How to Create Lightroom Presets That Work Across Photos

Reviewed September 2026. A preset is a saved set of selected edit settings, not a universal numeric recipe. The exact slider values that look good on one photo may harm another.

Start with one look and a suitable source file

Choose a rights-cleared photo that represents the light and subject you normally edit. Fix any obvious exposure or white-balance problem before deciding what part of the look should repeat. In Lightroom Classic, experiment with the tone curve, color and other controls while comparing with the unedited file. Adobe explains the tone curve as a map from input tones to output tones; no single point setting recreates a named film stock across different source files.

Save a focused preset

In Lightroom Classic’s Develop module, open Presets, choose Add and create a new preset. Adobe’s preset guide lets you choose exactly which edit settings to include. Leave out exposure, white balance, lens-specific corrections and other controls when they need per-image decisions. Name the preset by its actual effect or lighting context, not by a promise of one-click completion.

Try three different editing directions

• Soft portrait: Begin with natural skin color, then test a gentle curve and restrained color grading. Check several skin tones and light sources before calling the look versatile.
• Colorful landscape: Balance bright sky and shaded foreground from the source detail you captured. Increase local or global color only enough to retain texture and avoid fluorescent foliage.
• Black and white: Adjust how different scene colors translate to gray, then inspect face, sky and background separation. Do not assume the same contrast works in hard midday sun and open shade.

These are directions for an edit, not downloadable presets with verified slider numbers. To publish an “actual slider values” tutorial, build and visually test examples in the app and show rights-cleared source/output pairs with the exact settings recorded.

Want to go further? The ShutYourAperture Academy’s Edit Like You Mean It: The Complete Lightroom Editing Course (10 modules, 42+ lessons) is built to help you learn to edit with a clear workflow, from catalog organization to color.

Test and export for the receiving app

Apply each saved preset to several photos from different lighting situations. Record needed fixes before deciding it is useful beyond the original image. Adobe’s Classic guide covers exporting custom presets; its current mobile guide allows individual XMP, DNG and lrtemplate imports after extracting a ZIP. A DNG wrapper is not the only mobile route. Check the exact files and installation before sharing or selling a pack.

Related on Shut Your Aperture: the complete Lightroom presets guide and free vs paid Lightroom presets: a fair test.