Understanding the "Soft Portrait" Look
The goal is to create a look that:
* Reduces harshness: Minimizes wrinkles, blemishes, and strong shadows.
* Softens skin: Creates a smoother, more luminous complexion.
* Enhances highlights: Adds a subtle glow and ethereal quality.
* Maintains detail (mostly): Avoids making the image overly blurry or fake.
* Subtlety is key: The changes should be noticeable but not overwhelming.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Preset:
1. Import a Portrait Photo into Lightroom 4:
* Choose a photo that is well-exposed and relatively sharp. It's best to start with a good base image.
2. Develop Module:
* Navigate to the "Develop" module in Lightroom 4.
3. Basic Panel Adjustments: This is where the foundation of the soft look is built.
* Temperature: Slightly warmer tones are generally more flattering. Move the slider slightly towards the yellow side (around +3 to +7).
* Tint: Adjust towards magenta if the skin looks too green, or towards green if it looks too red. This is photo-specific, but a small magenta shift (around +2 to +4) is often helpful.
* Exposure: Slightly brighten the image to give it a lighter, airy feel. Increase Exposure by +0.10 to +0.30. Adjust as needed for the original exposure of your image.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast to soften the image and flatten harsh shadows. Decrease Contrast by -15 to -30. Be careful not to reduce it too much, or the image will look flat.
* Highlights: Bring down the highlights to recover detail and prevent blown-out areas, which contributes to the softness. Decrease Highlights by -20 to -40.
* Shadows: Open up the shadows to lighten darker areas and reduce harsh contrast. Increase Shadows by +20 to +40.
* Whites: Slightly decrease Whites to prevent clipping in the brightest areas. Decrease Whites by -5 to -15.
* Blacks: Slightly increase Blacks to keep the image from looking too flat. Increase Blacks by +5 to +15.
* Clarity: This is a crucial element. Reduce Clarity significantly to soften the skin and overall image. Decrease Clarity by -15 to -30. A negative Clarity value creates a gentle blurring effect.
* Vibrance: Increase Vibrance to enhance the colors without over-saturating the skin tones. Increase Vibrance by +5 to +15.
* Saturation: Use this with caution. A slight increase can be okay if the colors are muted, but avoid over-saturation. Increase Saturation by +0 to +5 if needed. Often, Vibrance is enough.
4. Tone Curve Panel Adjustments (Optional but Recommended):
* The tone curve allows for finer control over contrast. A subtle "S" curve can add depth without being harsh.
* Adjust the curve by dragging the line to form a subtle "S" shape. This will lift the shadows and darken the highlights a bit, enhancing the overall contrast. Be gentle, and avoid creating a steep curve.
5. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments (Optional): These are more advanced but can refine skin tones.
* Luminance: In the Luminance tab, slightly increase the luminance of orange and yellow to brighten skin tones. Increase Orange Luminance by +5 to +15, and Yellow Luminance by +3 to +10.
* Saturation: You might slightly desaturate the orange tones if the skin looks too orange. Decrease Orange Saturation by -3 to -7, if needed.
* Hue: Make slight adjustments to skin tone hue if necessary. For example, shift the orange hues slightly towards red if the skin looks too yellow, or slightly towards yellow if the skin looks too red. Adjust Orange Hue slightly (+/- 2-3) only if needed.
6. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: While we want softness, completely eliminating sharpness will make the image look blurry. Keep some sharpening but dial it down. Typically:
* Amount: Leave it at the default of 25, or decrease to around 20.
* Radius: Leave at the default of 1.0.
* Detail: Increase Detail to around 30 to 50 to help retain some texture.
* Masking: Increase Masking to around 40 to 60. This prevents sharpening in smooth areas like skin.
* Noise Reduction: Slightly increase Luminance Noise Reduction to further smooth the skin. Increase Luminance Noise Reduction to +5 to +15. Be careful not to overdo it, or you'll lose detail.
7. Lens Corrections Panel (Optional but Recommended):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the "Enable Profile Corrections" box. This will automatically correct for lens distortions and vignetting, improving the overall image quality. If your lens isn't recognized, you can manually select the make and model.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check the "Remove Chromatic Aberration" box.
8. Effects Panel (Optional):
* Post-Crop Vignetting: A subtle vignette can draw the viewer's eye to the subject. Apply a slight Amount: -5 to -15, and Midpoint: 50 to 60.
9. Save the Preset:
* In the Presets panel on the left, click the "+" (New Preset) button.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait").
* Crucially, select which settings to include in the preset. Important: Typically, you want to *exclude* white balance and profile corrections from your preset. This ensures the preset works across different lighting conditions and lenses.
* Click "Create".
Important Considerations and Tips:
* Experiment: These settings are a starting point. Adjust them to suit your personal style and the specific characteristics of each photo.
* Photo-Specific Adjustments: No single preset works perfectly on every image. You will likely need to tweak the settings on a per-photo basis. Pay attention to the skin tones and overall exposure, and adjust the preset accordingly.
* Start Subtle: It's better to start with subtle adjustments and gradually increase them until you achieve the desired effect.
* Before and After: Use the "Y" key in the Develop module to view a before-and-after comparison. This helps you see the impact of your adjustments.
* Skin Tones: Always pay close attention to skin tones. Avoid making them look too orange, yellow, or gray. Natural-looking skin is key to a successful portrait.
* Over-Processing: Be careful not to over-process your images. Too much softening can make the skin look plastic and unnatural.
* Backup Your Presets: Regularly back up your Lightroom catalog and presets.
By following these steps, you can create a versatile and effective "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will enhance your portrait photography and give your subjects a flattering, gentle appearance. Remember to customize the settings to match your style and the specific needs of each photo. Good luck!