Written by: Alexa StarrLast updated: 3/8/25
Presets (filters) can still be used for Lightroom projects whether you're an amateur or professional photographer.
They can significantly speed up your workflow while giving you the desired look.
Even better, you can customize filters further and save dozens to prepare you for any lighting situation or photo style.
Once you find a preset you like for your Instagram grid and beyond, you must know how to save it in Adobe Lightroom to use it indefinitely.
Fortunately, a tried-and-true method can make saving Lightroom presets a breeze. With this in mind, read on to learn how to save a new filter in Lightroom to speed up the Lightrooming process.
How To Save Presets In Lightroom
Steps to Save Lightroom Presets:
1. Desktop Lightroom Classic:
- Make desired adjustments to a photo
- Go to Develop Module
- Click "+" in the Presets panel
- Select "Create Preset"
- Choose settings to include
- Name the preset
- Select a preset folder
- Click "Create"
2. Lightroom Mobile:
- Edit a photo
- Tap the three-dot menu
- Select "Create Preset"
- Choose settings to save
- Name the preset
- Select a preset group
- Tap checkmark to save
3. Import Existing Presets:
- Go to File > Import Develop Presets
- Locate .xmp or .lrtemplate files
- Select and click "Import"
4. Export Presets:
- Right-click preset in Develop panel
- Select "Export"
- Choose location
- Save as .xmp file
5. Organize Presets:
- Create preset folders
- Drag and drop presets
- Right-click to rename
- Use collections for grouping
Tips:
- Name presets clearly
- Back up presets regularly
- Test on different images
- Keep preset folders organized
- Update presets as needed
What is a Preset?
Before discussing acquiring and saving Lightroom presets, you must know what a preset is.
Also called filters, presets are several adjustments in Lightroom that are all in Lightroom together, so you only need to click once to apply them.
Here are some of the settings they'll adjust:
- Exposure
- Color temperature
- Sharpening
- Clarity
- Saturation
- Shadows
- Highlights
- And more
You can see how filters can give your social media posts a more uniform look.
They also significantly reduce processing time, which is important if you're a professional photographer looking to increase your speed and enhance the quality of your images.
Consistent edits can help you achieve this goal.
How to Save Presets in Lightroom
Saving presets in Lightroom is a simple Lightroom that can save time and make editing more efficient.
First, adjust the settings of an image to your desired look.
Then, click the "Develop" menu and select "New Preset."
Give your filter a name and select which settings you want to include.
Finally, click "Create" to save your preset.
You can access your saved presets in the filter panel on the left-hand side of the screen, under the "User Presets" folder.
How to Use Lightroom to Make Your Own Preset in Photoshop
It's first helpful to learn how to make your own Lightroom presets, especially if you make the same adjustments in the Develop module for multiple photos.
You'll first want to start with one photo and make all the usual tweaks.
Once finished, navigate to the Presets panel on the screen's left side and create a filter.
Click the plus sign, give your preset a descriptive name so that you remember what it's for, and then click Create.
Remember that Lightroom will automatically categorize your preset under User Presets if you don't specify a specific folder.
How to Apply Presets to Multiple Photos
One of the main benefits of Lightroom versus Camera Raw in Photoshop is the ability to batch edit hundreds of photos.
Whether you're a wedding photographer or a portrait photographer, this can save you minutes to hours of editing.
Another helpful feature of Lightroom is the basic mode, which allows you to quickly and easily adjust your photos' exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, and other basic settings.
You can right-click on any photo and Copy Settings to copy and paste your adjustments onto several selected photos.
However, you can also apply your filter without entering the Develop module.
Right-click.
To do this, import your photos and select them within the Library module.
On the right side of the Library module, you'll find your filter under Quick Develop.
Once you select your preset, your photos' functionality is processed in seconds.
Remember that you can also apply multiple presets to the same photo, tweak a photo further with a preset applied, or click "undo" and edit your photo the old-fashioned way.
Tutorial on How to Install Presets in Lightroom
Instead of making presets yourself, you may download or purchase presets online in Lightroom Classic or oLightroom Adobe Lightroom mobile apps.
This can be if another photographer inspires you, you have a specific look you're trying to achieve, or you want to experiment with different editing styles.
Another option is to use a drop-down menu to select from various preset options.
Once your preset is downloaded, open Lightroom and navigate Lightroom Import Profiles and Presets.
Once the import dialogue appears, select all the presets you want to import. Then click on Import on the bottom left.
The next step is to start editing your photos with the new presets.
The process is simple and only takes a few seconds.
This means you can experiment with several presets simultaneously to find the look you want to achieve.
How to Backup Lightroom Presets
Over time, you may have many presets.
This is because a preset you primarily use for interiors doesn't look as good as exterior photos.
Film presets may also look great for portraits, but they don't make your products pop the way you want them to.
It's essential to back up your presets so they won't be lost entirely in case of a hardware or software malfunction.
You can save your presets through the cloud, an external hard drive, or a USB stick.
Start by opening up Preferences in Lightroom.
Click on the Presets tab at the top, then click on Show All Other Lightroom Presets below that tab.
This will highlight the folder where your presets are contained.
From there, use the backup method of your choice!
