1. Open the Image:
* Open the portrait image you want to work with in Lightroom 4. This will be your base image for creating the preset.
2. Basic Panel Adjustments:
* Exposure: Adjust the exposure to achieve a pleasing overall brightness. Generally, a slight increase (+0.2 to +0.5) is helpful for soft portraits.
* Contrast: Reduce contrast significantly. Aim for a value between -20 and -50. This helps to flatten the tonal range and reduce harsh shadows.
* Highlights: Reduce highlights (-30 to -60). This recovers details in bright areas like skin highlights and avoids blown-out areas.
* Shadows: Increase shadows (+20 to +50). This lifts the shadows, brightening the darker areas of the face and creating a more even light.
* Whites: Slightly increase whites (+5 to +15) to add a bit of brightness and separation. Be careful not to blow out the highlights.
* Blacks: Slightly decrease blacks (-5 to -15) to add a little depth without adding harshness.
3. Tone Curve Panel Adjustments:
* Point Curve (Subtle S-Curve): Create a very subtle S-curve. Click on the curve and drag a point slightly up in the highlight area and another point slightly down in the shadow area. This adds a hint of contrast without being harsh. The key is to be subtle.
* Alternative: Channel Curves (Red, Green, Blue): For more advanced color control, you can adjust the Red, Green, and Blue channels separately to fine-tune the skin tones. This is more advanced and requires a good understanding of color theory. Consider slightly pulling down the Blue channel in the highlights for a warmer effect.
4. HSL/Color Panel Adjustments:
* Hue:
* Slightly adjust the Hue of the Orange and Yellow sliders towards red. (+3 to +7) This can improve skin tone warmth. Be subtle! Overdoing it will look unnatural.
* Saturation:
* Reduce the saturation of Orange and Yellow slightly (-5 to -15). This softens skin tones and reduces any overly saturated areas.
* You may want to reduce the saturation of other colors like blue or green, depending on the background and overall color palette of your image.
* Luminance:
* Increase the luminance of Orange and Yellow (+5 to +15). This brightens skin tones.
* Slightly decrease the luminance of Reds (-5 to -10). This helps to deepen reds without making them overly saturated.
5. Detail Panel Adjustments:
* Sharpening: Reduce sharpening significantly. A value of 0-30 is often appropriate. We're going for softness, not sharpness.
* Radius: Keep the radius low (around 0.5-1.0).
* Detail: Adjust the detail slider to further control the level of sharpness. Try values around 20-40.
* Masking: Increase the masking slider (around 50-80). This protects smoother areas like skin from excessive sharpening, focusing it on edges.
* Noise Reduction: Increase luminance noise reduction (around 10-30). This smooths out the image and reduces graininess, further contributing to the soft look.
* Color Noise Reduction: A value of 10-20 is usually sufficient.
6. Lens Corrections Panel Adjustments:
* Enable Profile Corrections: Check the box to automatically correct lens distortions and vignetting. This can improve the overall image quality.
* Remove Chromatic Aberration: Check the box to remove color fringing along high-contrast edges.
7. Effects Panel Adjustments:
* Vignetting: Add a slight negative vignette (Amount: -5 to -20) to draw focus to the subject. Experiment with the Midpoint and Roundness sliders to achieve the desired effect.
* Grain: Generally, avoid adding grain to a soft portrait. However, if you want a film-like effect, add a very subtle amount of grain.
8. Calibration Panel Adjustments (Optional):
* The Calibration panel can be used for fine-tuning color. Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue primary Hue and Saturation sliders to achieve your desired look. This is an advanced step and should be used cautiously.
9. Saving the Preset:
1. Click the "+" button in the Presets panel. This will bring up the "New Develop Preset" dialog box.
2. Name your preset: Give it a descriptive name, like "Soft Portrait LR4" or "Dreamy Portrait".
3. Choose a group: Select a group to save the preset in, or create a new group (e.g., "Portraits").
4. Select the settings to include: Critically, make sure that all the adjustments you made are checked. If you don't check a setting, it won't be included in the preset. Usually, it's best to include all the adjustments you made. However, if you made changes to the "Transform" panel or other areas that are very image-specific, you might want to uncheck those.
5. Click "Create."
Important Considerations:
* Image-Specific Adjustments: Remember that presets are a starting point. You'll likely need to make further adjustments to the preset for each individual image, as lighting and skin tones vary.
* Skin Tone Accuracy: Pay close attention to skin tones. Use a reference image (if available) to ensure that the skin tones look natural.
* Experimentation: Don't be afraid to experiment with different settings and combinations. The best soft portrait preset is one that you've tailored to your own style and preferences.
* Subtlety: The key to a good soft portrait is subtlety. Avoid over-processing the image. The goal is to enhance the natural beauty of the subject, not to create an artificial or unrealistic look.
* Black and White: This preset can be adapted for black and white images. You'd skip the Hue/Saturation adjustments and focus on tonal range and contrast.
* Lightroom Version: Be aware of Lightroom version differences. While this guide is for LR4, the principles apply across versions, but specific slider ranges might need adjustments. Newer Lightroom versions also have more advanced tools like "Texture" and "Clarity," which you could use to subtly soften or smooth the skin further.
By following these steps, you can create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4 that will help you achieve a beautiful and ethereal look for your portrait photographs. Remember to adjust the settings to suit your individual style and the specific characteristics of each image. Good luck!