Photo presets (or presets) are files that contain a series of parameters for editing photos. If you load a preset into a photo editing program such as Adobe Lightroom or Capture One and apply it to a photo, various sliders are moved to the positions predefined by the preset. This changes the appearance of the photo.

Background: Presets in raw development and photo editing

In programs such as Lightroom, you have the option of developing the raw data of your photos or optimizing photos that have already been developed (for example in JPG format).

A crucial process here is the setting of various parameters that affect the exposure, contrast, clarity and color of your photos, among other things. There are numerous sliders available for this.

Depending on how and how much you move these sliders, you can make minor or major changes. In this way, you can work towards giving your photos a slightly stronger contrast. You can also use the settings to create a completely new look, for example by emphasizing warmer or cooler colors or adding vignettes.

A parameter set can now be saved as a preset. You also have the option of importing presets from other people.

How presets support you in your photo editing

Presets support you in photo editing in three ways:

• Photo series with a uniform look: Once you have found the parameters you want and want to apply them to more of your photos, save the parameter set as a preset. You can then apply the parameters defined in this way to other photos to create a uniform look across several photos.
• Thematic presets: As mentioned, you can use presets to create very specific looks, for example cooler winter or warmer summer looks. By building up a themed library of presets, you can access the appropriate parameters for new photos at any time.
• Importing presets: Presets can also be imported so that you can apply third-party presets to your photos. Hundreds of presets sorted by theme are available on TutKit.com. With their help, you can quickly and easily build up your own preset library.

Please note that presets and the presets stored in them always interact with the properties of your photo. This means, for example, that a color change in one photo can be much stronger than in another. It therefore often makes sense to adjust the parameters slightly to the conditions of the specific photo after applying a preset. With the help of presets, you can start directly with targeted settings that you can even adjust individually if necessary.