Adobe Lightroom has evolved into the virtual darkroom where photography magic happens, with presets (or filters) playing the leading role.
These digital editing shortcuts transform hours of meticulous slider adjustments into single-click operations that breathe new life into otherwise forgettable snapshots.
While smartphone photographers rely on basic Instagram filters that offer all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, Lightroom presets provide the fine-tuned precision of a master jeweller’s tools.
Table of Contents
What are Lightroom presets and why photographers can’t get enough
Lightroom presets, sometimes accidentally called filters, are essentially saved editing recipes that can be applied to any photo with a single click. Unlike basic mobile app filters, Lightroom presets are sophisticated combinations of numerous adjustments working in harmony. Each preset contains settings that simultaneously modify exposure, contrast, colours, tone curves, and dozens of other parameters.
These digital editing formulas work much like a chef’s signature recipes – they combine multiple ingredients in exact proportions to achieve a specific result. The magic of presets lies in how they maintain image quality while completely changing the mood of a photograph, turning a drab landscape into a dramatic vista or a standard portrait into a magazine-worthy image.
For photographers who shoot hundreds of images per session, presets become the difference between spending days editing and finishing the job before the kettle boils. They’re less like Instagram’s one-size-fits-all filters and more like having a professional photo editor living inside your computer, ready to apply your favourite editing style in milliseconds.
It’s one of those features that make Lightroom’s subscription fees less of a hard pill to swallow.
Using Lightroom presets like a pro, not a try-hard
Applying a preset is straightforward – select your image, find the Presets panel, and click your chosen style. However, using presets effectively requires understanding they’re more like a starting point than a final destination.
After applying a preset, savvy photographers make adjustments in the Basic panel to optimise exposure, highlights, and shadows for each specific image. The Tone Curve panel allows for fine-tuning contrast, while the HSL panel enables targeted colour adjustments to ensure elements like skin tones don’t end up looking like a fake tan gone wrong. And Photoshop is also on hand for pixel-precision edits.
A classic rookie mistake involves cranking presets to maximum intensity, resulting in photos that scream “heavily filtered” louder than a teenager’s first Instagram account. Professional photographers use presets more subtly, adjusting their impact to complement each image’s unique qualities rather than overwhelming them.
Another common error involves ignoring the original conditions of the photo. Applying a sun-drenched beach preset to a moody forest scene will likely produce results about as natural as a koala in Antarctica.
Understanding which presets work with different photography styles helps maintain consistent, high-quality results that don’t look like they’ve been attacked by a random filter generator.
Creating your own Lightroom presets without breaking a sweat
Creating custom Lightroom presets begins with editing a photo until it reflects your preferred aesthetic. This process starts by selecting a representative image and making adjustments in the Develop module. These adjustments should capture your personal style, whether that’s bright and airy like a summer’s day or dark and moody like a Tim Burton film set.
To save these settings as a preset, locate the Presets panel on the left side and click the plus icon. A dialog box appears where you can name your creation and select which adjustments to include. Including most adjustments is typically best, though excluding specific image-dependent settings like exposure corrections helps create more versatile presets.
When crafting presets, developing a consistent theme or style helps build a recognisable brand. Many preset creators develop their signature style through unique combinations of colour grading and tone curves, much like how a musician might be recognised by their distinctive sound regardless of which song they’re playing.
Turning preset wizardry into cold hard cash
The market for Lightroom presets has exploded faster than a smartphone release day queue, with some photographers earning substantial passive income from selling their editing formulas. According to one photographer in our research, preset sales generated over 100,000 in revenue even with minimal marketing effort.
The business model appeals to photographers because it creates genuine passive income – once developed, the same digital product can be sold repeatedly without additional work, unlike photography sessions that require showing up with camera in hand. Many established photographers discover followers who admire their distinctive editing style are eager to achieve similar results, creating a ready-made market.
Successful preset sellers focus on creating distinctive, high-quality editing formulas that produce consistent results across various images. They typically package these presets into themed collections with catchy names that would make a marketing executive proud, such as “Summer Glow,” “Moody Minimalist,” or “Vintage Film Vibes”.
These collections often price anywhere from $10 for a single preset to $200 or more for comprehensive packages that promise to transform ordinary photos into social media gold.
Selling your Lightroom presets: A step-by-step guide
The journey from preset creator to digital entrepreneur begins with developing a marketable product. This means creating presets that not only look good on your portfolio images but work effectively across diverse photos. Testing presets on various subjects and lighting conditions helps ensure customers won’t feel like they’ve bought a digital lemon.
After perfecting your presets, exporting them from Lightroom is the next step. Navigate to your preset folder (Lightroom helpfully hides this in different locations depending on your operating system, because why make things simple?). Select the presets you want to sell and package them into a ZIP file for easy distribution, including clear installation instructions that even your technology-challenged relatives could follow.
When choosing selling platforms, creating your own website gives maximum control and profit margins. Services like Sellfy make setting up a digital product store simpler than assembling flat-pack furniture, with none of the leftover mystery screws.
For those preferring established marketplaces, options include Etsy, which charges listing fees plus 6.5% transaction fees, or FilterGrade, which takes a very hefty 50% commission for free members, but offers access to a photography-focused audience.
Effective marketing requires showcasing before-and-after examples that demonstrate your presets’ transformative powers. Instagram serves as the natural habitat for such demonstrations, where visual content thrives like bacteria in a petri dish.
Creating tutorials that walk potential customers through the transformation process can also drive interest and convince fence-sitters that your presets offer more value than their morning coffee habit.
Mind you, this is what everyone else does. If you want to really stand out in a crowded field, you will need a marketing strategy that is uniquely you.
The finishing touches: Building a preset business that lasts
Setting the right price point requires balancing perceived value against market expectations. Researching competitors helps establish a benchmark, though undercutting solely on price rarely proves sustainable long-term.
Most successful preset sellers compete on quality and uniqueness rather than attempting to win a race to the bottom on pricing.
Presentation matters almost as much as the presets themselves. Professional-looking preview images, well-designed packaging graphics, and clear documentation separate premium products from amateur offerings. Including bonus content like video tutorials or complementary assets can increase perceived value and justify higher price points.
For photographers looking to diversify their income, preset sales offer an attractive opportunity with relatively low barriers to entry. The initial investment involves primarily time rather than money, making it accessible to photographers at various career stages.
With strategic marketing and quality products, what begins as a side project can potentially grow into a significant revenue stream that pays bills long after the initial creation work is complete.
PS: Not ready to invest in Lightroom just yet, and you just want something simple to edit your photos with? Check out these free Lightroom alternatives.
