Creating and Saving Presets: Building Your Own Editing Workflow
(Foundational Tutorial Series — Lesson 6)
As you develop your editing style, you’ll start to notice patterns — maybe a favorite color balance, a preferred level of contrast, or a consistent tone curve.
Instead of recreating those adjustments from scratch each time, Lightroom lets you save them as presets for one-click application across future photos.
Presets aren’t just time-savers; they’re powerful tools for consistency.
They help you create a cohesive visual style, maintain uniformity across projects, and speed up your workflow without losing creative control.
And while there’s nothing wrong with using downloadable presets — they can be great learning tools — there’s something especially rewarding about creating your own.
Building presets from your personal edits helps you understand your preferences, refine your aesthetic, and develop a look that feels distinctly yours.
In this lesson, we’ll walk through how to create, organize, and fine-tune your own Lightroom presets — plus a few tips on keeping them efficient and versatile.
1. What a Preset Actually Saves
A preset is a record of the Develop settings you’ve applied to an image.
When you click “Create Preset,” Lightroom saves your current slider values — exposure, contrast, tone curve, color grading, and more — depending on what you choose to include.
When applied to another photo, those same settings are instantly copied over, giving you a consistent starting point.
Presets are fully customizable. They can include as many or as few adjustments as you’d like — from a simple tone curve tweak to a complete edit that touches every panel.
There’s no rule about how much a preset needs to do. Some photographers prefer minimal, flexible presets, while others create highly stylized ones that define a specific look.
Common Settings a Preset Can Include
- Basic panel adjustments (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, etc.)
- Camera Profile selection (such as Adobe Landscape, Camera Standard, or custom profiles)
- Tone Curve and Color settings
- HSL and Color Grading adjustments
- Sharpening and Noise Reduction
- Calibration panel adjustments
- Vignette or Grain (optional)
- Crop and Transform settings (usually left unchecked to preserve composition differences)
About Camera Profiles
At the top of the Basic panel in Lightroom, you’ll find Profile — this determines how Lightroom interprets the RAW data from your camera.
Think of it as the starting point for color and contrast before you begin editing.
Lightroom offers several built-in options like Adobe Color, Adobe Landscape, and Adobe Portrait, each designed to emphasize different characteristics:
- Adobe Color: balanced and versatile for general use.
- Adobe Landscape: more contrast and vibrancy for outdoor scenes.
- Adobe Portrait: softer tones and smoother contrast for skin tones.
Many camera manufacturers also provide their own camera-matching profiles (like Camera Standard or Camera Vivid) that mimic in-camera looks.
You can even create or import custom profiles for a unique rendering style.
When saving a preset, you can choose to include a profile if it’s an intentional part of your edit — for example, if your preset is built around the colors of a specific camera profile.
Tip: The best presets are built from well-balanced, subtle edits.
If you apply one to a variety of images and it still looks good, you’ve built a strong foundation.
2. Creating a Preset Step-by-Step
Once you’ve finished editing an image and want to save that look for future use, you can create your own preset in just a few minutes.
Follow this process from start to finish:
Step 1: Start with a Finished Edit
Choose an image that represents your ideal editing style — tone, color, and contrast.
This will serve as the blueprint for your preset.
Avoid using an unfinished or overly experimental edit as your source. The cleaner and more balanced your base image, the more reliable your preset will be across a variety of photos.
Step 2: Go to the Presets Panel
In the Develop Module, locate the Presets Panel on the left side.
Click the “+” icon next to the panel header and choose “Create Preset.”
Step 3: Name Your Preset Clearly
Give your preset a name that describes its purpose or look.
Good naming examples:
- “Soft Warm Landscape”
- “Cool Moody Forest”
- “Clean Base Look”
Clear, descriptive names make it easier to find what you need later, especially once your preset library grows.
Step 4: Choose a Group (Folder)
You can organize your presets into folders called Groups.
These help keep your presets tidy and easy to navigate.
For example, you might use groups like:
- Base Looks
- Creative Styles
- Black & White
- Travel Series
Click “Group” → “New Group” to create a folder if needed.
Step 5: Select Which Settings to Save
Lightroom opens a checklist of every Develop setting category.
This lets you decide exactly what the preset should include.
For most foundational presets, consider including:
- Basic Tone Adjustments (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, etc.)
- Tone Curve
- Color and HSL/Color Panel
- Color Grading
- Calibration
- Detail (Sharpening and Noise Reduction)
- Effects (Vignette or Grain, if applicable)
- Profile (if part of your look)
Leave White Balance, Transform, and Crop unchecked unless those are intentional creative choices.
Leaving them out makes the preset more adaptable across different lighting and compositions.
Step 6: Click Create
Once everything is selected, click Create at the bottom of the dialog box.
Your new preset will appear immediately in the chosen folder within the Presets Panel.
You can now apply it to any photo with a single click.
Step 7: Refine After Testing
Presets are rarely perfect the first time.
Apply your new preset to several different photos to see how it behaves under various lighting conditions and color palettes.
If something consistently feels off — like highlights clipping or shadows looking muddy — tweak those settings and update the preset by right-clicking it and choosing “Update with Current Settings.”
You’ll refine it faster by testing it in real-world scenarios than by overthinking adjustments in one photo.
3. Applying and Adjusting Presets
Once you’ve created your preset, applying it is quick and simple — but it’s important to remember that every photo is unique.
Lighting, color temperature, and subject matter can vary widely between images, so a preset is best viewed as a starting point, not a one-click solution.
