1. Defining Your Vision:
* Genre & Mood: What kind of portraits do you want to create? Classic, modern, vintage, moody, bright, etc.? This is the most important question.
* Subject Tone: Do you prefer warm skin tones, cool skin tones, or something neutral?
* Color Palette: Do you have a preferred color scheme? Muted tones? Vibrant pops of color? Do you favor certain color casts (e.g., a slight green tint for a natural look, or a magenta tint for a vintage feel)?
* Level of Realism: Do you want a natural, true-to-life look, or a more stylized and heavily processed aesthetic?
* Analyze Existing Work: Look at portrait photographers you admire. Identify the key elements of their style: color grading, contrast, sharpness, etc. Don't copy, but use it as inspiration.
2. The Editing Process - Working on a Sample Portrait:
* Choose a Starting Image: Select a portrait that is well-exposed (or easily correctable) and representative of the types of images you typically work with. A neutral image is best to see how the adjustments actually affect the look.
* Basic Panel Adjustments (Foundation):
* White Balance: Get the overall color temperature right first. Adjust Temperature (warm/cool) and Tint (green/magenta) to achieve natural skin tones. Use the White Balance selector tool (dropper) on a neutral area (e.g., a white wall or a gray card in the photo) if present.
* Exposure: Correct the overall brightness of the image. Don't be afraid to adjust significantly, but watch for clipping in highlights or shadows.
* Contrast: Adjust the difference between the highlights and shadows. Higher contrast can add drama, while lower contrast creates a softer look.
* Highlights: Control the bright areas. Reducing highlights can recover detail in blown-out areas.
* Shadows: Control the dark areas. Increasing shadows can brighten the image and reveal details in dark areas.
* Whites: Set the brightest point in the image. Be careful not to clip the whites.
* Blacks: Set the darkest point in the image. Be careful not to crush the blacks (lose detail in the shadows).
* Presence Sliders: (Texture, Clarity, Dehaze, Vibrance, Saturation): These add dimension and can drastically change the mood. Use sparingly at first.
* Texture: Enhances fine details. Useful for adding sharpness or softening skin.
* Clarity: Adds or reduces mid-tone contrast. Can create a gritty or dreamy look.
* Dehaze: Removes or adds atmospheric haze. Can be used to create a more dramatic or surreal look.
* Vibrance: Increases the intensity of muted colors without over-saturating skin tones.
* Saturation: Increases the intensity of all colors equally. Use with caution.
* Tone Curve (Creative Control):
* The tone curve is a powerful tool for adjusting contrast and color toning.
* Point Curve: Click the point curve icon to adjust using points.
* Channel Curve: Adjust each color channel (Red, Green, Blue) separately for advanced color grading.
* Common Techniques:
* S-Curve: Increases contrast (raises highlights, lowers shadows).
* Flattened Curve: Reduces contrast (mutes the image).
* Matte Look: Lift the black point (lower-left corner of the curve) to create a faded, vintage feel.
* Split Toning with the Tone Curve: Pull down the blue channel in the shadows for a warm, orange/yellow tone. Pull down the red channel in the highlights for a cooler, cyan tone.
* HSL / Color Panel (Targeted Color Adjustments):
* This panel allows you to adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance of individual colors.
* Hue: Changes the actual color (e.g., shift red towards orange or magenta).
* Saturation: Adjusts the intensity of a specific color.
* Luminance: Adjusts the brightness of a specific color.
* Common Uses:
* Skin Tone Adjustments: Adjust the orange and red hues, saturation, and luminance for natural and pleasing skin tones.
* Sky Color: Adjust the blue hue and saturation for a more vibrant or muted sky.
* Greenery: Adjust the green hue and saturation for a more lush or muted look.
* Color Grading (Global Color Toning):
* This panel allows you to add color casts to the shadows, midtones, and highlights.
* Wheels: Click on a wheel to select a color. Drag the dot to adjust the hue and saturation of the selected tone range.
* Blending and Balance: Adjust how the color grading is blended between the highlights and shadows.
* Common Techniques:
* Warm Shadows, Cool Highlights: A popular combination for a cinematic look.
* Complementary Colors: Use colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (e.g., blue and orange) for visual contrast.
* Monochromatic: Use different shades of the same color for a cohesive look.
* Detail Panel (Sharpening and Noise Reduction):
* Sharpening: Add sharpness to enhance details. Be careful not to over-sharpen, which can create unwanted artifacts. Use masking to only sharpen important areas (e.g., eyes, hair).
