What Are Lightroom Presets and Why Do You Need Them?
If you're new to the world of photo editing, you might be wondering to yourself, 'What are Lightroom presets in the first place? And why the heck does everyone keep saying I need them?'
With so many programs and mobile editing apps out there now, all of the options can feel overwhelming...trust me, I've been there. I'm here to clear up the confusion for you. So let's start with the basics.
What Are Lightroom Presets?
Lightroom presets in very basic terms are editing filters that can be applied to your photos with one-click. This doesn't mean your photo will be absolutely perfect after 1 click, as you will need to make some additional adjustments, but presets get you 90% of the way there.
Photographers spend hours perfecting their editing techniques and adjusting Lightroom tools in order to get a unique look for their photos. Once they've achieved a particular style, rather than having to redo this editing process over and over again, they can save their edits into a "preset" which remembers the adjustments that were made on that photo.
This saves photographers a TON of time during post-processing because it allows them to simply replicate the same style easily in the future by applying their saved preset with one click.
By purchasing our Live Like it's the Weekend travel presets for example, you're getting access to all of my EXACT saved edits from years of experimenting with editing my own travel photos.
So What Makes Lightroom Presets Better Than Other Photo Filters?
The reason why you keep hearing about Lightroom presets specifically over other photo filters you may be able to find on various apps is because they are the gold standard in the photography biz.
Lightroom is a high-powered photography editing program built by Adobe, who are also the creators of programs you may have heard of like Photoshop and Bridge. Adobe is the #1 used brand for creators when it comes to bringing their photography visions to life, because it simply allows for the most control and has the best tools to help photographers achieve a unique editing style.
Why You Need Lightroom Presets
The genius thing about Lightroom presets is that they truly take the guesswork out of the editing process. Learning to use Lightroom most effectively can take years, but when you have presets, you don't need to be a whiz at editing with Lightroom - you simply need to know how to apply the presets, which can be done in a single click!
From there, knowing a few simple tools to help you put the finishing touches on your photos is all you really need. In case you're a total beginner at Lightroom, I've included my Editing Cheat Sheet with every preset purchase, which breaks down the tools to use.
With Lightroom presets, you can have professional looking images in seconds without the years of editing practice that many other photographers have under their belt. I don't believe that Lightroom presets are a 1-click and done solution like many creators promise, but they ARE an incredibly helpful starting point that will make your life WAY easier.
Check out on the left what my Instagram feed would look like without using my presets!
Presets aren't necessarily for everyone though. Still unsure? Here's how to tell if you could benefit from investing in Lightroom presets:
...When it comes to photography, you LOVE the shooting and creating process, but feel frustrated with how your final images come out due to your lack of editing knowledge
...You spend hours upon hours editing your photos and wish you had a faster workflow
...You're completely new to Lightroom and don't have time to learn the ins and outs of every little adjustment tool
...You've been struggling to find a cohesive, stylized look for your images that all work together as a whole
...You just do photography for fun and want a no-fuss way to instantly make your images look more professional so you can wow friends and family
...You're interested in taking your travel photos to the next level and want to get hired by clients and travel brands for the images you create
...You're a travel blogger that wants to seamlessly batch edit lots of photos for your blog so you can put time back into the writing process
...You want a behind-the-scenes look into the editing process so you can further develop your own Lightroom skills and create your own presets down the line
Does any of the above sound like you?
If so, Live Like it's the Weekend Lightroom Travel Presets can help!
Alright, let's get one more thing cleared up. Is Using Lightroom Presets Cheating?
To be honest, I wish I would have invested in presets a LONG time ago. Instead, I was too proud to use other people's presets because I wanted to do it all on my own and didn't want to feel like I was copying other creators' styles.
Now I realize how silly that was.
To me, the purpose of using presets isn't about stealing another photographer's style. Rather, it's about kick-starting your learning process and saving you time so that you can find a style that works for you without the frustrating hours of trial and error. Presets bring the joy back into the editing process!
If you purchase my presets, I encourage you to use them as a starting point for your own images, not necessarily the end result every time. You still want to put your unique stamp on your photos if you're trying to develop your own style, which you can easily do by making small tweaks and adjustments to the presets you've already applied.
Have fun with it and don't be afraid to experiment, but also don't be afraid to get presets because it feels like cheating. It's not! It's just saving you precious time so you can put more energy back into the other things you love.
