Surf

Surf is the cool, faded side of a day by the sea. Early morning, when it is grey and there is salt in the air, and the beach still belongs to no one. The look feels soft and muted, with matte blacks and subdued colours, as if a thin haze lies over the image.

Here is what the preset does: a cool fade comes over the photo, with the blacks lifting and the contrast staying low. The colours are muted and lose their sharpness, so the image looks calm and filmic. Nothing is hard, nothing is bold. The result has that salty, early-morning mood that brings an empty coast to mind.

The look suits surfers, surf and overcast coastal mornings. A silhouette in the water, foam running out over the sand, a grey sea under a heavy sky. Quiet portraits or walking scenes on mornings like these also pick up that cool, faded tone.

You choose Surf when you want calm and a filmic fade, without bold colours or hard contrast. The lifted blacks give the image something soft and timeless, which works well with grey light that still needs to say something. On a bright, sunny day one of the clearer presets in this pack suits better.

A practical tip: shoot in overcast or early light, because the look expects a soft, even scene. Hard sun fights the matte blacks and breaks the mood. After applying it, watch your darkest areas and do not let them lift completely if you want to keep a little depth. A fraction of black at the bottom of the frame gives the fade something to sit against.