Understanding the Goal:
A "soft portrait" aims to:
* Reduce harshness: Minimize sharp details and soften skin texture.
* Create a gentle, diffused light: Evoke a dreamy, ethereal feel.
* Enhance skin tones: Bring out warmth and a healthy glow.
* Preserve sharpness in the eyes: Maintain focus where it matters most.
Steps to Create the Preset in Lightroom 4:
1. Import and Select a Portrait Photo:
* Import a portrait photo into Lightroom 4 that you'd like to edit. Choose one with good natural light as a starting point.
* Enter the "Develop" module.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust the exposure until the subject's face is well-lit but not blown out. Slightly overexpose if needed for a brighter, softer feel.
* Contrast: Reduce the contrast significantly. Aim for a flatter image that helps smooth out skin tones. Start around -20 to -40 and adjust to taste.
* Highlights: Lower the highlights to recover detail in bright areas, especially the forehead and cheeks. Try a setting of -30 to -50.
* Shadows: Increase the shadows to lift the darker areas of the face and even out the lighting. Try +20 to +40.
* Whites: Adjust whites carefully. Slightly increase or decrease to find the optimal balance without clipping. A slight decrease can often help.
* Blacks: Adjust blacks carefully. Slightly increase or decrease to find the optimal balance without clipping. A slight decrease can often help.
3. Tone Curve Adjustments:
* This is crucial for the soft look. Go to the Tone Curve panel.
* Point Curve (Recommended): Use the Point Curve (represented as a straight line initially).
* Create a subtle "S" curve": Click the point curve, creating 3 points. One near shadows, one in the center, and one near the highlights. Pull the shadows point *up* slightly (lifts shadows) and the highlights point *down* slightly (compresses highlights). This very gentle S-curve reduces contrast and creates a softer tonal range. Don't overdo it; a subtle curve is key.
* Optional: Parametric Curve (Alternative): If you're more comfortable with the parametric curve:
* Slightly increase "Lights" and decrease "Darks" to achieve a similar effect to the point curve. The degree will depend on your photo.
4. HSL / Color Panel Adjustments:
* Hue: Make subtle adjustments to the hue of skin tones. You might slightly shift the oranges towards red or yellow to fine-tune the warmth.
* Saturation: Reduce the saturation of reds and oranges to prevent skin from looking too vibrant or orange. Try -5 to -15. You can also slightly decrease the saturation of other colors if they are distracting.
* Luminance: Increase the luminance of oranges to brighten skin tones. Try +5 to +15. Increase the luminance of reds as well to add some glow.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce the amount. Too much sharpness detracts from the soft look. Decrease the amount to 0-20, then use the Masking slider (hold Alt/Option key while dragging) to only sharpen edges. This is to ensure eyes are still sharp, while other parts of the image are soft.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): Increase luminance noise reduction to smooth out skin texture. Start around 10-20 and adjust until skin looks smoother but still natural. Be careful not to overdo it and make the skin look plastic. Chromatic noise reduction can be set to its default 25.
6. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Post-Crop Vignetting: Consider adding a very subtle vignette (Amount: -5 to -15). This can help draw the eye to the subject. Use a high Feather setting (70-80) for a gradual, natural effect.
7. Camera Calibration (Optional, but often helpful):
* This can significantly impact skin tones.
* Profile: Experiment with different camera profiles (e.g., Adobe Standard, Camera Portrait). These can affect how colors are rendered.
* Red Primary, Green Primary, Blue Primary: Fine-tune these sliders to adjust the overall color balance. Slightly increasing the saturation of the red primary and subtly shifting the hue of the green primary towards yellow often works well for portraits.
8. Test and Refine:
* Apply these settings to other portrait photos.
* Make adjustments as needed based on the specific lighting and skin tones of each image. The ideal settings will vary depending on the original photo.
9. Save the Preset:
* In the "Presets" panel (usually on the left side), click the "+" icon.
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait," "Dreamy Portrait").
* Select the settings you want to include in the preset (usually everything you've adjusted). Make sure "Process Version" is checked, as newer Lightroom versions handle settings differently.
* Click "Create."
Important Tips and Considerations:
* Subtlety is Key: The best soft portrait presets are subtle. Avoid extreme adjustments that can look unnatural.
* Starting Point: This preset is meant to be a starting point. You'll likely need to tweak it for each individual photo.
* Skin Tone Variations: Different skin tones will require different adjustments. Pay close attention to how the preset affects skin color and make adjustments to the HSL/Color panel accordingly.
* White Balance: Make sure your white balance is accurate before applying the preset.
* Use Layers in Photoshop (If Necessary): For even finer control, consider using Photoshop to dodge and burn, soften skin, and sharpen eyes using layers and masks.
Example Settings (Start Here and Adjust):
* Exposure: +0.2 to +0.5
* Contrast: -30
* Highlights: -40
* Shadows: +30
* Whites: -5
* Blacks: -5
* Tone Curve: Gentle S-curve
* Saturation (Oranges/Reds): -10
* Luminance (Oranges/Reds): +10
* Sharpening: Amount 20, Radius 1.0, Detail 25, Masking 60
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): 15
By following these steps, you can create a versatile "soft portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a beautiful and flattering look in your portrait photography. Remember to experiment and refine the preset to suit your personal style and the specific characteristics of each image.