1. Understanding the Basics
* Exposure: Adjust brightness (whites, blacks, shadows, highlights) for the overall feel.
* Color Temperature/Tint: Warm (yellowish/orange) for cozy, cool (blueish) for ethereal.
* Contrast: The difference between light and dark. High contrast is bold, low contrast is soft.
* Highlights/Shadows: Refine the details in the brightest and darkest areas.
* Whites/Blacks: Set the absolute brightest and darkest points in the image.
* Clarity: Adds localized contrast, increasing texture and sharpness. Use sparingly.
* Texture: Similar to clarity but affects fine details more subtly.
* Vibrance/Saturation: Vibrance is smarter, boosting muted colors. Saturation boosts all colors equally.
* Tone Curve: Allows for precise adjustments across the tonal range. S-curves increase contrast, flat curves reduce it.
* HSL/Color: Hue (the actual color), Saturation (intensity), and Luminance (brightness) of individual colors. Powerful for targeted changes.
* Color Grading: Split Toning's successor, allowing color casts in highlights, shadows, and midtones. Essential for stylistic looks.
* Detail: Sharpening and noise reduction. Crucial for final touches.
* Lens Corrections: Automatic profile corrections or manual adjustments for distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration.
2. Choosing a Vision/Style
Before you start tweaking, decide what you want to achieve. Consider these:
* Vintage/Film: Warm tones, muted colors, soft contrast, possibly grain.
* High Key/Bright & Airy: Overexposed, soft shadows, pastel colors.
* Dark & Moody: Underexposed, deep shadows, rich, saturated colors (especially blues and greens).
* Black and White (B&W): Consider contrast, tonality, and how different color channels translate to greyscales.
* Editorial/Fashion: Sharp, high contrast, bold colors, may include split toning.
* Natural/Clean: Subtle adjustments to enhance the existing light and colors, focusing on skin tones.
* Dreamy/Ethereal: Soft lighting, muted colors, added haze or glow.
3. The Development Process: Step-by-Step
Let's walk through creating a few example presets:
Example 1: Warm & Cinematic (Film-Inspired)
1. Start with a Neutral Base: Begin with a well-exposed image. Make minor initial adjustments if needed.
2. Color Temperature: Increase the temperature slightly (e.g., +5 to +15) to add warmth.
3. Contrast: Reduce contrast slightly (e.g., -10 to -20) for a softer feel.
4. Highlights & Shadows: Reduce highlights (e.g., -15 to -30) to recover detail and lift shadows (e.g., +10 to +20) to brighten the image.
5. Whites & Blacks: Slightly increase whites and decrease blacks for a subtle dynamic range adjustment.
6. Tone Curve: Create a gentle S-curve. Anchor points at the 25% and 75% marks. Slightly lift the shadows at the bottom of the curve.
7. HSL/Color:
* Orange: Increase Luminance (e.g., +5 to +15) to brighten skin tones.
* Yellow: Reduce Saturation (e.g., -10 to -20) to desaturate yellows slightly.
* Red: Adjust Hue towards orange (if necessary).
8. Color Grading (Split Toning):
* Highlights: Add a subtle orange/yellow tint (Hue: 30-40, Saturation: 5-10).
* Shadows: Add a subtle teal/blue tint (Hue: 210-230, Saturation: 5-10).
9. Detail:
* Sharpening: Adjust Amount based on your lens and camera (start around 40, radius 1.0, detail 25, masking 50-70) - hold ALT/Option while adjusting Masking to view edge protection.
* Noise Reduction: Apply a slight amount of Luminance Noise Reduction (e.g., 5-15) to smooth the image.
10. Lens Corrections: Enable "Remove Chromatic Aberration" and "Enable Profile Corrections."
11. Calibration: (Often overlooked, but powerful!)
* Experiment with the Red, Green, and Blue Primary sliders to fine-tune the overall color cast. Subtle adjustments are key here.
Example 2: High-Key Portrait
1. Exposure: Increase overall exposure significantly ( +0.5 to +1.5 stops).
2. Highlights: Reduce Highlights significantly (-50 to -80) to avoid clipping.
3. Shadows: Increase Shadows significantly (+50 to +80) to brighten the darker areas.
4. Whites: Increase Whites slightly to create a brighter overall image.
5. Contrast: Reduce contrast significantly (-30 to -50) for a soft look.
6. Tone Curve: Flatten the tone curve, especially in the highlights and shadows. A straight line from the bottom left to the top right will give a very flat result.
