Key Concepts of Soft Portraits:
* Reduced Contrast: Milder contrast makes the image less harsh and creates a smoother transition between light and shadow.
* Gentle Highlights: Preserving details in highlights is crucial for a soft, luminous look.
* Enhanced Midtones: Lifting midtones brightens the overall image and evens out skin tones.
* Smooth Skin Texture: Reducing sharpness and adding subtle noise reduction helps to smooth skin without making it look artificial.
* Warm Tones: A touch of warmth adds a healthy and inviting look to skin.
Lightroom 4 Settings (General Guidelines - adjust to suit your images):
1. Basic Panel:
* Temperature: +5 to +15 (Adjust according to your shot. Warmer for indoor, cooler for outdoor natural light)
* *Why?* Adds warmth to the skin, making it look healthier and more inviting.
* Tint: +2 to +5 (Subtle shift towards magenta to counter any greenish cast)
* *Why?* Helps correct any color casts and adds a touch of rosiness to the skin. Use cautiously.
* Exposure: +0.10 to +0.30 (Adjust to achieve desired brightness)
* *Why?* Brightens the image slightly, contributing to the overall softness. Be careful not to overexpose.
* Contrast: -15 to -30 (Reduce contrast significantly)
* *Why?* The core of the soft look. Lowers the difference between light and dark areas, smoothing out the image.
* Highlights: -20 to -40 (Protect highlights and recover detail)
* *Why?* Prevents highlights from clipping and helps maintain detail in bright areas, preventing a blown-out look.
* Shadows: +15 to +30 (Open up shadows for more detail and evenness)
* *Why?* Lifts shadows, revealing detail and reducing harshness in darker areas of the image.
* Whites: -5 to +5 (Adjust for overall brightness, being careful not to clip)
* *Why?* Fine-tunes the overall brightness without clipping whites (which can make the image look harsh).
* Blacks: -5 to +5 (Adjust for depth and contrast, avoid making it muddy)
* *Why?* Controls the darkest areas of the image. A slight reduction can sometimes help lift the overall mood, but too much can make the image look washed out.
* Clarity: -10 to -20 (Reduce clarity to soften textures)
* *Why?* Reduces midtone contrast, which softens fine details like skin texture and wrinkles.
* Vibrance: +5 to +10 (Add subtle color saturation)
* *Why?* Enhances the colors in a natural-looking way, especially skin tones. Use cautiously; avoid making the image look overly saturated.
* Saturation: 0 to +5 (Very subtle overall saturation adjustment)
* *Why?* Adds a little extra pop to the colors, but be very careful not to overdo it. Usually, vibrance is preferred.
2. Tone Curve:
* Point Curve: Consider a gentle "S" curve (or "Film" curve preset)
* *Why?* A subtle S-curve adds a touch of contrast and depth, but a very gentle one is crucial for a soft look. The "Film" curve is a good starting point but may need adjustment. The point curve allows for more precise control.
* Channel Curve: Can be used to target specific tones for color adjustments.
3. Detail Panel:
* Sharpening: Reduce the amount to around 20-30, reduce radius to less than 1. Increase masking to prevent sharpening noise in flat areas.
* *Why?* Reduces the appearance of fine lines and imperfections. Masking prevents sharpening artifacts in smooth areas like skin.
* Noise Reduction (Luminance): 10-20 (Adjust as needed to smooth out skin)
* *Why?* Smoothes out noise and further softens skin texture. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can make the image look artificial and lose detail.
4. HSL / Color Panel:
* Luminance (Adjust as needed based on the image):
* Orange: +5 to +15 (Brighten skin tones)
* *Why?* Orange often represents skin tones, and increasing its luminance can brighten and smooth the skin.
* Red: +0 to +5 (Subtle boost to red tones)
* *Why?* Adds a slight flush to the cheeks.
* Saturation: (Adjust as needed based on the image)
* Orange: -5 to 0 (reduce if skin looks too orange)
* Why? Adjust based on image. Often reducing it slightly helps.
5. Effects Panel:
* Vignette: Amount -10 to 0 (Optional, subtle darkening of edges)
* *Why?* A subtle vignette can draw the viewer's eye towards the subject.
Saving Your Preset:
1. Reset Lightroom: Go to the Develop module and click "Reset" at the bottom of the right-hand panel. This clears any existing adjustments.
2. Apply Your Settings: Enter the settings described above (or your customized variations) into the Develop module panels.
3. Save the Preset:
* Click the "+" icon next to "Presets" in the left-hand panel.
* Choose "Create Preset."
* Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Soft Portrait - Gentle Warmth").
* In the "Check" section, choose "Check None" (to uncheck all boxes).
* Then, check the boxes for the panels you want to include in the preset (Basic, Tone Curve, Detail, HSL / Color, Effects). Generally, you'll want to include all of them that you modified.
* Click "Create."
Important Considerations & Tips:
* Image-Specific Adjustments: These settings are a starting point. You'll likely need to tweak the preset for each individual image, depending on the lighting, skin tone, and overall color palette. Pay close attention to the exposure, white balance, and luminance of skin tones.
* Skin Imperfections: For removing blemishes or smoothing skin further, use the "Spot Removal" and "Adjustment Brush" tools in Lightroom. Use the Adjustment Brush with softened settings (reduced clarity, sharpness) to selectively smooth skin.
* White Balance is Key: Make sure your white balance is accurate before applying the preset. Incorrect white balance can throw off the skin tones and overall look.
* Experiment! Don't be afraid to play around with the settings to find what works best for your style and the types of photos you take.
* Non-Destructive Editing: Lightroom is non-destructive, meaning your original image files remain untouched. You can always revert to the original if you don't like the changes you've made.
* Consider the Subject: The best "soft portrait" look depends on the subject. For example, older subjects might benefit from more softening than younger subjects.
* Practice! The more you experiment, the better you'll become at creating presets that work well for you.
By following these steps and understanding the principles behind soft portrait editing, you can create a Lightroom 4 preset that consistently delivers beautiful, flattering results. Remember to start with these guidelines and adjust them based on the specific characteristics of each photograph you edit. Good luck!