The Proper Way to Use Photo Presets

Photo presets often have a bad reputation, but used in the proper manner, they can be useful tools that can save you time and make your life easier. If you are new to photography and feeling tempted by presets, check out this quick and helpful video tutorial that will show you the proper way to make use of them. 

Coming to you from Tom Jurjaks, this great video tutorial will show you the right way to make use of presets. Presets often get a bad rap, but that is because they are frequently misused. Many photographers are tempted by them as a shortcut to emulating another photographer's style, but it is rare that that works, because there is so much more to an image than the basic edits applied to it. That being said, when used correctly, they can be a powerful tool. If you make your own presets, you can have a program like Lightroom apply them automatically when you import a set of images, making it easy to get a head start on your post-processing. Beyond that, by codifying your general edits, you can create a greater sense of consistency in your portfolio. The key is to use them as a supplement to your editing, not a replacement for it. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jurjaks.