Have you seen photographers or influencers selling Lightroom presets and wondered if you should buy them? In this blog post, we’ll discuss whether or not you should.
What are Lightroom Presets?
A Lightroom preset is a filter created by saving different adjustment settings in Lightroom.
Many photographers notice that after editing for a long time, they begin to edit most photos the same way. Instead of making the same adjustments over and over, they save their usual editing settings as a preset on Lightroom. Now, every time they begin editing, they can quickly apply a preset to save themselves time.
Eventually, many photographers and content creators sell the presets they have created for themselves to help others achieve the same look as them – without having to experiment as much as they did to get there.
If you’re new to photography and considering purchasing presets, you may be wondering if it is worth it to buy a preset pack from your favorite photographer or content creator.
Here are 4 Reasons You Should Buy Lightroom Presets:
1. Presets are excellent for beginners
When you first start, editing your image can feel a bit overwhelming. You may have a general idea of the look you want to create in your photos but might be unsure of how to create that in Lightroom.
A Lightroom preset is a great way to achieve your desired look, much quicker and with less frustration.
2. Presets can teach you how to edit
Each photographer has their own unique settings they use to edit most of their photos. The unique way they adjust the light, color, and detail sliders impacts how their photos look. If there is a particular look you are going for, but you can’t quite figure out how to nail that look, a preset can potentially show you how another photographer did it.
I am not saying to copy exactly what other photographers are doing but you can use their presets as a guide to help you on your own creative journey. Take bits and pieces of how others edit and incorporate them into your own editing. Test, experiment, and see what you do and don’t like.
3. Presets can help you create image consistency
Presets can help create consistency in your images.
If you tend to edit each photo individually, your photos may look inconsistent. This can hinder your progress if you’re trying to develop some type of brand/image consistency.
If you want all of your photos to look similar to each other, you can benefit from purchasing a preset pack to create a desired look.
4. Presets can help save you time
As mentioned above, you can create the “look” you’re going for using a preset and this can save you a lot of time editing!
You can also apply your preset to one photo at a time or multiple photos at a time in Lightroom (depending on which version you’re using) which can quickly expedite your editing process!
So, what’s the catch?
Presets sound amazing, right? They can be great tools. There is no doubt about that.
But they’re not perfect and sometimes they just don’t work.
In theory, when you purchase an artist’s presets, you should be able to apply the presets and be done.
But a lot of times, this is not the case.
The Reality of Lightroom Presets:
In reality, presets are often a starting point in most photographers’ editing process.
To begin my editing process, I usually start by clicking through a few of my own presets to see which one looks the best on my image. After selecting and applying the desired preset, I begin editing my photo by going through the adjustment sliders in Lightroom (light/color/detail/etc).
Presets usually apply the general settings to get a photo started but they don’t always work 100% perfectly on an image. Sometimes, images don’t need much adjusting after applying a preset, and other times they do. Sometimes, presets don’t work on an image at all and that’s completely normal.
The Truth About Presets
They’re not all one-click edits:
It would be nice if every preset you purchased was as simple as clicking apply preset and being done. But it’s not the case for most presets.
It’s good to have a general understanding of how Lightroom works. Sometimes presets will make your image look good, but other times something can just feel… off.
You may find that your image looks good, but it might feel too dark. If so, you can try and adjust your exposure or shadows to correct the issue. Or maybe it looks good, but a certain color in your image looks off. If so, you can adjust the HSL sliders in the color panel.
The reality is that not all presets will be one-click edits. Even for the photographers who create them.
Presets don’t work on all types of photos:
In other words, presets are not universal.
Different preset packs may be created for different times and settings.
Some preset packs may be good for ocean photography, while others may be good for street photography. Some presets may be good for photos taken during the bright daylight hours and others may be good for photos taken at sunrise or sunset.
We can try to create presets that work across the board for most of our pictures. But the reality is that some preset packs won’t work on all your photos in all situations.
Presets can prevent you from developing your own style:
Presets are great learning tools and can help you get started editing. But they can also prevent you from developing your own style. That is if you find yourself getting lazy when editing and just applying presets without any further adjustments.
Over time, you may start to feel like something is missing from your photos. Like they don’t match up with the vision you have in your mind. Like something is just off and or that it doesn’t feel like you.
Or worse, you could have an amazing image that you love but when you apply your beloved preset, it completely ruins the image for you and you may not be sure how to save it or make it work.
If you’re at this point in your photo editing journey, it could be time to step away from the presets and slowly start learning how to edit photos on your own.
Developing your own style takes time. Lots (and I mean lots) of trial and error. But the sooner you stop blindly applying presets and start experimenting, the sooner you’ll be able to get your photos to feel like you.
What should you do when you purchase a preset and you don’t love it?
Have you ever purchased a preset pack from a popular photographer or influencer and been unhappy with the results?
Chances are you were convinced this new preset pack was what you needed to finally level up your photos. You debated purchasing but finally caved. You were hopeful and excited. However, after you used the presets for the first time, you felt, well, kinda let down. Why don’t they look good on your photos?
I get it, it’s frustrating. It may feel like, well, there goes another $50 down the drain. You may even go hunting for your next preset pack, still hopeful that the next pack will be the ONE.
But I encourage you to take a different approach.
If you find yourself constantly searching for the next preset pack to level up your photos, only to be disappointed time and time again… I encourage you to take a step back.
You likely purchased a preset pack for a reason. Something attracted you to this one in particular.
When you purchase a preset pack, you’re basically getting all the ingredients for the artist’s editing recipe.
It’s all there for you to inspect and look closer at.
If something appeals to you about their photography, I encourage you to ask yourself what it is.
Is it the mood, color, temperature, or lighting in their images? What settings are leading to those results?
Look closer and experiment. Try doing a tone curve like one photographer. Adjust the HSL sliders like another. Try applying new details you’d otherwise leave out, like grain, noise reduction, or sharpening.
Instead of being upset, try to dissect the presets you do like and learn from them! Look at their settings and try incorporating different adjustments into your usual edits.
Summary: Should you buy Lightroom Presets?
If you’re a beginner photographer who doesn’t know where to start, or if you hate editing but love taking pictures, or really want to look deeper at other photographers’ editing styles, then I say, go for it. Purchase a few presets, and see what you can learn from them.
You don’t have to purchase super-expensive presets from other professionals. You can find dozens of free presets online, purchase cheap presets on Etsy, or shop from artists you want to support/learn from.
If you’ve purchased preset packs and been disappointed with the outcome, don’t just toss the presets. Take a deeper look at the presets you purchased. Dissect what you like about them. Try incorporating editing settings from different presets that you do like into your own edits.
If you’re feeling like you’ve been constantly let down each time you purchase a preset pack… it may be worth your time to spend some time learning about Lightroom settings and how different adjustments can impact your photo. You may also benefit from spending some time learning about how your camera settings and the time of day you take pictures impact your images too.
I hope this post helped you, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it below in the comments!
While you’re here, you can check out my current lightweight camera gear here.
