle): Create a *very* slight S-curve. Gently pull down the highlights and gently lift the shadows. This helps to add a bit of subtle contrast without being harsh. Avoid overdoing it, as a strong S-curve will negate the softening effect.
* Consider a Flat Curve: Instead of an S-curve, some photographers prefer a flatter curve for a more matte or film-like look. You can achieve this by slightly lifting the bottom point and slightly lowering the top point.
4. HSL / Color Panel Adjustments:
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to skin tones if necessary. A slight shift towards orange in the red and orange sliders might be helpful.
* Saturation: Decrease the saturation of skin tones (reds, oranges, yellows) slightly to reduce any harshness or redness. -5 to -15 can be a good starting point.
* Luminance: Increase the luminance of oranges and yellows to brighten skin tones. +5 to +15. Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make skin look unnatural.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the sharpening amount. A soft portrait shouldn't be overly sharp. Decrease the amount to around 20-40 (or even less, depending on the original image).
* Radius: Keep the radius fairly small (around 0.8 - 1.0) to avoid creating halos.
* Detail: Reduce the detail setting to further soften the image. Try a setting of 20-30.
* Masking: Increase the masking slider (Hold Alt/Option key while adjusting to see the mask) to apply sharpening only to edges and avoid sharpening the skin. Try a value of 50-70.
* Noise Reduction: Increase luminance noise reduction to smooth out skin and remove unwanted grain. Start with a low value (5-15) and increase gradually until you see the desired effect. Be careful not to overdo it, as this can make the skin look plastic.
* Color Noise Reduction: Increase color noise reduction slightly (around 10-20) to remove color artifacts.
6. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Grain: Adding a *very subtle* amount of grain can enhance the film-like quality. Try a low value like 5-10, with a size of 25 and a roughness of 50. This is optional.
* Vignetting: A subtle vignette (positive or negative) can draw attention to the subject. Experiment with small values (+/- 5 to +/- 15) until you find something you like. Start with negative values to darken the edges and focus the viewer on the subject. Adjust the midpoint to control the size of the vignette.
7. Camera Calibration (Optional, but can be impactful):
* Experiment with the profiles in the "Profile" dropdown under Camera Calibration. Try profiles like "Adobe Standard," "Camera Faithful," or other camera-specific profiles that might complement your portrait style. Some photographers will use the 'Camera Portrait' profile if the option is available.
* Make subtle adjustments to the Red, Green, and Blue Primary hues and saturation if you want to fine-tune the colors.
8. Saving the Preset:
* In the left panel, click the "+" icon next to "Presets" and choose "Create Preset."
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait," "Dreamy Portrait," etc.).
* In the "Check" options, select the settings you want to include in the preset. It's generally a good idea to include:
* Basic Tone (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks)
* Tone Curve
* HSL / Color
* Detail (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* Effects (Grain, Vignetting)
* Camera Calibration
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations and Tips:
* Start Subtly: It's easier to add more effect than to remove it. Start with gentle adjustments and gradually increase them until you achieve the desired look.
* Experiment: Don't be afraid to try different settings and see how they affect your image.
* Image-Specific Adjustments: No preset will work perfectly on every image. You'll likely need to make minor adjustments to the preset after applying it to each photo, particularly exposure, white balance, and clarity.
* White Balance: While not directly a "softness" setting, correct white balance is crucial for good skin tones. Make sure your white balance is accurate before applying the rest of the preset.
* Clarity: Sometimes, reducing clarity can enhance the soft look, but be very careful as too much reduction can result in an unnatural, muddy result. Usually, a small negative value like -5 to -10 is sufficient.
Workflow:
1. Basic Corrections: Correct exposure, white balance, and crop the image *before* applying your soft portrait preset.
2. Apply the Preset: Apply your "Soft Portrait" preset.
3. Fine-Tune: Adjust the settings as needed to suit the specific image. Pay close attention to exposure, skin tones, and any areas that look unnatural.
4. Local Adjustments (Optional): Use the Adjustment Brush or Graduated Filter to make localized adjustments, such as brightening the eyes or smoothing specific areas of skin.
By following these steps and experimenting with different settings, you can create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that gives your portraits a beautiful, dreamy, and flattering look. Remember to save your preset and use it as a starting point for your portrait editing workflow!