Use Adobe’s Color Grading Presets for Stunning Photos in an Instant (VIDEO)
If you’ve yet to explore Adobe’s amazing color grading presets you’re missing out on a quick-and-powerful method for enhancing images to perfection. The quick video below from photographer Aaron Nace explains how to add these “essential” tools to your everyday workflow.
Nace is best known for his PHLEARN YouTube channel that’s an extremely popular online resource for Lightroom and Photoshop users. In less than four minutes you’ll see his favorite way to access “premium” presets, learn how to turn your image into a Smart Object, and make use of seasonal and cinematic effects.
He’s working in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and the first step is making the image a Smart Object. Make sure your background layer is selected, then click on the Layer tab atop the screen and select Smart Objects from the dropdown menu that appears. Then choose Convert to Smart Objects in the next panel of options. You can change the settings at any time.
Now tap on the Filter tab in the toolbar and choose the Camera Raw Filter option in the subsequent dropdown. You’ll now notice a long list of presets for numerous effects on the right side of the screen. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and you’ll find the various color grading options that Nace describes.
What make this technique super simple is that you can see how your image changes by hovering over the presets until you find one that suits your fancy. Then you can control the amount of the effect by dragging a slider to the left or to the right.
Ready for the magic? Click OK in the bottom right corner of the screen when you like what you see, and that applies this as a Smart Filter which is visible in the panel on the right—enabling to turn it off (or back on) if you decide to try a different preset and compare the two (or more).
Be sure to visit the popular PHLEAN YouTube channel and join the two million subscribers who rely upon Aaron’s many how-to videos.
And don’t miss our tutorial with another post-processing expert who says that your photo edits be failing because there are seven common Lightroom tools and techniques that you’re using wrong.
