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The purpose of portrait photography is to capture the unique likeness, character, and personality of an individual or group of people. It involves using various techniques such as lighting, posing, and post-processing to create a visually compelling image. Portrait photography can be used for both personal and professional purposes, including headshots, family portraits, and advertising photography. The goal is to create an image that leaves a lasting impression of the subject.
When it comes to portrait photography, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes it takes some coaxing to show its true colors. And by coaxing, we mean editing. While we have a lot of tech at our disposal (and it has come far), our cameras may not quite capture the essence of the moment and all the little things that make it magical – sometimes, you may need a Lightroom preset to do that for you.
To help you create perfect portraits every time, take a look at the Lightroom presets we have for you here. You’ll get plenty of options to create authentic and unique moods your followers and clients will love. From Lightroom presets inspired by Instagram effects and sepia tones to presets for bright and colorful portraits, you’ll get plenty to pick from.
Some of these Lightroom preset collections for portrait photography even offer such diverse filters that you can download and reuse them for years! They’ll be the perfect addition to your standard editing kit, and the best part is that you can get everything done with just a few clicks. Say goodbye to lengthy and arduous editing processes, and scroll down to meet your perfect Lightroom portraiture match!
What is Portrait Photography?
Portrait photography focuses on capturing the essence and personality of an individual or a group of people.
The primary objective of portrait photography is to highlight the subject’s features, emotions, and character through carefully composed images. Key aspects of portrait photography include:
- Subject Focus: The subject is the central focus of the photograph. Portraits aim to reveal the subject’s unique qualities, expressions, and emotions.
- Composition: The composition is carefully chosen to emphasize the subject. Elements like framing, background, and lighting play a crucial role.
- Connection & Expression: Successful portraits capture genuine emotions, expressions, and interactions that reflect the subject’s personality.
- Posing: Posing techniques are used to create flattering angles, enhance features, and convey a desired mood or feeling.
- Lighting: Lighting is critical in portrait photography. Different lighting setups create varying moods and highlight specific aspects of the subject.
- Environmental Portraits: Environmental portraits incorporate the subject’s surroundings to provide context and tell a story about the individual.
- Candid Portraits: Candid portraits capture subjects in natural and unposed moments, showcasing authenticity and spontaneity.
- Studio & Outdoor Settings: Portraits can be taken in controlled studio environments with artificial lighting or natural outdoor settings with available light.
- Post-Processing: Post-processing techniques like retouching, color correction, and enhancing details are often applied to enhance the final portrait using an application like Lightroom.
- Various Styles: Portrait photography includes a range of styles, from traditional and formal to lifestyle and fashion, and creative conceptual portraits.
- Group Portraits: Group portraits involve photographing multiple people together, requiring careful attention to composition and ensuring everyone looks their best.
Portrait photography captures the human essence, telling stories through facial expressions, gestures, and interactions. It’s a photography genre that requires strong interpersonal skills as photographers work to establish a connection with their subjects and create images that reflect their unique identities.
Skin Retouching with Portrait Lightroom Presets
The below Lightroom presets offer a range of adjustments to smooth skin texture, improve tone, and reduce blemishes without overdoing it. They simplify the often intricate process of skin retouching, making it accessible to photographers of all skill levels.
You can achieve natural-looking, flawless skin in your portrait photos with just a few clicks. These presets will save you time and ensure consistent results, allowing your subjects to shine without distracting imperfections.
Our Favorite Preset Collection for Portraits
Stylish Portrait Pro Lightroom Preset
Bright and stylish, these Lightroom presets are perfect for professional portrait photography as well as inexperienced bloggers and influencers. Your photos will get a bright, airy, and glossy atmosphere that’s perfect for highlighting the beauty of your models. This incredible collection offers 11 Lightroom presets for portrait photography.
Best Lightroom Presets for Portrait Photographers
Lomography Lightroom Presets
You don’t need an analog camera to get stunning results! Give your photos an authentic and vintage feel with Lomography, a collection of 11 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. These beautifully toned Lightroom presets are perfect for professional photoshoots, as well as portfolio and social media photography.
Slumberland Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
Slumberland is a Lightroom preset that delivers a light, airy look for your portrait photos. This preset is especially useful if you have shadowy, dark images that you want to enhance and elevate to new heights. Try it out for fresh summer shots, album cover portraits, and other creative projects where you want to add a touch of lightness and vibrancy to your photos.
Lightroom Presets for Portraits
Create diverse and beautiful portraits with these Lightroom presets for portrait photography. You’ll get 14 presets that will help you create flawless and professional results, no matter the lighting. From black and white to minimalist presets, you’ll get plenty of options for the perfect shot!
Contrast Noir Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
Contrast Noir is the free preset that challenges the misconception that black and white portraits are dull and uninspiring. By enhancing contrasts, this preset adds a stylish touch that makes portrait subjects stand out from their backdrops.
