Do you want your photos to look amazing without spending hours second-guessing how your edits should look? Welcome to the world of photo presets. I like to think of them as your beginner’s secret weapon that will impress everyone (including yourself). Imagine them as a collection of magic spells for your images transforming your shots from ‘it’s OK I guess…’ to ‘Wow’ in just one click.
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Table of contents
Ready to discover the magic?
What Are Presets?
Presets are collections of editing recipes. Yes, really! Recipes.
Each one contains a collection of adjustments (brightness, contrast, colour, etc.) that give your photos a consistent and specific look without you stressing about creating each painstaking adjustment yourself. They can be subtle, fantastical, and inspirational.
Why Use A Preset?
Presets are a way of keeping a look and feel that stays the same across your cat photographs. This is a real help if you want to create a ‘series’ of images for a set of art cards or photo canvases, or if you are after a certain look for your social media or blog. Presets can make your images look more polished and professional, even if you are a beginner.
- I think you will like what you see here.
Something really important to know is that you can ‘look under the hood’ of each part of the preset to see how the creator put it together. This is a great learning opportunity because you can see each tool has been used to create an effect. You can then add your own ideas.
As you use presets you will begin to see how they work, and you will start generating ideas to make your own presets which you can save. Doing this means you can create your own unique and authentic look and style.
You can find free and paid presets online.
Where To Find Presets
Your software may include a number of presets as part of its basic setup so, check your software. I will be using Luminar Neo presets to show you the kind of fun you can have.
- I am adding links to detailed explanations for software other than mine, so you can read about the ideas behind this fun and fascinating tool. A little preparation then you can use your own software with more confidence.
Remember too that many creators offer their own custom made presets for an even more unique look. Many presets are designed to work with specific themes like landscapes, human portraits or cityscapes so I am including some helpful links at the end of this post.
Photoshop Presets Tip: Each set of presets has its own file extension and default folder. Optional preset files are available inside the Presets folder in the Photoshop application folder. To open the Preset Manager, choose Edit > Presets > Preset Manager.
Adobe
How to Use Presets
Start simple. I suggest that you focus on a couple of fun presets that appeal to you. Maybe transform a black cat or add a look from a preset like ‘Animal Friends’ which I showcase here.
- I fell in love with a (paid) preset called ‘Black Cat Mysteries’ so I am sharing it as one of my two featured examples and it’s a lot of fun.
Tweak each element of your chosen preset. See how extreme each slider can be, push the boundaries so you know what happens. Discover what suits your needs. Exploring is all part of the learning curve and the more you tinker, and explore, and practice, the more you confident you will become. You will start to develop a style of your own.
Let’s have a look at how two different presets work with different cat photos.
Preset 1 “Animal Friends”
First, open Luminar Neo and import your photo, or select an image from your Catalogue. Click the ‘+’ button to choose the image you want to edit. You should see the ‘+’ top left on your screen beside the little sun motif.
Look for the word Presets at the top of the Luminar Neo window. Click on it. This will open the Presets panel on the right-hand side. Check the two arrows here.
See that presets panel is on the right-hand side of the photo? As you will probably have chosen a cat photo, the software’s AI suggestions for your image will include ‘Animal Friends’ in Luminar Neo.
Take a look and find it there at the top of the Presets Panel. (If not, type ‘Animal Friends’ into your search bar. Select the ‘Animal Friends’ preset.)
Check out this video showcase of the Animal Friends selection. Watch how presets instantly adjust the colours and details of your photo as you scroll down. Textures change, and different parts of the photograph are enhanced or subtly adjusted.
TIP You can also explore other presets your software has by scrolling down any menus you have. Some can be quite dramatic and make your images look like works of abstract art.
Photoshop Elements Presets: In the Expert mode, the Preset Manager (Edit > Preset Manager) lets you manage the libraries of preset brushes, color swatches, gradients, styles, effects, and patterns included in Photoshop Elements. For example, you can create a set of favorite brushes, or you can restore the default presets.
Photoshop Elements Library
Preset 2 “Black Cat Mysteries” Video
With Black Cat Mysteries there are 10 presets specifically designed to work with photographs of black cats and dark fur in particular.
