This guide will help get you up to speed on the most popular must-have Lightroom presets.
I’ve been using Adobe Lightroom for many years and often use Lightroom presets to speed up my workflow or add a unique vibe to my images.
Using Lightroom Presets makes it easy to achieve a consistent look when creating an album or collection of photos.
Let’s dive into the tutorial.
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Most Popular Must-Have Presets in Lightroom 2024
Most photographers have tried at least a couple of presets in their pursuit of the ultimate photograph.
Photographers use presets to add warmth to flat photos, generate a gothic look, or create consistency through a collection of wedding photos.
Presets can transform an image from mediocre to pure gold, so what photographer wouldn’t want to give them a shot?
And all this in just one click!
Professional photographers can create a unique preset to add a signature style to their photos.
A signature preset has the bonus of creating brand recognition for customers.
For example, a preset can exaggerate vintage colors, sharpen edges, and add a vignette border to a photo.
Whether an amateur or professional photographer, your practice can benefit from presets.
The most difficult part of using presets is selecting one from the vast number available online.
So, we’ve cut out the hard work of choosing and will show you our pick of top Lightroom presets.
Moody Lightroom Preset
This preset style is popular due to its versatility. It’s most popular with artists and portrait photographers.
Rich, earthy tones and contrasting shades are combined to create an atmospherically intriguing photo.
Below, a moody preset has been applied to an image of a lady walking in a forest.
The original image is reminiscent of lazy summer afternoons spent exploring woodlands.
As you can see, adding the preset changes the image’s atmosphere from dreamy and safe to mysterious and melancholy.
This preset can be applied to tone down vibrant or warm colors in an image.
A moody preset instantly amplifies cool hues and emphasizes shaded areas.
The cooler tones of the moody, preset image create a more serious, somber mood.
The photo no longer appears playful but instead becomes intriguing.
The dank vibe slows the viewer down, making them pause to contemplate the image.
This preset works best on images with noticeable rich tones.
Vintage Lightroom Preset
What better way to transport us back to a forgotten era than with a vintage preset?
Vintage presets are popular with wedding photographers, architectural, still life, and portrait photographers.
These photographers use vintage presets to turn an average image into era artwork.
Vintage presets add a romantic, nostalgic, and dramatic look to a photo while maintaining its natural essence.
You can find many stylized vintage presets online, but Lightroom doesn’t hold back when it comes to delivering the goods.
It provides ten to choose from while giving the option to add film grain for that classic analog look.
The photo below has a striking look. Adding Lightroom’s number two vintage preset makes subtle adjustments to create a classic era look.
The next vintage preset adapts the photo’s colors to resemble a Polaroid photo. All that’s needed to complete the Polaroid look is to add a thick white Polaroid border.
Vintage presets, like vintage photos, vary in results. After all, they cover a style of photography between the 1820s to the 1990s.
Faint and faded colors were particularly common in photos taken during the 1950s.
Some amplify the photo’s yellow tint, others add a vignette effect, increase grainy texture, or lighten the photo.
It’s worth trialing different vintage presets before committing one to all your album photos.
Testing vintage presets will help you find the one that’s the most suitable for your collection.
Portrait Lightroom Preset
Lightroom portrait presets are many and varied, but all have one common feature: they focus on skin tones.
Their ability to hone in on skin makes them popular with a broad scope of photographers, from amateur to professional.
The portrait preset a photographer chooses will depend on the style they aim to achieve.
Portrait presets can add texture, moodiness, warmth, or romantic appeal to a photo.
Every portrait preset alters skin tones. Some apply a polished look, and others add contrast.
A portrait preset can smooth skin to hide flaws or increase the richness of skin tones.
In the image below, a Lightroom portrait preset was used to amplify the warm tones in the image.
This preset softens the portrait, giving it a soft golden hue while adding depth to the shaded areas.
Below, another portrait preset was added to the same image. This time, it lightens the skin to hide flaws and adds a luminous quality to the model’s skin.
A portrait preset can take a flat, dull portrait photo and, in one click, inject glamour.
For the best results, correct a photo’s white balance and exposure before adding portrait presets.
Black and White Lightroom Preset
Black and white photography never loses its intrigue; once you become hooked, there’s no return.
Black and white, and the thousand shades of grey in between, give a photo incredible depth and texture.
Presets that transform an image to monochrome are popular among photographers who strive for a striking look.
A black and white preset can create a more emotive and dramatic effect than its colored counterpart.
Photographers will use black and white presets to reduce the clutter that clashing or contrasting colors sometimes bring to a photo.
Simplifying the palette to black and white brings clarity and forces viewers to notice the subject matter.
A Lightroom black-and-white preset was added to the image below.
As you can see, adding the black and white preset makes it easier for the viewer to focus on the woman’s face.