Tangerine Portrait Presets for Lightroom
Stunning and authentic, Tangerine portrait presets for Lightroom are a fantastic choice. You’ll get 20 portrait presets that play with golden and warm tones and give your photos a matte vibe with quick editing in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. They’re great for professionals and newbies alike!
Cosmic Dancer Lightroom Preset (Free)
Cosmic Dancer is a versatile Lightroom preset, designed to enhance the colors and make them pop in portrait photography. This preset is perfect for adding a bit of excitement to your flatter images, making them stand out and catch viewers’ attention.
Portrait Matte Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
If you’re looking for a touch of retro styling for your portraits, look no further than the Portrait Matte preset. This preset delivers exactly what you’re after, with warm, matte tones applied throughout. It is perfect for warming up colors while keeping them soft and visually appealing.
Scarlet Fantasy Lightroom Presets
Bring out the right tone in your photos to create a unique feeling with Scarlet Fantasy, a collection of 16 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. You’ll get five toning presets for cold, warm, and sepia tones, as well as 11 preset variations that optimize saturation, contrast, and exposure.
Seeped in Sepia Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
The timeless, brown and yellow faded sepia tones often found in old and historic photos can now be added to your modern portraits. With this free Lightroom preset, it’s easy to achieve this classic style in just a few clicks. These presets offers a range of options to choose from, whether you’re looking to create a vintage look or add warmth to your photos.
This sepia preset helps you do just that, applying vintage shades to any photo in Lightroom.
Natural Portrait Lightroom Presets
Perfect for enhancing the natural beauty of your models, these Lightroom presets for portrait photography offer flawless results. You’ll get 60 professional Lightroom presets, so this collection is an excellent addition to your standard editing kit. They’re perfect for portrait, social media, blog, and fashion photography.
Take a Vow Lightroom Preset (Free)
Wedding photos are some of the most memorable portraits you’ll ever capture, and they deserve the best possible editing treatment. Our Take a Vow preset is tailor-made for wedding shots, helping the happy couple stand out by fading background colors to avoid distractions.
Burgundy Lightroom Presets
Give your photos a rich and deep atmosphere with Burgundy, a collection of 14 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. These presets bring out the fantastical reds in your photos and create a stunning and authentic vintage atmosphere. These Lightroom presets are perfect for portfolio photography and establishing a distinct style!
Hopscotch Portrait Lightroom Preset (Free)
Looking for a bold styling for your portrait photos? The Hopscotch Lightroom preset can deliver just that. Whether you’re looking to create funky, artsy shots or enhance the color of your shots, Hopscotch offers a range of options to choose from.
Natural Light Portrait Lightroom Presets
If you leveraged natural light for your portrait shots, you’ll love these Lightroom presets! Made with natural lighting in mind, these 30 Lightroom presets give your photos an airy and warm feeling. They’re perfect for professional shoots, as well as portfolios and social media.
Limograph B&W Portrait Lightroom Preset (Free)
Classy and elegant black-and-white portraits never go out of style, but shooting in black and white can limit your creative options. With the Limograph Lightroom preset, you can convert your color photos into black and white later and preserve your creative flexibility.
Aurum Portrait Lightroom Presets
No glitter, but plenty of gold! Aurum is a stunning collection of 14 presets and their variations for portrait photography. They’ll give your photos a color and warmth boost, no matter the conditions. Aurum presets make every photo beautiful, even if it was shot in a cold studio.
Shadowze Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
For a black-and-white portrait preset that emulates the look and feel of film photography, look no further than Shadowze. This Lightroom preset presents photos in a high-contrast yet flat way, without many sharp tones, making it ideal for any subject.
Vintage Portrait Free Lightroom Preset (Free)
Vintage-styled images can be colorful, stunning works of art that are far from uninteresting. Transform your photos into just that with this free Vintage Portrait Lightroom preset. This preset makes full use of yellow and orange tones for a classic, bright look that’s impossible to match with a camera alone.
Yolk Portrait Lightroom Presets
Add a dash of gold to your standard portrait photography with Yolk, a collection of 31 Lightroom presets. From natural tones that enhance professional photoshoots to presets that turn every photo into a masterpiece of fine art, there’s plenty to pick from in this stunning preset collection.
80 Portrait Lightroom Preset Bundle
The ultimate bundle for all your portrait photography Lightroom needs! You’ll get 80 presets for rich and moody, vintage black and white, as well as glossy editorial and magazine atmospheres. These presets aren’t destructive, and you can easily add them to your photos for stunning results.
Romantic Autumn Lightroom Presets
Convey the romantic and cozy atmosphere of autumn with these Lightroom presets. This beautiful collection offers 20 Lightroom presets for portrait photography, with effects that vary from soft and matte shades to presets with dramatic and deep orange tones. There’s plenty to pick from for your next shoot!
Instagram Portrait Lightroom Presets
Turn your original shots into works of art with these Instagram portrait Lightroom presets. You’ll get 11 Lightroom presets that work like a charm for a variety of images, conditions, and lighting environments. You can easily adjust the effects to suit your preferences and create a consistent style.
10 Portrait Lightroom Presets Ver.1
Save time and get gorgeous, consistent results with these 10 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. These presets offer gentle improvements to your original shots that beautifully convey the unique atmosphere of each moment. You can easily edit the effects to suit your style, and give your original images more depth.
Modern Portrait Lightroom Presets
Bright, airy, and glossy, these modern Lightroom presets for portrait photography are fit to appear on the cover of Vogue! You’ll get 30 Lightroom presets that work beautifully for a variety of different shoots, and guarantee stunning results. You can also use them for fashion and wedding photography.
Flowerage Portrait Lightroom Presets
Let your viewers immerse themselves in the nostalgic atmosphere of your photos with Flowerage, a collection of 24 portrait photography Lightroom presets. They adjust the colors to give your original shots a hipster vintage feeling. You can use them for various photos since they offer different brightness and lighting variations.
Pro Portrait & VSCO Lightroom Presets
Mimic the charm of VSCO at scale with these professional portrait and VSCO Lightroom presets. This collection offers 12 Lightroom presets that will give your standard portrait shots additional depth and moody atmospheres for highly-artistic results. These Lightroom presets are perfect for professional shoots, as well as distinguished portfolio photography.
Pro Portrait & Film Lightroom Presets
Give your photos a unique and artistic feel with these professional Lightroom presets for portrait photography. These 16 presets offer a film-like look for your photos. The effects range from faded and grainy to soft and smooth filters. They’re perfect for pro photography, social media, and magazines.
Great Portrait Lightroom Presets
Diverse and authentic, these Lightroom presets offer phenomenal options for your portrait photography editing. You’ll get all the must-have filters and effects, from faded matte to soft filters enhancing your models’ creamy skin. There are 14 Lightroom presets in this pack, and you’ll love the results!
Blacktone Black & White Lightroom Presets
There’s nothing like B&W to add drama to your photos or showcase the emotions lying underneath. These portrait photography Lightroom presets offer ten black and white filters. From sepia-infused tones to bright filters, you’ll get everything you need to turn your photos into works of art.
Deeptone Lightroom Presets
Add depth to your photos with Deeptone, a collection of 8 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. They’ll give your photos a moody atmosphere. The presets range from cold greens to neutral and warm tones, so there’s plenty to create a beautiful photo clients will love.
Flora Lightroom Presets
Flora is a collection of 4 fine-tuned and artistic Lightroom presets, perfect for outdoor portrait photography. You’ll get four preset options, named after seasons, that work like a charm for creating unique atmospheres and bring the best out of lush, green settings. They work best with natural light!
Retrochrome Lightroom Presets
Retrochrome is a collection of vintage-inspired Lightroom presets perfect for portrait and family photography. It offers beautiful toning for photos you want to radiate a nostalgic and warm atmosphere. You’ll get 17 retro chrome presets, as well as variations to match your original photos’ settings, conditions, and lighting.
Fairytale Lightroom Presets
It’s time to tell an incredible story with your photos! Use these 11 Lightroom presets that convey a dark fairytale atmosphere. Every preset is editable, so you can customize them to fit your vision (and settings). These are really unique presets that will look amazing in your portfolio!
Magazine Lightroom Presets
If you want to give your portraits a glossy touch, you’ll love these 50 Lightroom presets for portrait photography. You’ll get presets inspired by Kodachrome, Hermes’ red and orange tones, nostalgic filters, and other styles seen in magazines. You can even use them for videos!
How to Install a Portrait Lightroom Preset
Installing portrait presets in Lightroom enhances your portrait editing process, providing a consistent and polished look across your portrait photography portfolio. Here’s how to install them in Lightroom:
- Download Presets: Download one of the portrait presets from this page.
- Open Lightroom: Launch Lightroom and navigate to the Develop module.
- Create Presets Folder: Right-click on an existing preset folder in the left panel and create a new one called “Portrait Presets.”
- Import Presets: Right-click the new folder, select “Import,” and pick the .xmp preset files you downloaded.
- Apply Presets: Open a portrait photo, access the Presets panel, and click a portrait preset to apply it.
- Adjust as Needed: Fine-tune settings to match the unique characteristics of each portrait.
- Batch Edit: Consistently edit multiple portrait images using the same preset.
Create Memorable Portraits With Lightroom Presets
Highlight the subtle nuances that make your shots magical with these Lightroom portrait photography presets. From presets that create dark and rich moods by bringing out the reds and the browns in your original shots to presets that create a fizzy aesthetic more glamorous than a glass of champagne, these Lightroom presets for portrait photography offer endless options.
It’s up to you to pick the perfect preset for your next project(s). At the end of the day, you’ll get stunning results. And no matter the lighting or the conditions, you’ll be able to create the exact scene you originally set out to create.
And once you share your beautiful work with the world – be that in your portfolio or on your social media – you’ll have no problem attracting even more clients who want your magic to themselves.