You can get an idea of the range from the short video (sometimes expanding the video works, especially if you are using a smartphone). I used an unedited black cat photo of Taz to show you how detail like fur and stray hairs are affected.
As many of us know, dark fur can be a challenge but you can see how the ‘Mysteries‘ series transforms a cat photo subtly or dramatically and makes an exciting difference.
Can I Edit a Preset?
Yes, you can. A preset is a great starting point, but you can always adjust it. Once you’ve made changes, you can even save it as your own custom preset with a new name.
How do I do this? Open the Edit Panel (and Adjustments): Click on the ‘Edit’ panel at the top of the Luminar Neo window. While the ‘Animal Friends’ preset provides a great starting point, you can customise it further in the Edit panel and rename it as a new saved preset.
PaintShop Pro comes with some presets upon installation, but you can create some yourself to suit your own needs. [Help for PSP users]
Presets in PainShop Pro
Where Do I Find Presets?
Your software should include a small number of presets as part of its basic setup. You can find these by doing a search. I got a lot of preset help from my software help group.
You can find presets online too. Many are free and some are paid. Many photo magazines include Lightroom Presets as part of their monthly downloads, but you can also find free ones for Photoshop Elements and Luminar Neo.
I have used Luminar Neo presets to demonstrate here, but your own computer software will have a section of presets too so have fun with those and many creators and photographers offer their own presets which are either paid or free.
FixthePhoto Tip: Retro Lightroom Presets were designed to add several layers of grain, sepia light, and film simulation effects to your photographs, allowing you to create the perfect look of old times.
FixthePhoto
Optional Tricks and Tweaks
Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Maybe you want to adjust the overall brightness (if it is too light)? Or, fine-tune the colour saturation? In the ‘Light’ section of your Edit panel, you can adjust the ‘Exposure’ slider.
You can also adjust other settings in the Edit panel too, such as ‘Contrast,’ ‘Highlights,’ ‘Shadows,’ and ‘Saturation’. All of them can help you get the perfect look for your cat photo.
- You don’t have to stick to animal presets either, you can use any of the options available in your software or that you download. See how your cat looks with a cityscape filter, or an epic movie preset. There are no rules, only what works for you.
- Search: Try ‘Free Presets for PC’ or ‘Free Presets for iMac’
- Luxe Lens – Dozens of Presets (Paid but often has ‘specials’) Lightroom/Photoshop.
- Trial Luminar Neo Software
- ‘Fix the Photo’ Free Lightroom presets – Portrait Presets Vintage Presets
- Black Cat Mysteries (Luminar Neo) $19.00
OK Presetters – Let’s Do This!
Now it’s your turn!
Download some free presets and transform your photos. Why not share your creations using a fun hashtag like #MyPresetMagic. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Lightroom Note
You can use Adobe Lightroom for free in two ways: through the free mode of the mobile app available for iOS and Android, or by starting a seven-day free trial of the desktop version. After the trial, you will need to subscribe to continue using the full features.
I’ve never tried photo presets, but they seem like a great time saver. Create once & use over and over again.
Indeed. Consistency of style is important for a blogger.
I need to study my camera more to see what I can do to get better pics of Nili, i feel my photos are not that good, thanks for the tips as always
There’s no cohesion or theme to any of my pictures, so I love the idea of uniformity. Thanks for the tips about presets.
Great tutorial on using presets to make photos look more professional, Marjorie! I had never thought of using a preset to make a series of photos look like they belong together. Genius! I’ll start using presets more. Thanks for this very insightful post! The videos are very helpful.
Uh oh, my black cats want to know why I can’t make them look as fabulous in pictures as Taz does …
Great post. I need to look into these presets.
If I ever get to play with editing software, I’ll have to remember to come here to study!
That was so instructive. I had no idea one could make adjustments to presets! Thank you, my friend, for sharing your knowledge. 🙂
Oops, I forgot to say thanks for joining Angel Brian’s Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Me again
You always do have the best tips and they are easy to understand too.
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