What are Lightroom presets and how do you use them

A Lightroom preset is a saved set of editing settings that you apply to a photo with a single click. Think exposure, contrast, colour tints, luminance, and sharpening. Instead of manually adjusting every photo, you save your preferred style as a preset and apply it to hundreds of photos at once.

Presets come in two formats: XMP files for Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw, and lrtemplate files for older versions. At fotografie-presets.nl we deliver the XMP format that works in all modern Adobe software.

Installation takes three steps: download the file, open Lightroom, go to the Develop module and import the XMP file via the gear icon next to Presets. The preset then appears in your panel and can be applied to any photo.

Presets are not a magic fix for everything. Good exposure when shooting remains the foundation. But when your exposure values are solid, a preset can completely transform the mood of a photo in a second.