A powerful feature of Lightroom is its ability to save develop settings known as Presets so you can use them again later to edit other images. These presets will not only save you time but will also apply a consistent look to a set of images.

There are several different types of presets. We are going to learn how to quickly install the top three; Develop, Brushes and Export. All three use the extension lrtemplate and are cross platform; working the same on a Mac or a PC.

The quickest way to install a develop preset is to right mouse click on the preset inside the Finder (Mac) or explorer window (PC), select Open or Open with and chose Lightroom.

Unfortunately this doesn’t work for the Brushes and Export presets. Installing these take a few extra steps but is still easy.

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Macintosh

  1. Download and unzip the presets file and open the resulting folder.
  2. In this folder you will find the presets, they are the files with the .lrtemplate extension.
  3. Open Lightroom
  4. In top menu bar choose Lightroom>Preferences.
  5. A new window appears. Select the Presets tab.
  6. Click on the button labeled Show Lightroom Presets Folder.
  7. In the new Explorer window that appears open the Lightroom folder, and then open the following folders depending on the preset you are installing.
    1. Develop Presets folder. Copy and Paste develop presets into this location.
    2. Export Presets folder. Copy and Paste export presets into this location.
    3. “Local Adjustment Presets” folder. Copy and Paste adjustment brush presets into this location.
  8. Restart Lightroom.

Windows

  1. Download and unzip the presets file and open the resulting folder.
  2. In this folder you will find the presets, they are the files with the .lrtemplate extension.
  3. Open Lightroom
  4. In the top menu bar choose Edit>Preferences
  5. A new window appears. Select the Presets tab.
  6. Click on the button labeled Show Lightroom Presets Folder.
  7. In the new Explorer window that appears open the Lightroom folder, and then open the Develop Presets folder. Copy and Paste the presets folderintothislocation.
    1. Develop Presets folder. Copy and Paste develop presets into this location.
    2. Export Presets folder. Copy and Paste export presets into this location.
    3. “Local Adjustment Presets” folder. Copy and Paste adjustment brush presets into this location.
  8. Restart Lightroom

The new presets can be found in the following areas

  • The Develop preset now appears in the User Presets Group on the Preset area.
  • The Brush preset now appears in the Local Adjustment Presets under the effects drop down.
  • The Export preset now appears when you right click on an image and select export.

FREE Presets

The zip file contains 3 free presets.

  • Develop Preset – Temptation.lrtemplate
  • Export Preset – 1500 px Pick Folder.lrtemplate
  • Adjustment Brush – Soften Skin.lrtemplate

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