Free Lightroom Presets

Seagull – Photography Archives

Posted on August 21, 2016August 21, 2016 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography, Photography Archives

I’ve recently begun going back through photos I’ve taken over the past ten years and carefully editing some of my favorites. Many of them are shots that I previously reviewed as part of a batch, and at the time didn’t give any one particular photo a meaningful amount of attention. In doing this, I’ve also begun building a portfolio at Shutterstock, one of the more popular stock photography websites. I view it as a bit of a challenge, as their technical requirements and standards are quite difficult to meet. Historically I’ve taken a more artistic approach to photo shooting and editing, and as I first submitted shots, most were rejected. Gradually I’m learning what I need to do to get them accepted,

Lightroom 5 Preset: Highland

Posted on January 3, 2015April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

It’s been over a year since I’ve added a new Lightroom 5 Preset. I’ve actually got quite a few new ones in the works, and over the next few months will plan to post them. Here’s my thirteenth preset: Highland. It’s a vintage looking filter, with nice oranges, reds, and browns. I’ve found that it’s often helpful to adjust highlights and exposure after using it. Below are some examples. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for all the support. A highland cow, which inspired the preset: An old Porsche that was parked outside my brother’s Vancouver apartment when I visited: A couple Mariachi’s waiting for the bus in Meixco City: And a few produce traders in New Delhi: Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: Highland

Happy New Year — Some Year End Website Stats

Posted on January 1, 2014January 1, 2014 by Sam Kornstein in Photography

Happy near year! Thanks to all my followers for continuing to support this site. While my written posts definitely declined in 2013 — in part due to a more intense schedule — I began providing Adobe Lightroom Preset downloads which drove quite a bit of traffic growth last year. I spent a little time today analyzing the data, looking at which presets were downloaded when, and came up with a few visuals to share. In total, there were over 44k free downloads of my presets in just over a year (this doesn’t count the subset of paid downloads). Here’s a high level interactive view across all the presets: Learn About Tableau Speakeasy, Behind the Scenes, and Bright Eyes were clearly

Lightroom 5 Preset: Iceberg

Posted on October 22, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

Here’s my twelfth Lightroom 5 Preset, Iceberg. I created this one when editing shots from Jökulsárlón in Iceland. It looks great on cold icy landscapes, with a low clarity setting making bright objects glow a bit. Here are some examples: Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: Iceberg To install it in Lightroom, simply right click any preset, select import, and then select the downloaded preset file.

Lightroom 5 Preset: Wild West

Posted on October 19, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in General, Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

Here’s my eleventh free Lightroom 5 preset, Wild West. I’d put it in the vintage photo category — it adds subtle sephia overtones and dulls the saturation. It seems to work best when there’s a subject in the foreground. It’s great for shots of people as well. Here are some examples: Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: Wild West To install it in Lightroom, simply right click any preset, select import, and then select the downloaded preset file.

Lightroom 5 Preset: Black & Blue

Posted on October 16, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

Here’s my tenth free Lightroom 5 preset, Black & Blue. I stumbled into it by accident when playing around with some shots from Iceland. It’s essentially a grainy black and white filter that keeps and enhances blues. To me, it has a surreal, cold, stark feel. Here are some examples: Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: Black & Blue To install it in Lightroom, simply right click any preset, select import, and then select the downloaded preset file.

Lightroom 5 Preset: China Red

Posted on April 21, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

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

Lightroom 5 Preset: Behind the Scenes

Posted on March 9, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

It’s been a while, but here’s my seventh free Lightroom 5 preset, Behind the Scenes. I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback on the first six, so thanks to everyone who’s given my presets a try. This one is actually quite similar to Speakeasy, but it brings out quite a bit more detail in the shadows, which is great for wildlife shots. Here’s my first example, a bird landing in the water: Some monkeys doing monkey things: And a tree in Boston’s esplanade: Here’s the download: Lightroom 5 Preset: Behind the Scenes To install it in Lightroom, simply right click any preset, select import, and then select the downloaded preset file.

Lightroom 5 Preset: Speakeasy

Posted on January 26, 2013April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets, Photography

Here’s my sixth free Lightroom 5 preset, Speakeasy. This one adds some slight enhancement, mostly sharpening, contrast, and vibrance, without changing the overall look and feel of the photo. It’s quite versatile, and I use it on a wide range of photos, usually when I’m not looking to get too creative, but want to remove haze and liven up a shot a bit. One thing I often tweak after using the preset is the exposure, especially if I want to get more contrast in a shot with some sky. Here’s the first example of the preset, a boulder on Mt. Cardigan: A dog on a street: A parrot up close: And a beach landscape taken in Puerto Viejo: Here’s the download:

Lightroom 5 Preset: Joshua Tree

Posted on December 30, 2012April 13, 2017 by Sam Kornstein in Lightroom 5 Presets

Here’s my fifth free Lightroom 5 preset, Joshua Tree. I’ve been very surprised by the positive responses I’ve gotten to my first four presets, which can be found in the ‘Lightroom 5 Presets’ section of my site. Thanks to everyone for downloading them. If any readers want to share either their own presets, or examples of presets I’ve posted, I’d be happy to include them in a post. This one has a bit of a vintage old photo tint, adds a vignette, and reduces the saturation while increasing vibrance and clarity. It’s fairly versatile, and I’ve used it on a wide range of shots. Here’s an example, which inspired the name, from Joshua Tree National Park: And here’s another. A horse drinking some