Cinematic Lightroom Preset
Lightroom’s cinematic preset is popular with those who wish to give their images a relevant and newsworthy vibe.
This makes it popular with travel and lifestyle photographers.
A cinematic preset will help the photographer achieve a look similar to a movie. This gives more depth and feeling, evoking an emotive reaction in the viewer.
Lightroom comes with a swathe of great cinematic presets. There isn’t just one cinematic preset folder in the Preset panel, but two!
Each cinematic preset has a unique color setting. Some focus on a lighter, subtler cinematic look, while others aim for a more earthy mood.
The resulting photo will simulate a cinematic tone as if it were shot using analog film rather than digitally.
While many presets enhance colors, the thing that sets a cinematic preset apart is the newsworthy or film-like look.
Food Lightroom Preset
Food presets gained traction as the demand to enhance food in photography increased.
Food presets are mostly used by food photographers and influencers.
Lightroom food presets are popular for their ability to add an enticing effect to food photos.
Delicious on demand. All you need to do is click that Lightroom preset button.
Color Vivid Lightroom Preset
Color vivid presets are popular because they inject much-needed vibrance into drab, dull photos.
These are popular with photographers across all photography genres.
When a photo has great composition but the colors are listless, you don’t want to throw it away.
Instead, using a color-vivid Lightroom preset can add the missing punch and life to the photo.
Punchy colors jump out from the photo frame to say ‘hello.’
Color vivid presets add colors with life force to wake the viewer up and make them notice the photo.
How do Presets Work?
A preset is an ingenious way to give a collection of photos a consistent look, but how do they work?
A preset has a combination of settings stored in its file.
Once clicked, it triggers Lightroom to adjust the color settings to the preset’s specifications.
Adding a preset to your photos won’t hinder or stop the editing process. Once applied, you can continue to edit the photo.
How to Upload a Preset to Lightroom
First, download the preset from the website or online store.
Once downloaded, it will appear as a Zip file in your Downloads folder.
Click on the Zip file to open it.
In some cases, when the Zip file is opened, it will automatically be added to Lightroom. If not, you can follow these steps.
Firstly, select the image you wish to add the preset to from Lightroom’s library.
Open the image in Lightroom’s Develop module by clicking Develop.
When the image is open in Develop mode, head to the Preset panel.
You will find it below the Navigator panel on the left side of the canvas workspace.
You will find a plus icon at the top right-hand corner of the Preset panel.
Click on the plus icon, and a drop-down menu will appear; select Import Presets.
A dialogue window will pop up. Locate the Lightroom preset and click import.
Head back to the Preset panel and click the arrow beside the freshly imported preset.
To apply the preset, click its folder icon in the Preset panel.
As you can see below, there are two Moody presets, Dark Forest and Jade.
Click either preset and notice how the adjustment sliders in the Basic panel jump to a new position.
These two Moody Lightroom Presets create an earthy atmosphere, while the Jade is somewhat lighter than the Dark Forest preset.
How To Preview a Preset Before Applying It
Not every preset matches every photo, so previewing them before applying can save time.
To preview a preset, head to the Preset panel and hover your cursor over the preset icon.
A preview will be generated in the Navigator panel and the canvas workspace. You can now apply the preset by clicking it.
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have discovered one or more presets to add to your collection for future use.
If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might like – 7 Popular Lightroom Editing Styles to Try Today.
Happy preset editing!
FAQ
What are the top five presets in Lightroom?
The top five presets in Lightroom change depending on the genre of photography.
However, the most common Lightroom presets currently used are moody, vintage, classic, black-and-white, and portrait.
Do professional photographers use Lightroom presets?
Yes, professional photographers use Lightroom presets.
Photo editors and photographers know when and when not to use presets.
They understand how a preset can generate consistency, amplify a mood, and reduce workflow.
What are the best presets for Lightroom?
The best presets for Lightroom will depend on the preset’s purpose.
You might want a preset to lighten your photos or add a dreamy, ethereal quality.
Decide which style or theme you aim to present and choose from the selection of amazing, unique presets available online.
Do people still buy Lightroom presets?
Yes, people still buy Lightroom presets.
Buying a professional preset will save a photographer the time it takes to make one.
Plus, a premade preset will guarantee the desired end result.
Are Lightroom presets worth it?
Yes, Lightroom presets are worth it.
A photographer can use a preset to funk up their photos with special effects and filters.
A good preset can transform images from dull to intriguing. They can enrich warm tones, soften hard shadows, or illuminate skin tones.
They will also reduce editing time while creating a collection with a consistent look.
Do photographers buy presets?
Yes, many professional photographers buy Lightroom presets instead of creating their own.
Buying a preset reduces the time needed to create one. A preset guarantees the desired effect without requiring time to trial a style idea.
For example, a preset to generate a Renaissance look, mimicking the Italian masters, or a vintage-inspired preset to produce a retro look.
