ikejr

It's fun and time saving to use commercially created Lightroom presets, but I don't find that they look as good as advertised and some look down right awful. Has anyone else had this experience?

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I've seen the same in On1. They can be useful starting points for some things, though.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Presets are made by someone for their camera and lens.... Which may not be exactly like yours, they may be close and a good starting point... Learn how to create and save presets using your equipment.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Can't really say because all the ones I use are my own, but maybe you're not using them right, as I guess that ones that are published for purchase should provide real benefits to the users!

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I find them a starting point. Yes I could create my own, but since some one else did it, it save me time

Deanie1113

I've never found a LR preset I liked and have deleted the many that I have purchased. They are always to someone else's taste tailoring the preset to their camera and lens. Purchased Photoshop actions are a different story since they can be much more easily tailored to what YOU like.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I use them sparingly, and I find that they are simply a starting point--they all need tweaked to get the look I want. I just watched a video last night, made by one who sells his presets. He stated that they are starting points that do a lot of the preliminary work for you, but they are not meant to be the end product. They are a quick way to get to the look you want to finish.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

They try to appease the masses. Your trash may be their treasure and vise-versa. I tend to use them more for B&W than color.

What does look as good as advertised? :)

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I have my own routines that work for me. I've never found a preset for Lightroom or Photoshop (action) that I would seriously use to forestall my own work.

Vince68 Loc: Wappingers Falls, NY

Presets are a starting point. Very rarely will you find that applying a preset that someone else has created when applied to a photo you took will yield a finished image to your liking. Most of the photographers that create and sell presets have a specific style of shooting and a certain look they want to their finished work, so that is how their presets are created. Also, camera settings and other factors come into play when applying someone else's presets to your photos.

If you were to purchase a preset pack of different presets that someone else created, look at different ones to see which one fits your image the best. Then you can tweak the settings in the develop module from there as you are processing your image. If you get the look you want from that preset, you can then save it as your own preset in Lightroom as a "New Preset" by clicking the + sign in the Presets Folder, then click create preset, and give it a name. By creating a new preset, you won't overwrite the one you purchased, which may look better on a different image at another time.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

The more I've tried them, the more I've decided my own tweaks work better. Very occasionally I find one of those presets that are just right.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

It's a little like getting your first SLR and shooting jpg in program Mode - a pace to start. After while you notice dial with the Tv, A, M, and switch to raw. :) :)

Flyerace Loc: Mt Pleasant, WI

I learned a lot from using presets. I really favor Tray Ratcliff's offerings. We must have similar tastes in some areas. But the big thing I found was, if I liked a preset, I looked at the adjustment panel and saw what he had done. I would note it and then try to use similar settings. Then tweeked them until I liked them the best. I do have quite a few that I developed because I don't own any others that deal with certain settings (indoor decoration, night time shots) It is a value to me to have these presets. I download freebies and if I have use for them, I keep them.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

When you look at other people's photos you will see lots of 'effects'. Some you like and some you don't. Same with a lot of PP - some looks natural some does not.
You can get presets as stand alone for many popular pp programs..These are often made by 'users' as an income stream. (the more the better for them)

If you like a particular 'effect' you will appreciate that this only works for certain images. Its use is probably either infrequent or needs tweeking often. If that is the case - is it not better to learn 'how to achieve that effect' yourself rather than constantly adjust someone else's work?

LR allows you to create as well as store presets.

Personally I think my images should be the result of my attempts at PP. Each is an individual expression. But, each to their own.