One Of Lightroom's Best Features Is Hiding In Plain Sight

I've long been a fan of using Lightroom presets as part of my editing workflow because they offer both time-saving benefits and creative consistency, two things that all photographers should care about. A preset is a predefined set of Lightroom editing adjustments that can be applied to photos with a single click. This allows photographers to achieve a specific look and feel across multiple images quickly and efficiently.

Enhancing Efficiency and Consistency

One of the main advantages of using presets is the ability to streamline the editing process. Instead of adjusting each photo individually, photographers can apply a preset to instantly transform the image. This is particularly useful when editing large batches of photos, such as a wedding or a series of travel shots. Presets ensure that all images share a consistent style, which is essential for maintaining a cohesive portfolio or photo series.

Encouraging Creativity

Presets also serve as a source of creative inspiration. Photographers can discover new styles and techniques they might not have considered otherwise by exploring different presets. This experimentation can lead to the development of a unique aesthetic and enhance the overall quality of their work.

Tailoring to Specific Needs

There are various types of presets designed for different photography genres, such as portrait, landscape, black and white, moody, vintage, travel, food, wedding, urban, and night photography. Each preset type is tailored to enhance specific elements of a photo, such as skin tones in portraits or vibrant colors in landscapes. By using these specialized presets, photographers can quickly achieve the desired effect and bring out the best in their images.

The Benefits of Lightroom's "Recommended Presets"

Lightroom has taken the concept of presets to the next level with its "Recommended Presets" feature. This innovative tool uses AI to suggest suitable presets for each photo, making editing even more intuitive and efficient.

AI-Powered Recommendations

At the core of Lightroom's "Recommended Presets" is Adobe Sensei, Adobe's powerful AI technology. Adobe Sensei analyzes the content of your photo, considering factors like subject, lighting, and color balance. Based on this analysis, it recommends presets likely to enhance the image's visual appeal. This AI-driven approach ensures that the suggested presets are tailored to the specific characteristics of each photo.

Community Contributions

In addition to AI-generated recommendations, Lightroom's "Recommended Presets" feature leverages presets created and shared by the Lightroom community. These presets come from professional photographers and content creators, offering diverse styles and creative approaches. This community-driven aspect enriches the selection of presets and provides users with a variety of options to choose from.

Ease of Use

Accessing the "Recommended Presets" is simple. When you select a photo in Lightroom, you can navigate to the "Recommended Presets" section to view the AI-suggested presets. The presets are categorized based on different styles and effects, making it easy to find one that matches your vision. This user-friendly interface allows for quick comparisons and helps you choose the best preset without committing to changes until you are satisfied.

Preview and Apply

One of the standout features of "Recommended Presets" is the ability to preview how each preset will look on your photo before applying it. This real-time preview allows you to see the potential impact of each preset and make an informed decision. Once you find a preset that enhances your photo, you can apply it with a single click, saving time and effort. After applying a preset, you can refine the edit settings to suit your taste further and save that as a new preset.

Saving Recommended Presets

Lightroom makes it easy to save a recommended preset to your personal list or as a named version. This makes applying a newly discovered preset to other photos much easier and quicker without having to hunt down the one Lightroom recommended.

Continuous Learning

As more users interact with and apply presets, Adobe Sensei learns from them and continuously improves its recommendations. This continuous learning process ensures that the suggested presets become more accurate and relevant over time, adapting to a wide range of photographic styles.

Diverse Styles

The recommended presets encompass various styles, including portrait enhancements, landscape adjustments, black-and-white conversions, and more. This diversity ensures that users can find presets suitable for different genres of photography, further enhancing their creative possibilities.

Learn How To Use Lightroom Everywhere!

For a comprehensive guide on managing and editing your photos across all Lightroom platforms, check out my course, Lightroom Everywhere. This course has been updated with these new features and will help you get the most out of Lightroom.