You're growing more and more frustrated by the day as you look at everyone's social media accounts and see how perfectly cohesive they are. They seem to fit together perfectly. You've spent hours trying to figure out how to do it, editing your photos to no end.
You keep asking yourself how a beach fits perfectly with the jungle which fits in well with the NYC skyline. They are all different scenes, so how can they look so good next to each other?
It's called a preset. They create a similar color scheme, hue, and warmth to each photo to make it more similar. They create similar highlights and contrast across photos.
And you can use them, too!
In this article, we'll go over how to upload presets to Lightroom mobile so you can make your feed just as cohesive as everyone else's! Just follow these simple steps.
Find Presets You Love
With so many influencers in our world of social media, there are many presets already out there so you don't need to worry about creating your own. All you have to do is find some that you are in love with and will fit well with your aesthetic and niche.
Many influencers sell their presets on their social media platforms or websites. Sometimes they even have sales or freebies to let you try one of them out!
Download the Presets
Once you find a set of presets that you love (or just one preset), it's time to make moves to download it so you can start to use them on your own social media!
After you purchase the presets, follow the directions on your screen to download them onto your phone. Many times, once you make the purchase, they will automatically go into your downloads folder.
Unzip the Preset File
If you purchased a preset bundle, it will be in a ZIP file in your downloads folder. Your phone may not let you unzip the files, so this is where you will need to download a separate app.
You can use iZip to unzip the files.
Save the Downloaded Files
Now that you've unzipped your preset downloads, it's time to save them! You won't be able to directly save the preset downloads to your camera roll. Once you unzip, you can tell the app what cloud storage option you want the files stored, whether it be Dropbox or your Google Drive.
To make it easier for you to find them later, create a folder for your new presets in your cloud storage. You could consider naming this "Preset Bundle 1" or "Preset Downloads."
Download Lightroom Mobile
Before you can move any further, you will need to download Lightroom mobile onto your phone. You can do this directly through the app store. Just follow the directions on your screen to download.
Open Lightroom Mobile
Once downloaded, you will need to open the app.
As soon as you open the app, you will see a few options:
- Library
- Shared
- Learn
- Discover
Click on the "Library" option. You will then see an "add photos" button. Click on that.
Add the Preset (DNG) Files
Now we're getting somewhere! You're close to having some new presets on your mobile device, you just have a few more steps.
Once you have clicked on the "add photos" button, you will see more options:
- From all photos
- From camera roll
- From files
- From camera device
You originally saved the files into cloud storage, so you need to click on the "from files" button. Once you do that, you'll see a few more options of where you can navigate to. You'll want to click on the app that you downloaded the files to, whether that was Dropbox or Google Drive.
*in order to be able to download these files, you'll need to make sure you have these apps that your files are saved in on your phone as well
Once you're in your cloud storage file, find the folder you named for your presets. Click on the folder to open it. You can then select the presets to download into Lightroom mobile.
Save the Preset (DNG) Files as Presets
Woo! Congrats! You now have successfully imported presets into Lightroom mobile.
You're almost able to use them!
But first, you need to click on them in the Edit Module to create the preset. You will see three dots in the upper right-hand corner. Click on that.
Click "create preset"".
Once here, you can make any adjustments you deem fit and can also name the preset itself.
If you have multiple preset bundles, you may want to create different groups in the app to keep them straight. This way, you will have more of an idea of what each preset has to offer versus struggling to find one out of the 30 you just downloaded.
Apply, Apply, Apply!
Now that know how to import presets into Lightroom mobile, and have successfully done it, it's time to actually put them to use.
You can upload pictures into the app and click on the preset you want to apply to the photo. To do this, you'll want to scroll on the toolbar until you see "Preset," and then click on that.
From here, all you have to do is click on the preset that you want!
Once you do that, you'll have a more cohesive feed that other people will want to emulate!
Why Should I Be Using Presets?
There are so many reasons that using presets is the way to go. After you take photos, you most likely put them on some sort of app and edit them to be more of what you want to see. Whether you do this on Lightroom or a different editing app, it is time-consuming.
Instead, add presets to Lightroom mobile to reap all of the benefits!
Simplicity
When it comes to editing, there are so many things you could change about a picture. Whether you want to change the saturation, make the photo warmer or colder, change the blacks and whites, or even change the hue of the purple color in the photo, the list goes on and on.
To make it easier on yourself, a preset allows you to create those settings and save them. Then, you can apply them to individual photos.
Save Time
How often are you sitting in front of the computer or on your phone editing a photo and thinking that you could be doing something else with your time?
Probably often.
Well, with a mobile preset, you can easily save time and do something else that you love or to grow your business since it only takes a few seconds to apply.
Cohesive Edits
Like we mentioned before, everyone strives to have that cohesive look on their Instagram page. By using presets, you can achieve that easily.
Try Out New Styles
When you're just starting out, it can be difficult to figure out what type of editing style fits your page and niche best. By downloading presets, you are able to figure out what editing style you like best. From there, you can tweak them and eventually create your own!
Customizable
The best part about using a preset on Lightroom is that you are not locked in! Sure you have the edits right there for you, but you can still make changes!
Maybe one photo looks great with just adding the preset to it. But another photo may need a little tweaking with your color hues or the highlights. You can move these around without worrying that your photo will be edited in a completely different way from the rest!
The preset creates a base edit to work off of.
Now You Know How to Upload Presets to Lightroom Mobile
Choosing to use presets can drastically change how quickly you can upload photos onto your social media. Now that you know how to upload presets to Lightroom mobile, not only will you be able to edit photos quicker, but you'll also have a more cohesive look on your feed.
You'll learn more about editing, be able to customize it all yourself and do it all in the blink of an eye.
Who doesn't want that?
If you're ready to use presets, you can find some of the best here. You'll be looking like a pro in no time. And if you ever get bored of one preset pack, you can try out an entirely different one!