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Archive 2015 · Lightroom Presets

  
 
Werne1nm
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Lightroom Presets


How many of you new photographers are using presets found on the internet?

I know I should dive into lightroom and work on my post processing skills but I'm tempted to just use some presets I like right now.

I do plan on breaking down lightroom this summer when I have some time but for now I'm tempted to use some preset that I like and see how that goes.

I haven't yet because I feel its almost cheating in the whole process of saying a photo is "mine." and/or trying to start up a business using presets that aren't "mine."

I'm not a business yet, but as a side hobby I could be up and running in 6 months to a year doing my thing here where I live.

Anyone in agreement? Comments?



May 05, 2015 at 01:15 PM
tdlavigne
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Lightroom Presets


I avoid presets like the plague. They're ok to start with just so you can familiarize yourself with what the different sliders do, and all the different looks you can achieve...but that's about it.

The problem I have with presets, especially the popular ones is that a) you can usually tell when someone has used something premade, and b) it usually looks exactly like something you just saw 100x the other day on IG, Tumblr, 500px, etc. In other words, it defeats the goal of having your own unique style by basically making you look like every other lazy photographer.

What I usually suggest is at the very least download some as a starting point, then tweak them to your own personal taste.

ETA TL : DR - Nothing wrong with presets that you made yourself, they can be time savers for batch work. I just don't like the idea of using something that will give my work the exact same appearance as the other hundred thousand or so people who downloaded the same presets.



May 05, 2015 at 03:17 PM
butchM
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Lightroom Presets


I like presets with some conditions that must be understood.

1. Not all images will benefit from presets, no matter who created the preset or how expensive it was.

2. Presets do not offer optimum results to all images they are applied.

3. Presets are merely a known starting point and should be seasoned to taste once applied. Rarely are the default settings the best for every image nor is there a one-size-fits all application that offers the best possible result.

4. If you find you are applying the same exact settings over and over ... create a preset.

5. Presets should be user built, not purchased. That way you learn how it's done.



May 05, 2015 at 03:33 PM
abvirus
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Lightroom Presets


Check out this article: https://www.beart-presets.com/blog/why-you-should-use-lightroom-presets


May 17, 2017 at 06:00 AM
Milan Hutera
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Lightroom Presets


Some months ago I got an offer to review some of the presets of a particular company. I didn't have much time to dive into it so I downplayed it and they went away. But in principle I disagree with the idea of presets. To pay 80 or so dollars for something I can recreate myself by just "fiddling around" is not something I would do. Besides, every photo is different somehow and you would have to alter the settings somehow. Just yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon on the tennis court. It was windy, mostly sunny, sometimes a random cloud obscured the Sun, the lighting was different on one side of the court to the next... I made a fairly usual settings to the first photo and just went on pasting and altering the settings on the go. Sometimes the white balance was off, sometimes the saturation was just too much, sometimes the sharpening didn't need to be as strong... you get the idea...


May 17, 2017 at 06:26 AM
chez
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Lightroom Presets


I look at presets as another tool in the chest. You do not need to apply the same preset to every image. I quite often pick a preset as a starting point from which I will tweak the image further. There is nothing wrong or taboo with using a preset to improve your productivity with LR.


May 17, 2017 at 07:45 AM





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