Lightroom Presets: Pretty Presets

New Release of 25 Custom Lightroom Brushes and Graduated Filters!!

prettypresets — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:13:52 +0000

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This is our 2nd set of Custom Lightroom Brushes to make your job easier! These have been such a big hit that we’re come out with a second set and have included graduated filters too. This download includes the links to videos on how to install and use the brushes. These can be used in all the current Lightroom versions 1, 2 and 3 and can be applied to RAW and jpeg pictures. Below we have listed the Custom Lightroom Brushes and Graduated Filters that are included with the download.

Brushes:

Baby Feet: use on areas that are red or purplish, like baby feet. Will help change the color to more skin-like.

Blue Eyes: use on blue eyes, to make them a bit more blue. Will brighten and sharpen also. Use in place of Eye Sparkle (set 1).

Brighten Faces: use to brighten faces. Brightens without making washed out or losing contrast.

Brown Eyes: use on brown eyes to make them lighter and warmer. Will sharpen also.

Cool it Down: use on faces that are a bit too warm. Slightly cools.

Desaturate: helpful when reducing areas that are too heavy with color.

Fix Clipping: use on areas that are still clipped after using Recovery slider in Basics pan-el. Make sure to only brush on the clipped area, not on area around it.

Fix Yellow Casts: use on areas that are too yellow.

Green Eyes: use on green eyes to enhance the green color and sharpen.

Paint on Color: use to enhance color of clothes or other objects in picture.

Warm-up Areas: use on areas that are still a touch cool, just to add a little bit of warmth.

Brighten: use for general brightness. Can be used as a gradated filter or a brush

Darken: really darkens. Can be used as a graduated filter or a brush.

Graduated Filters

Blue Skies: use from the top of picture and pull down to increase the blue of the sky. Will not replace a blown sky.

Colorful Background: use to subtly intense colors in the background

Cool Haze: adds a cool haze across part of image (your choice)

Darken Flash: use to darken the bright foreground of images where flash was fired

De-Haze: use on images that have haze from sun hitting the camera sensor

Green Grass: makes grass greener

Rose Haze: adds a sweet, soft rosy haze to image

Shine Light: use to add light to an area, good for lighting the dark background on im-ages where flash was fired (foreground is too bright/background too dark)

Soften Background: subtly soften the background

Sunlight: adds very warm, bright light, just like the sun

Warm Haze: adds a warm, soft haze

25 Custom Lightroom Brushes + Graduated Filters ~~$20~~ on sale for $15 for a Limited Time! No discount code needed.

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via YouTube

How do I transition to a Full Time Photographer?

prettypresets — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:55:01 +0000

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This post is in response to one of the many great questions posed on Facebook the other day by Pretty Presets users. The question pertained to “getting started” in the photography business and going from being the person who always takes photos of family and friends, to transitioning into being a working photographer.

Let me start by saying that I am not a twenty-year veteran of the photography world, so there is no perfect answer that I can offer you. However, I went from working full-time in retail, to working as a photographer full-time, over the course of about 3 years. This transition and leap of faith are still fresh in my mind, and while I am still figuring out the photography business (although I don’t think anyone ever fully figures it out!) I can tell you what worked for me, as well as many of my photographer friends, and how we made the transition.

The first, and possibly the most important, thing to keep in mind is this: breaking into the photography business does not happen overnight. I really mean that! For some people, things may fall into place quickly, while others may work for years to build a solid client base.

If you are already photographing your friends and family, that’s a great place to start. At this point, getting some unique business cards would be extremely helpful, because you can give them to your friends and family, and have them hand out the cards to THEIR friends and family. Word of mouth will go a really long way!

Now is also the perfect time to solidify your brand – figure out what type of photography you’re interested in, and how you can reach potential clients. Having an idea of what you want to specialize in (portraits, weddings, newborns, fine art, etc.) will help you focus your energy on developing your style, brand, and marketing to the right audience. Also, consider creating a Facebook business page for your photography, as social networking is a wonderful way to connect with future clients.

