Photo attribution: The Kelley Fam
Links updated February 2020
Congrats on discovering Luxe presets! We offer one-click tools that transform your images with the click of a button. This summary provides a general overview of presets and tips for using them within your images!
What Are Presets?
Presets make global changes to an image, in a manner that is similar to application of an enhancing filter. However, instead of placing a filter over your image, our presets enhance your image by altering specific aspects of your image. For example, one presets might increase exposure, add sharpening, and refine color. Alterations are specific to certain types of pictures, organized by theme (portraits, winter, babies, etc.). To learn more about different types of presets (general, tool, layers) in comparison to other editing tools, such as actions and overlays, check out this blog article on the difference between filters, presets, actions, and overlays. Most of our collections also come with brushes, which allow users to make local adjustments to an image (skin smoothing, sky brightening, etc.). Learn how to use a Lightroom brush in this quick blog tutorial.
What Software Do I Need to Use Presets?
All Luxe presets come in three different file formats so that our customers can use our presets with a variety of compatible software.- .LRT files are compatible with Adobe Lightroom Classic, versions 5.0-7.2 (purchased outright from Adobe)
- .XMP files are compatible with Adobe Lightroom Classic or CC, versions 7.3 and later; Adobe Photoshop ACR; and Adobe Lightroom (CC; 1.0 and later) for mobile (all three are paid subscriptions from Adobe)
- .DNG files are compatible with Adobe Lightroom CC for mobile (free version of Adobe Lightroom)
Preset Workflow
Workflow is a word that you’ve likely heard a dozen times, being that it’s a common buzzword within the field of professional photography. But what does this term really mean? In a nutshell, a workflow is a collection of steps to edit a photo that maximizes both efficiency (time) and effectiveness (quality outcome). Without presets, workflows can take hours because each setting must be adjusted individually. Presets substantially cut down on this work, all while taking the guesswork out of which settings to adjust and how to adjust them. This is the simple process that we recommend for preset users:
- Upload your photo
- Auto-set (or individually set) white balance
- Adjust the exposure of the photo if the picture is too dark or too bright
- Select a preset collection that matches the intended style of your edit
- Scroll through the presets in that collection, using the preview window to look at edits
- Select the best preset for your photograph
- Apply tool, layer, or brush presets to refine the edited image
This graphic shows a preset workflow within Lightroom CC for desktop:
