Need help?
A Guide to Post-Processing Presets
Kamera Express
Presets: a starting point for an even more beautiful photo
Lightroom users will certainly recognise it: the menu on the left side of the screen with the presets. Apply one to a photo and, with a single click, your image subtly – or radically – changes: darker, lighter, black and white, with vibrant colours or more muted. These are presets. Adobe came up with them. But you can also create them yourself and even sell them. And that is exactly what Liselotte Fleur and Eric van Vuuren do.
Both photographers, based in Rotterdam, have long been active on social media. “We received a lot of questions from followers on Instagram about how we edit our photos,” Eric explains. “We wanted to explain it, but we got so many questions that answering them almost became a full-time job.” That’s why they decided to launch presetgallery.com. Here, various packs are offered, tailored to the location where the photos were taken (Rome, Barcelona) or the genre you shoot in (automotive, fashion).
Who are Liselotte and Eric?
Liselotte Fleur and Eric van Vuuren have both been working in photography for 10 years. Liselotte has been photographing since she was 14 and draws inspiration from both perfection and imperfection. “I love capturing models naturally in my photos, so they tell a story.” She is always on the lookout for small surprises in her images.
Eric van Vuuren started as an automotive photographer, working among others for Autovisie, but in recent years he has focused on film. Clients increasingly ask for it. He produces shoots all over the world for several major car brands and various media outlets.
The potential of RAW
“Using presets isn’t lazy,” Eric states. “Of course, it’s easy to adjust your entire photo with one click. But we always say: it’s a starting point.” Liselotte adds: “Continue adjusting your contrast and colours yourself.” If a preset does one thing, it’s showing you the potential your (RAW) file has. “You’re already well on your way, but it never hurts to see whether a bit more contrast or a little less saturation results in an even better photo for you.”
On his laptop, Eric shows what he means: a landscape photo that everyone probably recognises from their own holiday folder on their computer. The sky is a pale blue, the forest looks slightly greyish and the beach is dull yellow. “If you see this, you think: ‘That’s not how it looked when I was there.’” Eric clicks on the photo after applying the preset: the sky suddenly pops, the green reveals far more shades than before and the beach sand instantly becomes as yellow as you remember from your holiday.
Mobile and at home
The duo make full use of their own presets. “Ideal,” says Liselotte. “When we travel for a shoot, we often start editing right away. The presets also work with Lightroom CC, the mobile version of Lightroom Classic. A large part of the work is already done – and posted on social media – by the time we get home. And if it’s not finished, we simply continue in Lightroom at home where we left off.”
The great thing about such a pre-programmed setting is that you can instantly give an entire series of photos from a shoot the same look. Their presets have a very accessible style; they are never extreme. “We want everyone to enjoy them.”
Workflow
Eric and Liselotte each develop their own presets. Liselotte handles the fashion side, Eric the automotive side. These are not random choices. Eric is mainly active in automotive as a photographer and videographer. Liselotte is a fashion photographer. Each genre has its own moods and colours, just like the cities the duo have visited. They try to translate the atmosphere and feeling they experienced into the presets.
Eric: “When we’re done creating a preset, we test it on different photos.” Then they swap results: Liselotte tries Eric’s presets and vice versa. Their mutual feedback is incorporated and only when both are completely satisfied (“extensive testing and tweaking”) do the presets go on sale.
Eric: “Editing is 50% of your photo”
Buyers of the presets come from all over the world. “We even sell to people in the US and Mexico.” They are often beginner photographers and Instagram followers who have Lightroom installed but don’t yet know the program in depth. “For them too, a preset is a starting point,” says Liselotte. More advanced photographers use the presets as a base and then give them their own twist. “We see that reflected in their feed. It’s great to see what they create with them.”
The presets work on both JPGs and RAW files. Both advise everyone to shoot in RAW. These files contain far more (colour) information than JPGs, which allows the presets to shine much more. Eric: “If your camera has the option to shoot in RAW, use it. RAW really has only one downside, and that’s file size. After editing, you can save them in the highest quality as a JPG and upload them to your Instagram feed or Facebook timeline. That gives the best results.”
