1. Conceptualization & Inspiration:
* Define your Style: What kind of look are you going for? Consider these aspects:
* Mood: Ethereal, moody, vibrant, vintage, filmic, natural, punchy, soft, dramatic, etc.
* Color Palette: Warm tones, cool tones, desaturated, vibrant, specific color casts (e.g., orange and teal), black and white.
* Overall Aesthetic: Think about what you want your images to *feel* like.
* Gather Inspiration: Look at photography online (Instagram, Pinterest, etc.), in magazines, and in movies. Analyze what you like about the coloring, contrast, and overall look of images that resonate with you. Save examples as references.
* Consider your Subject: Different styles work better for different types of portraits. A bright, airy look might be perfect for a summer outdoor portrait, while a darker, more moody look might suit a studio portrait.
2. Making the Adjustments in Lightroom Develop Module:
Start with a RAW photo (ideally one that is well-exposed and properly white-balanced). This gives you the most flexibility. Here's a breakdown of key settings and creative possibilities:
A. Basic Panel:
* Profile: This is the very first thing to adjust. Choose an appropriate profile to start your edit. *Adobe Color* is often a good base to start for portraits. Explore other profiles like *Adobe Portrait*, or camera-specific profiles.
* White Balance:
* Temp/Tint: Adjust these to achieve the desired warmth or coolness. Subtle adjustments can dramatically impact the mood.
* *Creative Ideas:* Intentionally create a warm or cool color cast for a unique feel. Consider shifting the tint towards green or magenta for a more artistic effect.
* Exposure: Set this to the correct brightness for the photo. If the photo is under or over exposed you might need to adjust this.
* Contrast:
* *Creative Ideas:* High contrast for a dramatic look, low contrast for a softer, dreamier feel. Try using the *Tone Curve* for more precise contrast control (see below).
* Highlights/Shadows:
* Recover detail in overexposed highlights (lower Highlights slider).
* Open up detail in underexposed shadows (raise Shadows slider).
* *Creative Ideas:* Experiment with clipping highlights or shadows slightly for a more stylized look.
* Whites/Blacks:
* Set the white point (the brightest point in the image). Hold the Alt/Option key while dragging the Whites slider to see when clipping occurs.
* Set the black point (the darkest point in the image). Hold the Alt/Option key while dragging the Blacks slider to see when clipping occurs.
* *Creative Ideas:* Aggressively crush the blacks for a more modern, stylized look.
* Clarity/Texture:
* Clarity: Adds mid-tone contrast and sharpness. Use sparingly on portraits as it can accentuate skin texture.
* Texture: Affects fine details. Can be useful to enhance skin texture (subtle use), or to soften skin (negative values).
* *Creative Ideas:* Experiment with slightly negative clarity for a softer, dreamier look.
* Vibrance/Saturation:
* Vibrance: Boosts the intensity of muted colors, preserving skin tones better than Saturation.
* Saturation: Boosts the intensity of all colors. Can lead to unnatural skin tones if pushed too far.
* *Creative Ideas:* Desaturate the image for a more muted, filmic look. Boost Vibrance to make colors pop without over-saturating skin.
B. Tone Curve Panel:
* Point Curve: This is a powerful tool for shaping the overall contrast and tone of the image.
* S-Curve: Classic curve that increases contrast (darkens shadows, brightens highlights).
* Inverted S-Curve: Decreases contrast (brightens shadows, darkens highlights), often used for a softer, more filmic look.
* Matte/Faded Look: Lift the bottom-left point of the curve to raise the black point, creating a faded effect.
* Split Tone: Create highlights and shadows curve separate from each other.
C. HSL/Color Panel:
* Hue: Shift the color of specific hues. For example, shifting the hue of oranges can affect skin tones.
* *Creative Ideas:* Orange and teal look: shift orange hues towards yellow or red, and blues towards cyan.
* Saturation: Control the intensity of specific colors.
* *Creative Ideas:* Desaturate blues and greens to make the subject stand out.
* Luminance: Adjust the brightness of specific colors.
* *Creative Ideas:* Brighten skin tones (oranges, yellows, reds).
D. Color Grading Panel:
* Shadows/Midtones/Highlights: Add color tints to these tonal ranges.
* *Creative Ideas:* Add a warm tint to highlights and a cool tint to shadows for a classic split-tone effect. Experiment with subtle color casts.
E. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Use sparingly, especially on portraits. Focus on sharpening key areas like eyes.
* Noise Reduction: Important for higher ISO images. Too much can soften details.
* *Creative Ideas:* For a "dreamy" effect, lower the sharpening and increase the noise reduction a small amount.
F. Optics Panel:
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Always check this box.
* Enable Lens Corrections: Helps correct distortion and vignetting caused by the lens.
G. Effects Panel:
* Grain: Add a film-like texture. Use subtle amounts.
* Vignette: Darkens or lightens the edges of the image. Can be used to draw attention to the subject.
* *Creative Ideas:* Add a subtle vignette to create a more intimate feel.
3. Refining Your Preset:
* Test on Multiple Images: Apply your preset to a variety of photos (different lighting conditions, skin tones, etc.). You'll likely need to tweak the preset for each image, but the goal is to get a good starting point.
* Make Iterations: Don't be afraid to experiment and refine your preset over time. Save multiple versions of your preset as you make changes.
* Skin Tone Considerations: Pay close attention to skin tones. Make sure they look natural and healthy. Use the HSL/Color panel to adjust skin tones if needed.
4. Saving Your Preset:
1. Click the "+" icon in the Presets panel in the Develop module.
2. Choose "Create Preset."
3. Name your preset descriptively (e.g., "Moody Portrait - Warm Tones" or "Bright and Airy - Outdoor").
4. Choose a Group: Organize your presets by creating or selecting a group.
5. Select which settings to include: This is crucial! By default, *all* settings are selected. Think carefully about what you *don't* want to include in your preset:
* Generally NOT to include:
* White Balance: (Unless you want a specific, consistent color cast) Usually better to adjust white balance individually for each image.
* Spot Removal: (Very image-specific)
* Transformations: (Cropping, rotation, perspective correction - image-specific)
* Local Adjustments: (Brush, Radial Filter, Graduated Filter - image-specific)
* Usually INCLUDE:
* Profile: Almost always.
* All settings in the Basic Panel: (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, etc.)
* Tone Curve:
* HSL/Color:
* Color Grading:
* Detail: (Sharpening, Noise Reduction)
* Optics:
* Effects: (Grain, Vignette)
6. Click "Create."
5. Best Practices & Tips:
* Non-Destructive Editing: Lightroom's editing is non-destructive, meaning your original image is never altered. You can always reset your edits.
* Use Adjustment Brushes: For precise control over specific areas, use the Adjustment Brush tool to selectively apply adjustments like brightening eyes, smoothing skin, or adding contrast. *Do not* include these local adjustments in your overall preset.
* Keywords & Organization: Use keywords when saving your presets to make them easy to find later. Organize them into groups based on style, subject, or purpose.
* Experiment! The best way to learn is to experiment and see what works for you.
* Don't Overdo It: A good preset should enhance your image, not overwhelm it.
* Study Professionals: Analyze the work of photographers you admire. Try to deconstruct their style and create presets that emulate their look.
* Consider Selling Your Presets: If you create high-quality, unique presets, you can sell them online to other photographers.
By following these steps, you can create Lightroom Develop presets that will help you achieve a consistent and creative look for your portrait photography. Remember to experiment, refine, and personalize your presets to reflect your unique artistic vision!