How to Edit in Lightroom
Now that you know what presets are and how to create and import them, you must understand some essential editing tips to make your photos look consistently high-quality.
Here are our quick tips on how to get started editing in Lightroom, whether you have a preset or not.
You'll also find that these steps are typically the ones professional photographers use to process efficiently.
Make Your Lens Corrections
Depending on the quality of your lens, it adds vignetting to your photos or distortion when you don't want it.
If this is the case, move to Chromatic Aberrations in the Lens Correction menu and enable Profile Corrections.
This will automatically remove any purple or green color fringing around objects, vignetting, distortion, and more from your lens.
Apply Your Preset
Once your lens corrections are made, we recommend applying any presets you want at this time.
This is because your basic edit may change depending on how the preset alters the photo.
It's a good time to edit your macro if you're not applying a preset.
Here are the basic adjustments you'll want to make:
- White balance
- Exposure
- Highlights and shadows
- Whites and blacks
- Contrast
- Clarity
- Vibrancy and saturation
We recommend using vibrancy if you're editing a portrait.
This is because this setting automatically protects the color of skin tones so they don't appear too orange or red.
It also picks out the most vibrant parts of an image and adjusts those alone.
Saturation will increase the intensity of every color in the image, regardless of whether it is skin or a particularly vibrant color in the picture.
HSL Slider
After you adjust your exposure and saturation, this is often enough for most photos.
However, there will be times when you want to increase or decrease the saturation or luminosity of a specific color.
I suggest changing the hue to blend better with the rest of the image.
Detail Panel for Photo Editing
The detail panel is the most ignored by hobbyist photographers, but it's just as crucial as the Basic and HSL panel.
If you shot with a high ISO, this is where you can reduce the noise in your photo for a smoother-looking appearance.
You can also increase the sharpness.
Increasing the sharpness is usually needed when working with RAW photos because the camera doesn't process the images before they're imported into Lightroom.
Adding a touch of sharpness in Lightroom will help increase the clarity of details and make your photos look more "crisp."
This is especially important if you want to print them later on.
Local Adjustments
Local adjustments such as spot removal and masking should be left until you're done making your global adjustments.
After making your global edits, you may not need more local adjustments or split toning.
You'll find that Lightroom has the tool in a way that makes sense for the editing process in the Develop module.
If you ever forget what to do first, start at the top of the Develop module and work your way down!
How to Save a Preset in Lightroom: Creating, Importing, Exporting
Saving imports in Lightroom boils down to your own presets or importing presets that other people have shared online.
If you make the same adjustments to multiple photos, we recommend creating a User Preset to reduce your editing time significantly.
On the other hand, if you don't know where to start or you're looking to experiment with different editing styles, try importing some presets.
Not only is it easy to do, but you can also discover styles that enhance your photography and brand.
Exporting Lightroom presets is a Lightroom-forward process that can save you a lot of time and effort when editing photos.
To export a preset, select it from the Develop module, right-click on it, and choose "Export."
From there, you can choose where to save the preset file and give it a name.
Once exported, you can import your preset into Lightroom to share it with others or use it on another device.
It's essential that exporting presets only exports the settings applied to the image, not the original image itself.
Video Tutorials
How to Install Presets to Lightroom Mobile (IOS Tutorial by Flourish Presets)
How to Install Presets to Lightroom Mobile (Android Tutorial by Flourish Presets)
How to Install Lightroom Presets on Desktop (Windows Tutorial by Flourish Presets)
How to Install Presets to Desktop (Mac Tutorial by Flourish Presets)
FAQs
Q: Can Lightroom presets be used in Lightroom Mobile?
A: Lightroom presets are compatible with Lightroom Mobile and can be synced across devices using a Creative Cloud subscription.
Q: How do I install presets in Lightroom Mobile?
A: You can import presets through the Lightroom Desktop app and sync them to mobile or directly import DNG preset files to Lightroom Mobile through your phone's file system.
Q: Do presets work differently in Lightroom Mobile than on Desktop?
A: Most preset functions are identical, but the mobile version may limit some advanced features, and the interface for applying presets differs slightly.
Q: How much time can presets save in photo editing?
A: Presets can reduce editing time by 50-80%, especially when batch editing multiple photos with similar lighting conditions and subjects.
Q: Can I create my own presets in Lightroom Mobile?
A: You can create custom presets in Lightroom Mobile by saving your editing adjustments as a new preset.
Q: Do presets work offline in Lightroom Mobile?
A: Presets work offline in Lightroom Mobile without an internet connection once synced or imported.
Q: Can I batch edit photos using presets in Lightroom Mobile?
A: Yes, you can copy and paste preset settings to multiple photos in Lightroom Mobile, though the process may be less streamlined than in the Desktop version.
Q: How do I organize presets efficiently to save editing time?
A: Create preset folders by category (e.g., portraits, landscapes), mark favorites, and use preset preview thumbnails to identify suitable options quickly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, saving presets in Lightroom can be a game-changer for editing.
Whether you create your own or import them from others, presets can significantly reduce your editing time and help you discover new styles.
Remember to export your presets if you want to use them on another device or share them with others.
Upload your content to Instagram, enjoy more engagement, and get 10x your followers!
Give it a try and see how presets can enhance your photography!
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