Your Quick Guide to Lightroom Color Grading

Color grading can completely transform your photos, giving them mood, style, and personality. If you want to master color grading in Lightroom with presets, the first step is understanding how presets can save time and keep your edits consistent. Using Lightroom color grading presets can help you achieve professional results even if you’re just starting out.

The key to color grading isn’t just picking a preset and moving on. It’s knowing which colors to emphasize, how shadows and highlights interact, and how to tweak the overall mood without overdoing it. Once you grasp these basics, you can make any photo look cinematic, vibrant, or soft depending on your vision.

What is Color Grading in Lightroom?

Color grading is the process of adjusting the colors in your photo to set a specific tone or mood. Unlike basic color correction, which balances whites, blacks, and exposure, color grading focuses on artistic choices. For example, you can make shadows blue for a cold look, or lift midtones with warm hues for a sunny feel.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the color grading controls in Lightroom:

Color grading is not about copying someone else’s style. It’s about adjusting your photo so it tells a story visually. Even small tweaks can make a huge difference.

Using Presets to Speed Up Your Workflow

Lightroom presets are like starting points. They apply a pre-defined set of adjustments, saving you the hassle of tweaking each slider manually. Start by browsing presets that match your desired style. Once applied, you can fine-tune hue, saturation, luminance, and tone curves to match your image.

For instance, a preset designed for urban photography might push teal in shadows and orange in highlights. If your photo has different lighting, you can adjust the saturation or temperature slightly to make it work. Think of presets as a shortcut, not a final answer.

“The magic is not in the preset itself, but in how you adapt it to your photo.”

A 2023 Zenfolio report found that 41% of photographers cited editing as the task they wanted to spend less time on. (Source)

Fine-Tuning Color Grading Like a Pro

Once you apply a preset, check the following:

1. Skin tones: Make sure they look natural. Too much teal or red can make people look strange.
2. Shadows and highlights: Adjust luminance to prevent crushing dark areas or blowing out highlights.
3. Overall contrast: A slight tweak in tone curves can make your photo pop.
4. Consistency: If editing a series, make sure all photos have a coherent look.

These steps ensure your photos look professional and polished.

Choosing the Right Preset for Your Style

Not all presets work for every photo. Here are some general tips:

• Outdoor landscapes: Look for presets with vibrant greens and rich shadows.
• Portraits: Focus on soft highlights and natural skin tones.
• Street photography: Emphasize mood with slightly muted colors and contrast.

Experimenting with multiple presets helps you understand how colors affect mood. Over time, you’ll develop a sense of which adjustments enhance your personal style.

Quick Color Grading Tips

• Apply a preset that matches your photo’s lighting.
• Adjust hue, saturation, and luminance individually.
• Check skin tones for natural color.
• Fine-tune shadows and highlights using tone curves.
• Maintain consistency across similar shots.

These steps can get your photos from flat to dynamic in just a few minutes.

Color grading in Lightroom with presets is not about copying someone else’s style. It’s about making creative choices that bring your vision to life. By experimenting, adjusting, and understanding your presets, you’ll start seeing real improvement in your edits.

Whether you’re editing landscapes, portraits, or urban shots, the right approach will make your work stand out.

Learn more about Presets and Lightroom:

• Photo Color Grading Made Easy with Lightroom Presets
• Lightroom Color Grading for Newbies Using Presets
• 5 Reasons Interior Photographers Should Use Lightroom Presets
• Lightroom Color Grading for Newbies Using Presets