* Noise Reduction: Reduce noise in the image, especially in shadows. Be careful not to over-smooth the image, which can lose detail.
* Lens Corrections (Straightening and Vignetting):
* Enable Profile Corrections: Automatically correct for lens distortion and vignetting.
* Manual Adjustments: Fine-tune lens corrections if needed.
* Effects Panel (Vignetting and Grain):
* Vignetting: Add a subtle vignette to draw attention to the subject. Use positive values for a bright vignette, or negative values for a dark vignette.
* Grain: Add a subtle grain to create a film-like look.
* Experiment and Iterate: Don't be afraid to try different things and see what works. Save versions of your edit as virtual copies to compare different approaches.
3. Saving Your Preset:
* Select the Develop Settings: In the Develop module, go to *Develop > New Preset...*
* Name Your Preset: Give your preset a descriptive name that reflects its style and intended use (e.g., "Portrait - Warm & Soft," "B&W - High Contrast," "Vintage - Matte").
* Choose a Group: Organize your presets by creating groups (e.g., "Portraits," "Landscapes," "B&W").
* Select Settings to Include: *This is crucial*. Only include the settings that are essential to your creative look. Here's a good starting point:
* Basic Tone: (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks) *Sometimes*
* Tone Curve: *Generally YES*
* HSL / Color: *Generally YES*
* Color Grading: *Generally YES*
* Detail: (Sharpening, Noise Reduction) *Carefully - sharpening can be scene-specific*
* Lens Corrections: (Profile Corrections, Transform) *Normally NO, these are lens and perspective dependent*
* Effects: (Vignetting, Grain) *Generally YES*
* Transform: *Almost Always NO*
* Note: It is generally a *bad* idea to include:
* White Balance: White balance is often specific to the lighting conditions of the original photo. Including it in a preset can result in incorrect color casts.
* Crop: The crop is specific to the composition of the original photo.
* Spot Removal: Specific to that image.
* Local Adjustments: Specific to that image.
* Create: Click "Create" to save your preset.
4. Testing and Refining Your Preset:
* Apply the Preset to Different Portraits: Test your preset on a variety of portraits with different lighting conditions, skin tones, and subjects.
* Make Tweaks: Adjust the exposure, white balance, and other settings as needed to fine-tune the look for each image.
* Iterate: Refine your preset based on your testing. Save new versions of the preset with updated names.
* Create Variations: Consider creating variations of your preset for different situations (e.g., a "Bright & Airy" version, a "Moody" version).
Tips for Creative Portrait Presets:
* Skin Tones: Pay close attention to skin tones. Aim for natural-looking and pleasing skin tones that complement the overall style of your preset. Avoid overly orange or muddy skin.
* Dodge and Burn (Local Adjustments): Consider including subtle dodge and burn adjustments (using adjustment brushes or radial filters) in your workflow *before* saving the preset. This can add dimension and depth to the portrait. You would generally NOT include the dodge and burn settings in the preset itself. Instead, do this as a final step *after* applying the preset.
* Mood and Atmosphere: Use color grading and tone curve adjustments to create a specific mood and atmosphere.
* Subtlety: Start with subtle adjustments and gradually increase the intensity as needed. Avoid over-processing the image.
* Experiment with Colors: Don't be afraid to experiment with different color combinations and tones.
* Black and White Conversions: Create presets for black and white portraits. Pay attention to contrast, sharpness, and tone curve adjustments.
* Study Other Photographers: Analyze the editing styles of your favorite portrait photographers to get inspiration.
* Regularly Update: Keep your presets up-to-date as Lightroom features and your personal style evolve.
Example Preset Ideas:
* "Golden Hour Glow": Warm color temperature, soft highlights, slightly boosted saturation in yellows and oranges.
* "Vintage Film": Matte tone curve, subtle grain, slightly desaturated colors, vignetting.
* "Moody B&W": High contrast, sharp details, darkened shadows, subtle vignetting.
* "Bright & Airy": Increased exposure, lifted shadows, reduced contrast, slightly boosted saturation.
* "Clean & Natural": Minimal adjustments, focusing on accurate color and natural skin tones.
By following these steps and experimenting with different settings, you can create beautiful and unique Lightroom Develop presets that will help you develop your own signature portrait style. Remember to focus on creating a cohesive look that reflects your vision and complements the subject. Good luck!