How to Apply a Preset
- In the Develop Module, select the photo you want to edit.
- Open the Presets Panel on the left side of the screen.
- Hover over any preset to see a live preview in the main image area.
- Click the preset you want to apply.
Lightroom instantly updates all the included settings to match those saved in your preset.
Fine-Tuning After Applying
Even a great preset may need minor adjustments depending on the image.
Common tweaks include:
- Exposure: Adjust for brighter or darker images.
- White Balance: Adjust temperature or tint to match lighting.
- Contrast or Highlights/Shadows: Refine tonal balance.
- Saturation or Vibrance: Reduce slightly if colors feel strong.
Tip: If a preset changes your image too drastically, click Reset or press Ctrl/Cmd + Z to undo.
Stacking Presets
Lightroom doesn’t have a true “stacking” system, but you can apply multiple presets sequentially — as long as each controls different panels.
This lets you build edits in stages without overwriting earlier adjustments.
For example:
- Apply a Base Preset for tone and contrast.
- Then a Color Preset that only modifies HSL or Color Grading.
- Finish with a Final Polish Preset for vignetting or grain.
To make presets stackable, ensure each only includes its relevant settings.
When creating a preset, uncheck panels unrelated to its purpose.
Tip: Label stackable presets clearly, such as “01 Base – Soft Neutral,” “02 Color – Warm Film,” or “03 Finish – Grain.”
The numbering helps maintain workflow order.
Batch Applying Presets
If you’re editing multiple similar images — like a landscape series — you can apply presets to all of them at once.
Method 1: Library Module
- Switch to Library.
- Select multiple photos (Ctrl/Cmd + Click or Shift + Click).
- In the Quick Develop panel, open the Saved Preset dropdown.
- Choose your preset — Lightroom applies it to all selected photos instantly.
Method 2: Develop Module
- Select one edited image.
- Shift-click additional images in the filmstrip.
- Click Sync Settings (bottom right).
- Choose which settings to sync or click Check All.
- Press Synchronize.
This approach is ideal when you want to sync a specific look but still keep control over certain settings.
4. Organizing and Refining Your Presets
As your preset library grows, organization keeps your workflow efficient and enjoyable.
Organize by Purpose
- Base Looks: Neutral, flexible starting points.
- Creative Styles: Mood-based color grading and tone.
- Black & White: Dedicated conversions with contrast and grain.
- Project or Series-Based: Custom looks for specific trips or visual themes.
Version Control
As your style evolves, so should your presets.
You can either:
- Update Existing Presets (right-click → Update with Current Settings), or
- Create New Versions (e.g., Warm Landscape v2).
Version numbers keep your library clean while preserving older ideas.
Back Up Your Presets
- Go to Edit → Preferences → Presets → Show Lightroom Develop Presets Folder.
- Copy that folder to a backup drive or cloud storage.
- You can also copy it to another computer to sync your presets manually.
Tip: If you use Adobe Creative Cloud, your presets can sync between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Mobile automatically.
Refining Over Time
Keep a “Test Folder” with a variety of lighting scenarios to preview how presets behave.
If one needs frequent exposure or white balance fixes, adjust it and re-save — that’s how good presets become great.
Exporting and Sharing Presets
To export:
- Right-click your preset in the Presets Panel.
- Choose Export → Save as .XMP file.
- Share or back up the file anywhere.
Tip: If you plan to distribute your presets, include a text file with version info, installation steps, and usage notes for clarity.
5. Building a Foundation of Personal Presets
Presets are most valuable when they reflect your personal style.
They should speed up your workflow while staying true to how you see and interpret a scene.
Start Simple
- Clean Base: Neutral tone and color, universal starting point.
- Soft Warm Look: Warm highlights, lifted shadows.
- Cool Contrast: Deep blacks, cooler tones.
- Black & White Conversion: Neutral tone curve and balanced contrast.
Use Them as Building Blocks
Apply a base preset, then layer creative adjustments like color grading or texture to complete your look.
Evolve With Experience
As your style matures, revisit and refine your presets.
The recurring shapes in your tone curves and color palettes will slowly define your unique visual identity.
When to Create a New Preset
If you catch yourself repeating the same adjustments several times, that’s a sign you’ve developed a consistent approach worth saving.
My Workflow Tip
Presets are a core part of my workflow, but they’re not shortcuts.
I start with a base preset, fine-tune for each image, and let small differences guide the final result.
I test new presets across multiple photos before committing them to my main set.
If one only looks good on a single image, I treat it as an experiment.
The ones that consistently work earn a permanent place in my library.
Creating my own presets gives me ownership over my editing style.
Every tweak reflects how I interpret light and color — and that personal connection keeps editing creative and fulfilling.
Start small. Build gradually.
The goal isn’t a massive collection; it’s a curated toolkit that reflects your vision.
Conclusion
Presets are where creativity and efficiency meet.
They save time, simplify your workflow, and help you maintain consistency — but the real value comes from building them yourself.
When you create presets that fit your unique approach to color and tone, you’re not just speeding up the process — you’re developing your own visual identity.
Each preset becomes a reflection of how you interpret the world through your camera.
Keep refining, keep testing, and don’t hesitate to experiment.
Presets aren’t meant to lock you into a single look — they’re stepping stones toward mastering your own editing style.
Next up: Lesson 7 – Texture and Finishing Touches, where we’ll explore Lightroom’s texture, clarity, and dehaze tools — plus grain and sharpening — to add polish and depth that make your final image feel complete.