Here’s my eighth free Lightroom 5 preset, China Red. It isolates red in a photo while increasing the contrast to create a somewhat dramatic and focused effect. I’ve actually decided to post two versions — the first isolates red while allowing some orange tones to come through, while the second is identical except that it exclusively isolates red. In situations where there are people in a photo or when you might want to preserve the color in wood, the first is preferable. The second is great when you essentially want a black and white photo with just the red coming through.
I originally developed the set after a trip to China with MIT in 2011, and have since used it in many situations. It’s the type of preset that I use sparingly, but when the right opportunity comes up, it’s immediately obvious.
Here are the first few examples from Beijing and Hong Kong, using the first version of the preset:
Here are some examples of the second version that exclusively isolates red, from the Forbidden City and the 798 art district in Beijing:
Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: China Red
To install it in Lightroom, simply right click any preset, select import, and then select the downloaded preset file.