Master the art of photo retouching with this Lightroom tutorial that covers essential topics such as creating and applying a develop preset, managing your photo library, and enhancing your photos via adjustments like clarity, vibrance, and exposure.
This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past Lightroom training materials and is compatible with Lightroom updates through 2020. To learn current skills in Lightroom, check out our Photo Retouching Certificate and graphic design classes in NYC and live online.
Topics Covered in This Lightroom Tutorial:
Creating a Develop Preset, Saving & Applying a Develop Preset
Exercise Preview
Exercise Overview
There may be some Develop settings that you reuse over and over. You may save time by creating a Preset for the settings that can be applied to images as you import them or to any image in your Library. Presets typically apply to very general settings. For example, a photo retoucher would often apply clarity, vibrance, and exposure adjustments to architectural photos.
Creating a Develop Preset
- If you have not imported the photos that were imported in Exercise 2E:
- Go into the Library module.
- At the bottom left of the screen, click Import.
- In the dialog box that appears, on the left under Source, navigate to Desktop > Class Files > Lightroom Class and select the Develop folder.
- At the top, above the photos, make sure Add is selected (highlighted).
- On the bottom right, click Import.
Make sure you are in the Library module.
In the Catalog panel on the left, click on All Photographs.
Click the picture of the US Capitol (_CAS2423) to select it.
Press the D key to switch to the Develop module.
Click on the Capitol building’s dome to zoom in on it.
In the Basic panel on the right, increase the Clarity to + 60.
Press the backslash key (
\) to see the image before the adjustment. It’s a little too much.Press the backslash key (
\) to see the image with the adjustment.In the Basic panel, reduce the Clarity to + 55.
Click on the Capitol photo to zoom out.
Press the backslash key (
\) to see the image before the adjustment.Press the backslash key (
\) to see the image with the adjustment.-
In the Basic panel, make the additional adjustments below:
Vibrance: Increase to + 25 Contrast: Increase to + 10
Saving & Applying a Develop Preset
In the Presets panel on the left, click the Create New Preset button
.- In the New Develop Preset window:
- In the Preset Name field, type Architecture.
- At the bottom, click the Check None button.
- Under Basic Tone, check Contrast.
- Check Clarity.
- Under Color, check Vibrance.
- Click the Create button.
In the Presets panel, expand the User Presets folder to see that the new Architecture preset has been added.
Press G to go back to Grid View.
Double–click the Washington Monument (_CAS2135) to see it in Loupe View.
-
In the Quick Develop panel on the right, from the Saved Preset menu, choose User Presets > Architecture.
Watch in wonder as the preset is applied to the Washington Monument photo.
-
In the Filmstrip panel below the photos, find the photo of NYC 9/11 Memorial (_CAS4132) and click it to select it.
NOTE: If you don’t see the Filmstrip, go to Window > Panels > Show Filmstrip.
In the Quick Develop panel on the right, from Saved Preset menu, choose User Presets > Architecture. Awesome! Let’s do one more.
In the Filmstrip panel below the photos, find the photo of the church façade (20111008_swny_030) and click it to select it.
-
In the Quick Develop panel on the right, from Saved Preset menu, choose User Presets > Architecture. Wow!
NOTE: User Presets will also show up when importing photos. In the Apply During Import panel on the right, you can go into the Develop Settings menu and apply a preset to photos as you import them into your Library.
