Okay, so how many of you read last issue’s column and either purchased Lightroom or downloaded a 30-day free trial? You can refer to that post for information about applying for the academic discount you qualify for as a homeschooler.

In the coming months we’ll cover many of the organizational and editing tools in Lightroom; however, this month I want to show you an easy way to get some amazing editing effects: Presets. The graphic above the title of this article is from the Lightroom interface and represents the five Lightroom modules. To edit your photos you will need to be in Develop (on my Mac, typing “D” takes me to the Develop module).

Creative:

• Aged Photo
• Antique Grayscale
• Antique Light
• B&W High Contrast
• B&W Low Contrast
• Cold Tone
• Cyanotype
• Direct Positive
• Selenium Tone
• Sepia

General:

• Auto Tone
• Grayscale
• Punch
• Zeroed

Sharpen:

• Landscapes
• Portraits

Tone Curve:

• Flat
• Strong Contrast

Don’t worry if you don’t understand all of these terms; just play with the Presets and see what you like.

One of the most important things to remember in Lightroom is that it provides a non-destructive workflow, meaning Lightroom doesn’t alter your original image. You can crop and edit to your heart’s content without worrying about overwriting your original.

Here’s an example of different effects created simply by using the Lightroom Presets. (I want to note here that when I use some of the Presets – Antique Photo, Antique Grayscale, Antique Light, B&W High Contrast, B&W Low Contrast, and Sepia – my photos are often overexposed, or too bright/light. I simply drag the Exposure slider on the right side of my screen to the left until the photo is properly exposed. It’s an easy fix.)

These effects are just a mouse-click away with Presets:
Original

Antique Light

Antique Grayscale

B&W High Contrast

Sepia

Beautiful and easy, aren’t they?

Although I love the built-in Lightroom Presets, most of my favorites are free downloads from Matt Kloskowski’s Lightroom Killer Tips blog (http://www.lightroomkillertips.com). Look in his sidebar under Browse Categories and just click the Presets tab to view his preset archives. You can view a sample of each Preset, and download it for free. Matt has even recorded a video on how to install Presets.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Suggestions for future columns? Email me at dawn@heartofthemattermagazine.com

Recommended Resources:

• http://digital-photography-school.com/8-sites-for-free-presets (8 Sites for Free Adobe Lightroom Presets)
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby (http://www.kelbytraining.com/product/adobe-photoshop-lightroom-20-book-for-digital-photographers.html)

Check out my article on page 44 of the funky flipbook edition of Heart of the Matter Magazine.

Dawn has been homeschooling her eight children–ages pre-K to college–since 1993. Her interests include photography, and both graphic and web design. She is the owner of Barefoot Blog Designs, and also blogs at My Home Sweet Home, her photoblog and The Homeschool Post.