Any good lightroom presets packs?

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A_S

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Andrew
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Hi Just simple stuff that I can apply ontop of my standard presets to bring an image out more, I can play around but really so much info and the ones I've tried really were not very good so looking for peoples recomendations?

Cheers
 
A_S said:
Hi Just simple stuff that I can apply ontop of my standard presets to bring an image out more, I can play around but really so much info and the ones I've tried really were not very good so looking for peoples recomendations?

Cheers
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Are you using a PC or a Mac. I have a few Mac ones but the last LR issued them with was LR5.7.
 
ecoleman said:
A Video
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This.
In my experience, there are no good ones because every photo is different. There are ones that act like a hammer to the colours, saturation and contrast in your photos and do make every image look consistent but the results are pretty bad IMO. Fun to play with but not to pay for (again IMO). Your mileage, of course, may vary.

As the guy in the video says, try the ones that come with LR - there are a lot of them. Tweak them to your taste, save them and realise that when you apply them to another photo, it looks completely different.

If you're determined to buy some, I'd say there are none that are "better" than any others. I know I'm coming across as a curmudgeon about it, but like the guy in the video, I see them as a cash grab designed to sell "great" photos by simply upping contrast/clarity and saturation to varying degrees and/or adding a colour wash to the whole thing. And I'd feel bad if you spent even £5 on a preset only to discover it wasn't what you were hoping. God forbid you pay more than that...

:coat:
 
Honestly, Elliott is right in his post really.

It depends what you think is 'missing' from your images as a preset for a sunset to 'bring the image out more' is going to be completely different to a preset for a portrait to 'bring the image out more'.......

My most honest advice if you really want some presets is to find a 'professional' photographer who shoots similar subjects in a style you like & hope that they sell their own preset packs.
 
I've got a small number of preset collections that I've acquired over the years, but I've not paid for any of them. Some have come from free collections, others have been special free offers to tempt you to buy others (a disposable email is useful for the accompanying junk mail).

I have them because a library is useful to quickly go through and serve as alternative treatments for an image that doesn't quite work as first intended, but you feel deep down that it has some merit.
 
I think that if you're a photographer with integrity, you should be able to do it by yourself. What's this 'cheap fix' obsession? We have so many capable apps for processing - use them at root level rather than looking for stuff that can give you a quick cheat. Two buzz phrases to think about could be 'long term', and 'self respect'.
 
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Some presets can be handy for when you like the look it gives so you can then look at what adjustments were made by it, but I think it would possibly be better to look up YouTube tutorials on various LR editing techniques instead.

I do find there's one or two Film style presets that work on most photos, with perhaps just a slight adjustment needed afterwards; but it's quite a niche look. This one is called "Film Fanatic - LightroomLove.com". It's not the best example I've shown and difficult to see when reduced to fit in the forum. It generally works on most photos.


Original

Original.jpg


Preset Applied

Film Preset.jpg
 
droj said:
I think that if you're a photographer with integrity, you should be able to do it by yourself. What's this 'cheap fix' obsession? We have so many capable apps for processing - use them at root level rather than looking for stuff that can give you a quick cheat. Two buzz phrases to think about could be 'long term', and 'self respect'.
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erm... ok.... not sure how to reply to that one.....! Please read on and hopefully it will assure you that I am thinking long term and do have self respect!!!!!!!!!


To clarify more what I am looking for. I already have several presets of my own - one that I apply on import which does all my basic fixes, applys a lens profile, applys some basic dehaze, noise reduction, brings down the highlights a bit etc to get the type of base "look" i'm after. I have a couple of these, one for each different body as each requires slightly different treatment

I then have further presets which I layer on top depending on the image - about 3 or 4. One is further noise reduction for images, one is an increased contrast and saturation for when I've been shooting on "flat light" days or had to slightly under expose if I am in the forests - just to bring the colours back, one is to remove some chromatic aberation - which me 50mm F1.4 and 300 F4L don't deal well with in certain conditions.


As you can see these are all fairly basic and fairly utilaterian. I am looking for something to give a unique look to my images, be that subject/background masking and adjustments, flair of arty highlights etc.

