WHAT’S A PRESET? & What's The Point?

When I launched my preset collection I had no idea that this word, “Preset” was not more well known. Instagram has been around for a hot minute and I just figured everyone knew about them. & to be honest that is 100% ok. If you do not know what they are, no worries. This one is on me, but before I take a super big deep dive into what the heck is a preset and what’s the point in them I want to do a little PSA!

PSA!

NO!!! You do NOT have to have a preset. If you do not enjoy them, THEN MY FRIEND DON’T USE THEM. However, they are the perfect tool when it comes to keeping your feed cohesive and showing off your lifestyle, plus you can be super creative with them. 

Ok, what the heck is this thing you call a preset? Is it just a filter?

The legit definition by Dixie J Wilson - Presets are edits that you add over your photos to change the colors, shadows, highlights and basic editing features.

The normal definition and what most people see them as - They are Filters.

I do NOT believe they are filters, but why people call them filters it honestly makes sense, and I cannot be mad about that. Yes, they are filters but when it comes to presets I see them as more than that. They help you create the style you are trying to represent in your images. Filter is such a casual word for something that truly is a very useful tool. You wouldn’t call frosting on a cake, “oh it's just frosting.” NO … friend, THAT’S FROSTING! & it enhances that piece of cake to make it even better. However, just like frosting … if you do not enjoy adding a preset you do not have to use them. They are simply just great tools to achieve the look you are trying to pull off. Regardless of how sassy this paragraph sounded I am not anti-calling them filters, I just want to stress how useful they are.

WHAT’S THE POINT IN A PRESET.

Like the frosting example (if you do not like frosting let me know I’ll find another example for you. Ok! So, imagine a world without cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake. The red velvet cake is still good on it’s own, but the cream cheese frosting just adds to the deliciousness of the red velvet. The point in a preset is to either enhance, add to or create a style for your images.

When I say …

ENHANCE - I mean bring it to life, bring the colors and the lighting out to give more of a pop. For example my purples, the way I capture images the purple gets lost, but with my preset pulls the purples out tremendously.

ADD TO - I mean bringing something up or down. For example, in all images if I want to brighten an image I bring my shadows up first & most of my presets do this for me with one click. So, they either add more light or add more darkness.

CREATE A STYLE - I mean show off who you or your brand and business is. If you go to my instagram my style comes off light, airy and full of colors. I can create this style with the presets I have in place.

Most presets are one click, but all lighting and locations are different, so there will always have to be those times when you have to use the adjustments. & to show you what I mean by they are so much more than just a filter let me give you some examples below. 

Take this image for example. 

• This is straight out of my camera.

• Harsh Shadows

• Good Colors

This is truly a great flat lay. I adore this image, but this image also needs help. So, after shooting I will add a preset on them. In fact, I actually used my Brands & Business Preset.

Now look at this image…

• Crisp

• Bold Blues

• Soft Shadows

• Enhances the hat.

Okie, now before I show you this example I want you to notice a few things. Look really hard at the purples. Darker, Faded and not really popping. The preset I used is actually a mobile preset of what my main preset for my photography business looks like. Also, look at the shadows under my hat as well as the lighting. This is NOT from my camera, but from my iPhone. I used the DIXIE J ORIGINAL preset.

And the Lord said, “let there be light.” How vibrant are these purples. Also, did you notice how the shadows under my hat popped more? The preset helped with that.

Now, let’s look at the same preset, but in a different location. Cute Puppy Right? Ok. So nothing too terrible is wrong with this photo, but to be honest I like more lighter and airy photos. & if I was to post this photo it would be a major eye sore. So, before looking at the after, I want you to see the way it brought more life to my image as well as it brought more of my style out. I used the DIXIE J ORIGINAL preset.

Oh Man! The image not only is enhanced it is more cohesive with the style that I have for my social media. It will also flow better if I was to post it. The whites are crisp and you can even see the puppy’s eyes better. This shows off more of my light and airy style. Nothing was wrong with the first one. It just truly doesn’t match my style. This was also taken on an iPhone on a cloudy day in Ireland, we were only able to get so much light. So, the preset helped us do the rest.

Presets are not as scary as they sound. In fact with us living in such a digital day in age if a Preset doesn’t work on your image … THAT’S OK … just undo it. Start with one and work from there and as you get used to using it then find your style and really watch your image take shape.

** You use presets on the Lightroom Mobile app. **

You can also use them on VOSCO or Pic Monkey. All of my presets give you tips on how to use them and what to do if you are achieving a certain style. Even if you aren’t buying one look at the tips and tricks. However, be creative and extend grace to yourself as you are working with them! You will get there, I promise!

For all available Presets Head over to the Shop