Building a rapport with other photographers, especially full-time photographers, will also help you get ideas and support on how to grow your business. Pretty Presets and Rock the Shot are wonderful forums to meet other photographers, and the knowledge that you will gain from talking to other people in the business is invaluable, especially when you are first starting.

Finally, and this is keeping in mind the idea that this may not occur overnight for you, take small steps every day that will help you work towards this transition. Having a list of things that you can do, right now, to help grow your business will help you focus your energy on the present, rather than worrying about or trying to tackle things that, at this point, are out of your control. I have two lists – my daily to-do list, which includes things like keeping up with my social networking sites, websites, printing business cards, emailing clients, and anything that can be taken care of that day. Then, I have my “on the horizon” list – this list includes goals for the year, like how many shoots I would like to have.

The truth is, there are a lot of different things to consider that will help you transition into being a full-time photographer, but the best thing you can do, at this point, is start setting goals for yourself. Rather than saying, “I want to be a full-time photographer” ask yourself what sort of photography do you want to specialize in, and start brainstorming on small steps that will make that happen for you. It is a constant journey, but if you are in the early stages of making the transition, you have a real advantage, because you have the opportunity to find ways to make your work unique, and really stand out among the rest of the business.

Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her fiancee, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.

Memories N More Wedding Photography using Pretty Presets to edit

prettypresets — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:07:25 +0000

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I began using Pretty Presets for lightroom a few years back and I can’t say enough how they have truly changed the way I take photos. Not only did I fall madly in love with the art of wedding photography all over again, I got very excited about each image and the editing process in general! With only a click, Laura’s presets brought something out of my images that would take me forever in Photoshop. I deleted PS off of my computer and I haven’t looked back! While some images benefit from just a “quick preset”, I find I enjoy tweaking them to fully enhance the beauty of each image. However, I have a rule that it should take me no longer than about 1 minute to edit an image, if that! I find that I tend to change the same things such as exposure, vignette and sharpening so learning shortcut keys and copying and pasting presets has been LIFE CHANGING! I am so thankful for the creativity that these presets allow me and the new direction they gave my wedding photography business.

Teresa Earnest

Sweet Honey from the Back To The Basics Collection

Autumn from the Fall In Love Collection

Kiss and Tell from the Back To The Basics Collection

Pretty Presets Brown from the Back To The Basics Collection

Summer Love from the Back To The Basics Collection

Golden Light from the Back To The Basics Collection

Teresa is a wife and mother to two, and loves keeping business simple so that she can focus on how much FUN her job is! Her websites include Memories N More, Savannah Wedding Studio, The Wedding Studios and Really Fun Workshops!

Exclusive Valentines Day Storyboards – FREE DOWNLOAD

prettypresets — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:06:47 +0000

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These are for you and we hope you enjoy! I love Valentine’s Day for many reasons and wanted to have something very special for you to enjoy. I love working with Elena from EW Couture and she put together this exclusive Valentines Day pack just for our readers.

In appreciation of these free downloads would you mind going to EW Couture and just say “thank you”? It’s two simple words and they go so far in my opinion. Also, help spread the word to your friends that these templates are available here and they’re FREE. You can spread the word by “Sharing the Love” below or pinning the post to Pinterest (top of page). Also, please know these are high quality files so they will take a few minutes to download.

Lastly, ENJOY them and please come back to our facebook wall and share! These can be used in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop and directions are included in the download. Thanks for being a fan/friend of Pretty Presets! We are so happy you are here. Respectfully, Laura

Click here to shop for RAW presets, jpeg presets or to view Lightroom Tutorials!

