The best presets for portrait photography
You click on a preset and suddenly the cheeks have a lot of color. Try another. Now the same person looks like they need to sit down. For me, that is the main question when choosing portrait presets: how much editing does this photo actually need?
The aim is to show the person. A preset can adjust skin tones, add a little warmth or lift the shadows. But I want to see a face first and think about the editing afterwards. Ideally, I won't think about the editing at all.
The right preset depends mainly on skin tone and light. A pack name can help you choose, but look at the photo in front of you too.
Start with red and orange
In a portrait, the red and orange channels in HSL deserve your attention. They have a considerable say in how the skin looks. HSL lets you adjust the hue, saturation and luminance of those colors. So you don't need to make the whole photo warmer or less saturated when only the skin needs adjusting.
Too much saturation in the reds can quickly look like sunburn. Take too much color out and the skin turns gray. I don't think either does much for a portrait. After applying a preset, look at the face first. Do the cheeks still look believable? Does the color look right for that person?
Make small adjustments and compare them with the original as you go. Your eyes get used to an edit, so a look back is useful. For a closer look at adjusting skin colors, read the skin tone editor explainer. But take it slowly. Not every slider needs moving.
Soft daylight and the studio
For a versatile starting point, I'd look at Portrait Soft for soft skin tones. This pack contains 10 presets, tested on light and dark skin. They work in daylight and under studio lighting. That makes it a sensible choice if you photograph different people and like to start with a gentle edit.
The idea is to keep things restrained. Skin can keep its color without that color taking over the photo. Start with a preset close to what you have in mind, then judge how much of it you need. A gentle edit doesn't have to be invisible. I mainly want the person to remain recognizable in the colors I choose.
For light to medium skin with a pink undertone, try Portrait Europe for skin with pink undertones. Its 8 presets suit diffused daylight and softbox lighting. If that's the combination of skin and light you're working with, this is a more specific starting point than a general-purpose pack.
Keep an eye on the reds here too. A pink undertone is allowed to be there. You don't need to remove it because you've somehow decided that all skin should be the same warm color.
Deep skin tones and golden undertones
For deep skin tones with orange to reddish-brown undertones, I'd start with Portrait Africa for deep skin tones. This pack contains 8 presets designed with shadow detail in mind. Look at the color in the brightest parts of the face, and check how much detail you can still see in the darker areas.
Keeping that shadow detail matters when choosing a preset. You need to see what it does to the skin, including where less light falls. Adding warmth isn't automatically the right next step. First, look at what's already there.
For skin with yellow to golden-orange undertones, have a look at Portrait Asia for yellow and golden-orange undertones. Its 8 presets use cool shadows to balance those tones. The pack includes options for high-key portraits and photos taken in warm evening light.
I'd build up the strength gradually, especially in that warm light. There's already warmth in the photo. It doesn't necessarily need another generous helping. The names Europe, Africa and Asia give you somewhere to start. Let the skin and the light in your photo decide.
A business headshot can still look like the person
For a business headshot or LinkedIn photo, I like to start with true-to-life colors. I don't think a face needs a strong color treatment to look professional. A good photo of the person seems a perfectly reasonable plan.
Office for business headshots and LinkedIn photos contains 8 presets with a neutral to slightly cool finish. The pack focuses on accurate color. It suits photos where you want to keep the editing understated without adding warmth to the skin.
Look at the whole portrait here too. Check the face, but remember the clothes and the background. You're choosing an edit for the photo as a whole. If the preset is making itself a little too obvious, reduce the strength. That won't make a business photo any less professional.
Try turning the strength down
My simplest advice: apply a preset, then turn the strength down to around 70 to 80%. Compare that with the full effect. Often, that small step back is just what you're after. A hundred percent is a setting, not an obligation.
All packs work in Lightroom and Capture One. Every download includes four strengths: 25, 50, 75 and 100%, in .xmp for Lightroom, .costyle for Capture One and .cube formats. You can start right away with the 75% version. If you like the direction but the effect still feels too strong, try 50%. Then make small adjustments to the photo itself.
Want to see how a preset fits into the way you edit? Download The Observer, a free pack with 3 presets. Apply it to a few of your own photos and compare the strengths. That will tell you more than looking at example photos alone.
Browse all portrait presets to choose a pack that suits your photos. Start with the skin and the light. And if you're torn between a little more editing and a little less, take one more look at the face.
