How to Create Your Own Lightroom Presets for Quick Edits

Creating presets in Lightroom can streamline your editing workflow, making it quicker to achieve consistent aesthetics across multiple images. Here's how to do it.

Coming to you from Aaron Nace with Phlearn, this practical video dives directly into creating your own presets in Lightroom Classic, offering detailed steps that let you record nearly any edit as a preset—including masks. Nailing down your editing routine into presets can dramatically streamline your workflow, making batch editing smoother and more reliable.

The video also demonstrates Lightroom's capability of adjusting presets post-application, a crucial feature for maintaining flexibility in your workflow. Presets can be adjusted even after they've been applied, which ensures you won't be stuck with an unsuitable look for any particular image. Additionally, Nace provides valuable insight into exporting and sharing your presets.

Another helpful element highlighted by Nace is the integration of masks into presets, allowing specific edits, such as warming a sky or enhancing certain image areas, to be automatically applied to new images. This functionality vastly extends your presets' versatility, as masks can be edited or repositioned according to each new photo's specific needs. If you've ever considered creating a personal style or sharing your editing techniques more easily, this tutorial is a solid starting point. Even seasoned Lightroom users might pick up a useful workflow tip or two, particularly regarding masking adjustments and preset sharing. Check out the video for more insights from Nace.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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