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How to Organizing Your Favorite Lists in Facebook

prettypresets — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:44 +0000

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Do you ever feel like your Facebook newsfeed is a bit cluttered and you wish you had a way of narrowing down the updates to certain categories or lists of pages you’re following? If so, here is a quick tutorial on how to create lists to organize your Facebook newsfeed:

1. After logging into Facebook, you will see a column on the left-hand side of your screen. Click on the word “Lists”

2. You will now see this menu in the center of the page. Now, select “Create List”

3. Name your new list!

4. In the upper right-hand side of your screen, you will see a box where you may add people and pages. Since this is a photography list, I am adding pages like Pretty Presets and Rock The Shot

5. Finally, return to your homepage (same as in Step 1) your new list will appear. To filter only the pages and people that are on the last list, simply click it, and you’re set to go!

Should I sell my unedited pictures to clients?

prettypresets — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:49:41 +0000

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There seems to be a lot of debate going on amongst photographers about whether or not to sell unedited files to clients. Originally, I was of the “No photographer should EVER do that!” mentality, which I still am, for my own business, but this isn’t necessarily an all-encompassing rule. Let me explain why I do not do this, and I will leave it up to you to assess your situation, and figure out what will work best for you. More than likely, you will find that selling unedited images is not in your best interest, though this may work for some photographers.

I do a lot of editing on my photos. The images that are on my website all have a certain “look” to them, and when a client hires me, nine times out of ten, they say they’re hiring me because they want that certain look. My unedited photos look nothing like the finished product. I do my best to nail composition, exposure and white balance in camera, to save myself time in editing, but from there, I add textures, multiple curves layers in Photoshop, and I almost always finish off with a combination of presets in Lightroom. I am a bit of a control freak with my editing, so I spend a lot of time on each, individual photo. So, to summarize, my unedited images look completely different than the finished product, and not at all what the client was looking for when they hired me!

If I sell unedited images to clients, and they upload those photos to Facebook, for example, the photos will not be a true representation of my style. Also, what’s really dangerous is the client may take the liberty of editing my photos themselves, and then uploading them, a scary thought, because most non-photographers have very little concept of editing, which would further distort my unedited images. I know someone who this happened to – they gave their client the original images, and the client completely maimed the photos in editing, and uploaded them to Facebook with the photographer’s name on them. It wasn’t pretty, and it was an untrue representation of that photographer’s work!

Now, if you are the type of photographer who does little-to-no editing, then selling unedited images may not be such a bad idea. I know a handful of photographers whose style is minimal with no editing – very clean, studio-type portraits. They may convert them to black and white, but other than that, the images on their websites are unedited. If this is your style, then selling unedited images to clients could be a great avenue for you, because you would be able to include a CD with all original images into your packaging and pricing.

These are just a couple of points on the pros and cons of not selling, or selling, unedited images. Your style and your brand are ultimately what you need to take into consideration, so gives this idea some thought, and proceed with caution in this area.

Picture above is of the lovely owner of Accounting for Photographers and friend of Pretty Presets. The preset is “Golden Romance” from the Fairytale Romance Collection.

Snow Day Giveaway + Getting Started in Lightroom Mini-Workshop

prettypresets — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:11:14 +0000

Congratulations to the winners!!

Congratulations to Courtney Dunworth and Lindsey Wolfrom on winning a spot in the January 26th Workshop + Clean and Creative Editing in Lightroom Workshop To Go! Please email me at laura@lightroompresets.com to claim your prize!

Congratulations to Michelle Clements, Karen Gibas, Melanie Williams and Kadee Jenkins on winning $50 Gift Cards. Please email me at laura@lightroompresets.com to claim your gift cards!

Thank you all for taking the time to share. I enjoyed getting to learn more about you and where you want to take your businesses. It’s such a pleasure to have you here and I hope I can encourage and support you as your business grows. Thank you for being here! Respectfully, Laura Thomas

Getting Started in Lightroom Mini-Workshop

I was sincerely touched by the over 271 comments that I read through. So many of you have such amazing stories of where you’ve been, what you’re doing now and where you want to be! It was difficult trying to pick just 2 winners. I spoke with Amanda about this and she agreed we needed to do something more. Many of you shared that you had a budget concern and others shared that you just didn’t have the time. So we came up with an option that hopefully gives you all the opportunity to learn on a budget and this will be recorded in case you can’t sit and watch for the entire time. Here is what we came up with:

We are going to put together a 30 minute webinar + 30 minute Q and A session (1 hour total) for beginners to Lightroom. The “Getting Started In Lightroom Mini-Workshop” will include information about the Library, the Develop Mode and how to export This will not include the manuals or brushes, but it will give you an opportunity to learn Lightroom and ask questions too. We want you to be able to learn Lightroom and hope it will take your editing and business in a whole new direction. We can take 20 people in this class and it will be held on January 31st at 8:30pm EST.

If we fill this class then we may look at holding a second mini-workshop if there is enough interest. You can sign-up below. The class will be only $25. Also, Amanda will record the session as she will move quickly through things and wants to make sure you can go over it as much as you need after the workshop.

Mini-Workshop on January 31st at 8:30pm EST – $25

email for more details – laura@lightroompresets.com

**If you are interested in the full 2 hour Workshop with a manual and brushes then you can check out our “Lightroom Workshop To Go”. Also, we do have a 3 spots open in our LIVE Lightroom Workshop on the 26th. This workshop is LIVE and upon purchasing it, you will also receive an additional workshop on Clean and Creative Editing in Lightroom. This download also includes brushes, graduated filters, manuals to both classes and $20 in Gift Cards to Pretty Preset and Everyday Elements. There are only a few spots left for this LIVE workshop so please come join!**

Click here to learn more about our “Lightroom Workshop To Go”.

Click here to learn more about our Lightroom Workshop on the 26th.

Snow Day Giveaway!

prettypresets — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:32:00 +0000

It’s a snow day here and so the kids and I have the WHOLE DAY to drink hot chocolate and bake some cookies (chocolate chip, of course!). While being crafty and thinking of a day off I thought it would be fun to bring our “snow day” to you!

I would just LOVE to give away a seat in our workshop to TWO people! The workshop will be on Thursday the 26th. This is a $104 Value and includes a LIVE Lightroom for Beginners Workshop, the Clean and Creative Editing in Lightroom Workshop To Go, Brushes, Graduated Filters and Manuals for each class!

Already have Lightroom? Or maybe you’ve taken these classes. If you have, please note that we will also be giving away (2) $50 Gift Cards to the store. Come enter to win now!

It’s easy to enter this giveaway. We just want to hear from you. Good luck and have a wonderful day!

Enter To Win:

1. Let us know why you would like a seat in this class. Or if you would rather have a gift card then let us know what your favorite collections are.

Extra Entries:

2. Pin your favorite article to Pinterest! I will give a list of our favorite posts and more below so it’s easy to Pin. You can pin up to 3 articles for 3 entries.

3. Share your favorite picture with us on our wall edited with a Pretty Preset (we may even ask you if we can share it with our entire page!). We love when you share!

Giveaway Ends tomorrow night (Friday) at midnight MST!! Good luck and have fun.

Articles that you can Pin!

1. Customizing Your Presets

2. How are they different? JPEG vs RAW

3. Using the adjustment brush in Lightroom

4. LR vs PS: Still not sure? 5 Ways Lightroom will speed up your workflow

5. 5 Sharpening Presets for Lightroom

6. How Social Networking Can Increase Your Business

7. 6 Simple and Cost-Effective ways to advertise your Photography Business

8. Managing your business: Don’t be part of the 80%

9. Lightroom Workshops + Creative and Clean Edit

10. Lightroom’s Magic Targeted Adjustment Brush

11. 5 Ways To Increase Your Business during the Holidays

12. How Lightroom’s Spot Healing Tool Saved My Life

13. KC Photography using Pretty Presets to edit

14. Crave Photography using Pretty Presets to edit

15. How to use Graduated Filters In Lightroom

8 Tips For Becoming the Perfect Second Shooter

prettypresets — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:46:58 +0000

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Before I photographed a wedding on my own, I worked as a second shooter for a couple of different photographers, just to get a feel for what wedding photography entails. The second-shooter experiences really helped me learn the ropes, and now, I am completely comfortable being the primary photographer for weddings. My husband is also a photographer, so when I shoot a wedding, he is my second shooter, and when he photographs musicians (his specialty) I second shoot for him. If you have been hired for a second shooter job, here are a few tips to make things run smoothly, whether you are photographing a wedding or a different type of special occasion:

1. Do Your Research – Getting to the venue early and having a grasp on the lighting and scenery will help you work out any kinks that might affect your photos. If it is a large venue, you’ll know you need your zoom lens. If the lighting is dim, then you’ll be prepared to adjust your cameras settings ahead of time, and possibly set up any lighting you may need. With this approach, you’ll be sure not to miss any of the action while you are problem solving.

2. Coordinate – If you are shooting a wedding, the wedding coordinator will be your best source of information. They will be able to tell you the exactly where the bride will be entering, and give you details on the post-wedding schedule: toasts, first dance, bouquet toss, etc. Be sure to relay this information to the primary photographer, because they may not have a lot of time to cultivate a rapport with the wedding coordinator.

3. Corral People – This part is very important! The primary photographer is going to be very rushed and preoccupied during the formal, posed portraits, so as they are photographing friends and family, be sure to have the next set of people lined up and ready to go. Time is a very precious thing when shooting a wedding or big event, so you want to make sure that everything moves as quickly as possible for the photographer. Having a few minutes left over for a breather here and there will keep you from getting tired early in the event.

4. Keep Your Distance – Don’t hover too close to the photographer. Part of your job as second shooter is to capture candid moments, and different shooting angles than the main photographer. You need to do your best to photograph everything they do, but with a different spin on it, so that if the photographer does accidentally miss a key shot, your photo will save the day! Also, be sure to capture the detail shots – flowers, centerpieces, programs, etc.

5. Be Ready – Even if you are keeping a little bit of distance between you and the photographer, keep your eye on them in case they need anything – new filter, lens change, new battery, or a new set of people to photograph.

6. Dress Code – Even though you’re second shooter, you should make sure that you are dressed professionally. As second shooter, you are not only representing the photographer who hired you, but you’re representing yourself to potential clients.

7. Speaking of Clients – This is not the best place to advertise your own photography. If you have been hired as a second shooter, you owe it to the photographer who hired you to let this event be their moment to network, so do not hand out business cards. Your time to network will come, but for now, just concentrate on the learning experience. It can be humbling to be a second shooter, because naturally, you want to promote yourself, but for now, just enjoy the experience of second shooting.

8. Have Fun – Believe it or not, guests look at the photographers when you’re least expecting it! It may feel like they aren’t aware of you, but subconsciously they are seeing you. You’ve heard it a thousand times, but really, be sure to smile. Nobody is going to want a frowning, seemingly frazzled photographer taking their photo. Just relax, stay focused, and have fun!

The 15 Most Viewed Posts on Pretty Presets

prettypresets — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:49:12 +0000

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Below are some of our most viewed tutorials and posts! We hope you enjoy going over them again if you’ve been here awhile. If you’re new to the site then we hope these encourage you in your business and use of Lightroom and Pretty Presets. Please share this with your friends who use Lightroom as well. Thank you!

1. Customizing Your Presets

2. How are they different? JPEG vs RAW

3. Using the adjustment brush in Lightroom

4. LR vs PS: Still not sure? 5 Ways Lightroom will speed up your workflow

5. 5 Sharpening Presets for Lightroom

6. How Social Networking Can Increase Your Business

7. 6 Simple and Cost-Effective ways to advertise your Photography Business

8. Managing your business: Don’t be part of the 80%

9. Lightroom Workshops + Creative and Clean Edit

10. Lightroom’s Magic Targeted Adjustment Brush

11. 5 Ways To Increase Your Business during the Holidays

12. How Lightroom’s Spot Healing Tool Saved My Life

13. KC Photography using Pretty Presets to edit

14. Crave Photography using Pretty Presets to edit

15. How to use Graduated Filters In Lightroom