A good example is this: A really good Rally photographer (actually he is a "pro" as his day job which i am certainly not...) gives his images a certain treatment which makes them very unique, lots of contrast and vibrance but without loosing the shadows or under exposing. To me its clear he is applying some sort of preset to each to get a consistant standardised output with the same "feel" to most photos -> its this type of thing I am looking for, to give some of mine that unique look and a consistant look across images - looking for presets to play around with, experiment with and find something through a combination of several targetted, that work for me.

photo credits: James Ward Chicane media.

415838024_873987368060074_8652682899113462717_n.jpg415790264_873991701392974_8864638562549470057_n.jpg

347635823_213791711427410_5881839724211411470_n.jpg
 
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Harlequin565 said:
This.
In my experience, there are no good ones because every photo is different. There are ones that act like a hammer to the colours, saturation and contrast in your photos and do make every image look consistent but the results are pretty bad IMO. Fun to play with but not to pay for (again IMO). Your mileage, of course, may vary.
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As above, I have tried them over the years, but never come across one that you apply, and actually leave it as it is, you generally have to tweak them, so you just may as well do them yourself, I did buy some years ago but as I said I don't bother with them. There are those who claim theres are different to everyone else's but again I have yet to see it, one of those who makes big claims about his LR presets is Matt Kloskowski, what he shows on his website look pretty good, but obviously they are to match his own work, and may not match anyone else's. Another one is Serge Ramelli, who has some nice work on his website, although his are a very acquired taste, as he generally seems to apply a lot of saturation, but again as with all photography it's subjective, and one man's meat, is another man's poison.

​

 
A_S said:
erm... ok.... not sure how to reply to that one.....! Please read on and hopefully it will assure you that I am thinking long term and do have self respect!!!!!!!!!


To clarify more what I am looking for. I already have several presets of my own - one that I apply on import which does all my basic fixes, applys a lens profile, applys some basic dehaze, noise reduction, brings down the highlights a bit etc to get the type of base "look" i'm after. I have a couple of these, one for each different body as each requires slightly different treatment

I then have further presets which I layer on top depending on the image - about 3 or 4. One is further noise reduction for images, one is an increased contrast and saturation for when I've been shooting on "flat light" days or had to slightly under expose if I am in the forests - just to bring the colours back, one is to remove some chromatic aberation - which me 50mm F1.4 and 300 F4L don't deal well with in certain conditions.


As you can see these are all fairly basic and fairly utilaterian. I am looking for something to give a unique look to my images, be that subject/background masking and adjustments, flair of arty highlights etc.

A good example is this: A really good Rally photographer (actually he is a "pro" as his day job which i am certainly not...) gives his images a certain treatment which makes them very unique, lots of contrast and vibrance but without loosing the shadows or under exposing. To me its clear he is applying some sort of preset to each to get a consistant standardised output with the same "feel" to most photos -> its this type of thing I am looking for, to give some of mine that unique look and a consistant look across images - looking for presets to play around with, experiment with and find something through a combination of several targetted, that work for me.

photo credits: James Ward Chicane media.

View attachment 412304View attachment 412305

View attachment 412306
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What body is he shooting with? This looks like a fairly easy look to reproduce, it's just increased saturation and bringing the shadows up a bit. Don't buy presets, they are a waste of money and don't teach you anything about editing.

First off, do you shoot Raw or jpeg? If you're not shooting Raw you're never going to achieve this look as you don't have the editing latitude in the file. Could you post some examples of your work so maybe we can get a feel of where you are now vs where you want to end up?
 
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A_S said:
To clarify more what I am looking for. I already have several presets of my own - one that I apply on import which does all my basic fixes, applys a lens profile, applys some basic dehaze, noise reduction, brings down the highlights a bit etc to get the type of base "look" i'm after. I have a couple of these, one for each different body as each requires slightly different treatment
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This is the problem with presets.

Why would you have a preset that does basic dehaze if the photo is not hazy, why would you bring down highlights if the highlights are not blown, why apply noise reduction if there is no noise.

Every photograph you take is different. I would argue that you shouldn't even be using global adjustments.
 
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I've been watching a lot of YouTube and some of the photographers on there offer preset packs.

I haven't purchased any nor have I made my own (yet). I can see them being useful if you are processing a whole load of images in one go, but I typically edit them individually (note not a pro so it's just causal for me, no deadlines or 1000 image catalogue to get through asap).

What I have done is looked at some of the LR presets, if there is one I like I may use that but then alter elements of it to taste..but that's about it.
 
ecoleman said:
This is the problem with presets.

Why would you have a preset that does basic dehaze if the photo is not hazy, why would you bring down highlights if the highlights are not blown, why apply noise reduction if there is no noise.

Every photograph you take is different. I would argue that you shouldn't even be using global adjustments.
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I do have a set of presets I've made myself, largely based around the different Fuji film sims, but I also have a base preset that I can apply to anything to set some base adjustments, and then tweak from there as necessary. Coming back from a race meeting with 2000 images I don't have the time or the will to treat each one individually and start from scratch each time. There is a base look I have for most of my images, and that is an S curve, drop the highlights, boost the shadows and add some saturation, vibrance and a touch of sharpening. Then I'll tweak as necessary from there and usually add a subject select mask to make the car / bike pop, but this is a one click preset too. Obviously for studio work or landscape photography where you might only come back with a few images then yes by all means treat each one individually, but for sports photography that doesn't work.
 
RichardC27 said:
I do have a set of presets I've made myself, largely based around the different Fuji film sims, but I also have a base preset that I can apply to anything to set some base adjustments, and then tweak from there as necessary. Coming back from a race meeting with 2000 images I don't have the time or the will to treat each one individually and start from scratch each time. There is a base look I have for most of my images, and that is an S curve, drop the highlights, boost the shadows and add some saturation, vibrance and a touch of sharpening. Then I'll tweak as necessary from there and usually add a subject select mask to make the car / bike pop, but this is a one click preset too. Obviously for studio work or landscape photography where you might only come back with a few images then yes by all means treat each one individually, but for sports photography that doesn't work.
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Exactly this
 
Yes this is exactly where I am currently, but just looking to experiment with different looks and targetted adjustments to certain images to have a play and see if I can come up with something --> Hence asking the original question

So if anyone does think they can recommend something suitable I can have a play around with then please let me know!
 
A_S said:
Yes this is exactly where I am currently, but just looking to experiment with different looks and targetted adjustments to certain images to have a play and see if I can come up with something --> Hence asking the original question

So if anyone does think they can recommend something suitable I can have a play around with then please let me know!
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As we've all said, you're better off learning yourself. If you can post some examples of your images we can suggest some editing tips to get towards the look you want.
 
Richard appreciate what you are saying, but I am well versed in lightroom and photoshop and have been using it (photoshop at least) for 20 years. Thats not the point - I dont need to learn how to do presets - as in my other message I already have 5 or 6 of my own and I am not looking for a critique of my images or suggestions as to what I should do with them.

The ask is quite simple

I want to have a play with creative ideas and mess around with presets - see what other peoples do and see if I can create something unique using a combination of mine and theirs.

If I was asking for a recomendation on a cooker, or a new pot or pan - I wouldn't be expected to show you my cooking - Thats the best analagy I can use here - I am just looking for a recomendation. nothing more nothing less! I kind of feel you've missed the point of the post a bit.
 
My recommendation is to get very good with all the sliders and local tools. I certainly wouldn't use any internet preset, let alone pay for one when all it does is move the same slider, and probably in the wrong direction!
 
Maybe i am slightly mis understanding - i thought presets could do more than just move the sliders... actually apply specific effects?
 
A_S said:
Maybe i am slightly mis understanding - i thought presets could do more than just move the sliders... actually apply specific effects?
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Maybe you are thinking of a profile? They would do more than just sliders - in fact they don't touch the actual sliders.. And I think you can make your own ones of those too. Much like you can make a LUT (.cube) file for video colour grading.
 
A_S said:
Maybe i am slightly mis understanding - i thought presets could do more than just move the sliders... actually apply specific effects?
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They sometimes supply them with camera raw profiles which claim various wizardry. Look for providers who provide more than just a preset file but provide camera profiles too. They can make it so that the sliders have a larger range in one (or more) colours, or "hide" their slider settings so that the image appears altered but the sliders are central.
If you're interested, you can make your own profile quite easily using the (free) Adobe Profile Editor. I did it to create a profile for my digital IR images to give me more range in the red spectrum. It was pretty straightforward IIRC.

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/digital-negative.html#resources (scroll down to "dng profile editor")
 
The thing i am meaning is - and this is in no way what i want its just an example of what ive seen - is things that say add star filters to lights and add ambient lighting automatically etc and effects like that to enhance an image.

Again in no way am i looking for something as contrived as that, and I want something more subtle but its a good example to illistrate the point. I dont think camera profiles do that?
 
A_S said:
The thing i am meaning is - and this is in no way what i want its just an example of what ive seen - is things that say add star filters to lights and add ambient lighting automatically etc and effects like that to enhance an image.

Again in no way am i looking for something as contrived as that, and I want something more subtle but its a good example to illistrate the point. I dont think camera profiles do that?
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There are no LR filters that can add effects like star filters to lights.

You have profiles which are essentially Luts or you have standard presets which is just a bookmark of where various sliders are positions.

For the sort of filters you’re thinking about you would need a pixel editor like PS or maybe have a look at the Nik Collection by DxO
 
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A_S said:
Richard appreciate what you are saying, but I am well versed in lightroom and photoshop and have been using it (photoshop at least) for 20 years. Thats not the point - I dont need to learn how to do presets - as in my other message I already have 5 or 6 of my own and I am not looking for a critique of my images or suggestions as to what I should do with them.

The ask is quite simple

I want to have a play with creative ideas and mess around with presets - see what other peoples do and see if I can create something unique using a combination of mine and theirs.

If I was asking for a recomendation on a cooker, or a new pot or pan - I wouldn't be expected to show you my cooking - Thats the best analagy I can use here - I am just looking for a recomendation. nothing more nothing less! I kind of feel you've missed the point of the post a bit.
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In terms of exploring creative ideas, given you are already well versed with LR/PS, how about having a play with the free (until end of January) version of ON1 effects. As well as multiple presets/filters ON1 effects s is reasonably sophisticated editor and a useful tool to "quickly" take you down editing routes that you might never try if you stay within LR.

See thread here https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/on1-effects-free-until-31st-january.756370/

I've found presets of limited practical use except for some basic adjustments, but along with "effects" programs like Topaz and ON1 and a selection of downloadable presets (some of which I've paid for) I've found them useful to quickly explore ideas, and then direct learning how to manually replicate those ideas in Capture One or ACR/PS.

Of course, something like the free ON1 effects program doesn't provide any LR presets but once you know what you want to do, and learn how to do it, creating a personal preset os easy to create

I can't speak for ON1 but with the Topaz equivalents, I always felt that my replicated results in Capture One were better (or at least I preferred them) than the Topaz results, but I'm not sure if I would have achieved them without the "help" from playing with Topaz.

I know it's not really what you were, originally asking for, but given it's free, it might be worth a play.

As an afterthought, and as a genuine LR preset option, that seems to offer good exploratory tools rather than fixed preset styles might be this, but I have no experience of them:

seimeffects.com

Homepage

Get Seim's Fuji and Kodak Film Presets, Original Black and White Capture One Styles and HDR presets and Seim Photoshop Actions and workshops.
seimeffects.com seimeffects.com
 
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There are a ton of presets out there that offer what you're looking for, but honestly, a lot of them don’t work well with every photo since they’re made for specific shots and settings. I recently found a gem though: link to ScapeCreative Not only do they sell awesome presets, but they also throw in Lightroom tools like noise and mist to help create that film look. It worked for me, so hopefully, it works for you too!

[Mod Edit: link and tracking removed :-) ] google it if you want more
 
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Over the years I've tried hundreds of different presets for LR, and probably thousands of actions and scripts for PS. Out of those theres about a half dozen actions I still have and use and a few scripts.
I find most presets work great on one or two images, then they either dont work on the others you try them on, or you get bored with them. The only ones I actually use all the time are my own, for my workflow.
 
I’ve been through the journey of having loads of presets, especially all the old vsco film emulation ones, but in the end, after not quite ever finding something that was truly me, I built my own.

The only advantage of looking at the “pro” presets is you are able to reveal there isn’t really all that much secret sauce - 90% has to be there in camera, the rest is in the edit and most of the inner workings within the presets are pretty basic adjustments.

I use CaptureOne these days and apply a base preset and individually balance and mask each image to taste.
 
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I've been playing around with some presets myself in the last few months, I settled on a few i've built but I wanted to edit the xml a bit i will probably put that in a seperate post though as its quite complex
 
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