Scott here. Many of you know that I’m the primary retoucher here around the Chase Jarvis studio. I was surprised to get into a fairly spirited debate the other day with some of my co-workers. The topic? Adjustment presets and plug-ins in Aperture or Lightroom or Photoshop.
I’ve got a strong opinion on this, but this experience has once again reminded me that there are a thousand ways to skin a cat and that my way is just that, my way.
Instead of letting a debate rage inside the office and then fade out, I figured, why not make it public? I want to hear from you.
Do you use presets for the post production of your images?
Do you make your own, or download them from other users online?
Do you use them for initial inspiration, or to create your final files?
What are your favorites and why?
I’m interested to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t be shy. For those of you who give a rip, I’ll follow up this post with my personal take and we’ll all be a little more informed.
I have this debate with my business partner (and wife) all the time. I like to create my own, she wants to buy sets of actions. I think that it really depends on your level of comfort and confidence with the tools. I don’t think that it reflects one’s level of professional skill as a photographer, but I always tell her that she should at least know what they are doing and then use them as a time saver or a starting point.
I use one external presets – for BW conversion, but it’s adjusted. I have yet to find a preset that I found acceptable out of the box. That’s why I use on my own adjustments and when I nail what I think may be a nice flavored look, I save it and try to see how it would match on other similar subjects some other time. My presets, if I use them, need adjustment almost every time.
So.
Do I use presets? Rarely. Most of them home-made.
Do you use them for the final product? No
Favorites – BW conversions
Love presets. They are a great starting place for a photo, and sometimes a way to combine multiple effects by blending different versions of the same image. