Tips & Learn — Presets Lab
Tips & Learn
Learn. Improve. Create.
A curated space for learning, built for creators who value precision. Each tip is a small step toward cleaner edits, smarter color, and sharper visual storytelling. Presets Lab is the next step
but first, we give you value .
How it works: pick a category below open a card read the guide in a clean modal.
📷 Shooting in field
✨ Lightroom desktop & mobile
🎨 Color Grading look design
⚙️ Workflow pro speed
💼 Business digital sales
⬇️ Free Downloads tools
📷 Shooting
Shooting
Cars: five “hero” angles that just work
Front-3/4, Low Side, Rear-3/4, Detail, Rolling.
Shooting
Clean motion blur without a tripod
1/30–1/60s , panning + burst.
Shooting
Harsh light? Use it, don’t fight it
Lines, grills, speculars: embrace contrast.
Shooting
2-minute pre-shoot checklist
Batteries, lens clean, profiles, backup.
✨ Lightroom
Lightroom
Desktop ➜ Mobile: export your look
From XMP to DNG in 3 steps.
Lightroom
Ready-made cinematic S-curve
Lift blacks + mid contrast + gentle rolloff.
Lightroom
Color Mixer: 80% of the look in 6 sliders
Target skies & metals, keep skin safe.
Lightroom
Car masks: tame reflections
Subject + Luminance selections.
🎨 Color Grading
Color
Teal-Orange, the modern way
Cool shadows, warm mids/highs, neutral whites.
Color
“Moody Clean” without mud
Black floor + micro-contrast.
Color
Uniform skies: no banding
Soft gradients + a hint of noise.
Color
From dark shot to poster-ready
3 moves for clean 10×15 prints.
⚙️ Workflow
Workflow
Pro import: naming & backup fast
Folder schema + auto rename.
Workflow
Smart culling with flags/ratings
1★ almost-ok, 2★ fix, 3★ final.
Workflow
Presets as starting points
Local tweaks = personality.
Workflow
Export for web without mush
Output sharpen + sRGB + 2560px.
💼 Business
Business
Product page that converts
Clear hero, proof, before/after, FAQ.
Business
Freebie ➜ Email ➜ Upsell
Give value first, sell later.
Business
Licensing your customers understand
3 clear lines, no legalese.
Business
Reviews with zero friction
Email template + day-7 reminder.
⬇️ Free downloads
Free Tool
Shoot & Edit Checklist (PDF)
1-page, print-ready.
Free Tool
Neutral S-Curve (XMP)
Clean base for any look.
Free Tool
Mobile Starter Preset (DNG)
1 look, 3 variants.
Free Tool
Before/After Frame (PNG)
Transparent, social-ready.
🤝 Need a hand?
Send me your questions — installation, exports, mobile . I’ll add new guides based on the most requested topics.
✕
Cars: five “hero” angles that just work
Front-3/4 low: wheel-height; turn wheels slightly to camera.
Low Side: tense lines; 28–35mm for presence.
Rear-3/4: tail lines + lights; golden hour magic.
Detail: badge, stitching, headlights; fill the frame.
Rolling: 1/60s, constant distance, clean panning.
✕
Clean motion blur without a tripod
Shutter 1/30–1/60s , stabilization ON.
Panning: lock on a fixed point (badge), burst mode.
Auto ISO with a cap, shutter priority.
If too blurry, go 1/80s and move closer.
✕
Harsh light? Use it
Hunt patterns (grilles, mirrors, louvers) and compose bold cuts.
Expose for highlights ; recover shadows in post.
Deep blacks are a style, not a flaw.
✕
2-minute pre-shoot checklist
100% batteries, formatted cards, clean lenses.
Consistent color profile (sRGB), synced time.
Quick backup: spare SD + power bank.
✕
Desktop ➜ Mobile: XMP ➜ DNG
Apply your look to a “clean” shot in Lr Classic.
Export as DNG (keeps settings).
Import into Lr Mobile and save as a Preset .
Skip the steps with Presets Lab packs including XMP + DNG .
✕
Cinematic S-curve
Lift black point (0 ➜ 8/10).
Micro “S” in mids; soft highlight rolloff.
Watch clipping with the histogram.
✕
Fast HSL for 80% of the look
Blues/Aquas ➜ nudge to cyan for modern skies.
Orange ➜ skin/interior tones: moderate sat.
Greens ➜ reduce sat for a cleaner base.
✕
Smart car masks
Select Subject ➜ subtract plates/windows.
Luminance range to tame speculars.
Micro clarity on details, not globally.
✕
Modern Teal-Orange
Teal in shadows (not mids); warm mids, neutral whites.
✕
Moody Clean
Black floor: lift blacks slightly, avoid muddy grey.
Texture/Clarity locally on logos and lines.
✕
Smooth skies
Very soft gradient; avoid hard breaks.
A touch of noise helps against banding.
✕
From dark shot to poster-ready (10×15)
Expose for mids; recover blacks with the curve.
Output Sharpen low + grain 8–12 for paper.
Test print ➜ micro tweaks ➜ final.
✕
Import & backup
Folders by date_project; rename: PL_YYYYMMDD_####.
Backup 1: SSD; Backup 2: cloud end-of-day.
✕
Fast culling
Pass 1: remove technical fails. Pass 2: pick the story. Pass 3: only covers.
✕
Presets as starting points
Apply, then local masks to add personality — that’s where the difference is.
✕
Crisp web export
Size: 2560px long edge, sRGB, 80–85% quality.
Output Sharpen: “Screen – Standard”.
✕
Product page that converts
Benefit-first hero + clear CTA.
Proof: before/after + concise testimonials.
“What you get” section + technical FAQ.
✕
Freebie ➜ Email ➜ Upsell
Give away real value (light preset / template). Capture the email. Offer a soft upsell to the full pack.
✕
Clear licensing
Personal use on your content: yes. Reselling the preset: no. Three short lines, no jargon.
✕
Frictionless reviews
20-second email template + day-7 reminder. Showcase “most helpful”.
✕
Shoot & Edit Checklist (PDF)
Download the one-pager to keep in your bag.
Attach your Shopify file URL here.
✕
Neutral S-Curve (XMP)
Universal base to start clean.
✕
Mobile Starter Preset (DNG)
A taste of the Presets Lab look on your phone.
✕
Before/After Frame (PNG)
Transparent frame for clean social comparisons.
✕
Try Presets Lab
XMP + DNG packs ready for Desktop & Mobile. Import, click, create.