7. HSL/Color:
* Desaturate: Desaturate the overall image, but focusing on blues and greens to remove distractions (negative Saturation values). You might even want to slightly reduce saturation of yellows to prevent a yellowish skin tone cast from overexposure.
* Adjust Luminance: Slightly increase the Luminance of skin tones (orange and red).
8. Color Grading: A subtle pastel color cast can enhance the look. Lightly grade the highlights with a pale yellow.
9. Detail: Apply a small amount of sharpening.
10. Lens Corrections: Enable "Remove Chromatic Aberration" and "Enable Profile Corrections."
Example 3: Moody Portrait
1. Exposure: Decrease the Exposure (-0.5 to -1.5 stops).
2. Highlights: Decrease the Highlights (-30 to -60).
3. Shadows: Decrease the Shadows (-20 to -40).
4. Blacks: Decrease the Blacks (-10 to -30).
5. Contrast: Increase the Contrast (+10 to +30).
6. Tone Curve: Create a stronger S-curve than the cinematic example.
7. HSL/Color:
* Saturate: Increase the Saturation of colors like blues, greens, and purples (e.g., +10 to +30).
* Desaturate: Slightly desaturate reds and oranges to keep skin tones balanced.
8. Color Grading:
* Shadows: Add a cool, desaturated blue or teal tint to the shadows (e.g., Hue: 200-220, Saturation: 10-20).
* Highlights: Add a subtle warm tint to the highlights, creating contrast.
9. Detail: Apply sharpening carefully. Noise reduction might be needed due to underexposure.
10. Lens Corrections: Enable lens corrections.
4. Saving and Testing Your Presets
1. Create Preset: In the Develop module, click the "+" button in the Presets panel and select "Create Preset."
2. Name Your Preset: Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Warm Cinematic Portrait," "High Key Soft," "Moody Blue").
3. Choose Settings: Select the settings you want to include in the preset. Important: Don't include settings that are specific to the image being edited (like white balance if the lighting is drastically different). Generally, the Develop settings are safe to include. You usually *don't* want to include "Process Version," "Crop," or "Spot Removal."
4. Create: Click "Create."
5. Test, Test, Test: Apply your preset to a *variety* of portraits with different lighting conditions, skin tones, and backgrounds. Make adjustments to the preset as needed. Don't be afraid to tweak the settings further on individual images after applying the preset.
5. Tips for Better Portrait Presets
* Skin Tone Considerations: This is crucial for portraits. Pay close attention to skin tone. Use the HSL sliders to adjust the orange, red, and yellow channels to achieve natural-looking skin. Avoid overly saturated or desaturated skin.
* Dodge and Burn (Local Adjustments): While presets are great for overall looks, learn to use the adjustment brush or radial filter to selectively lighten (dodge) and darken (burn) areas of the face to enhance features and create dimension. This can't be baked into a general preset but are essential skills.
* Face Smoothing (Use with Caution): If you want a smoother skin look, use the Clarity and Texture sliders in a targeted way, but be very subtle. Overdoing it creates a plastic look.
* Eye Enhancement: Lightly increase the Clarity and Saturation of the iris using the adjustment brush.
* Use Reference Images: Gather inspiration from photos you admire. Analyze the colors, contrast, and overall mood to guide your preset creation.
* Iterate and Refine: Don't be afraid to experiment and refine your presets over time.
* Save Variations: Create variations of your presets. For example, "Warm Cinematic Portrait - Darker," "Warm Cinematic Portrait - B&W."
* Consider Subject Gender/Style: Presets for male portraits might use a slightly different sharpening or contrast setting than those for female portraits. Editorial-style presets are very different than beauty portraits.
* RAW vs. JPEG: RAW files provide more latitude for editing, so your presets will generally work better with RAW images.
Key Takeaway: Subtlety is Key
The best presets are often subtle. They enhance the image rather than completely transforming it. A good preset provides a solid starting point and saves you time, but you should still be prepared to make further adjustments on each individual photo. Remember, every photo is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.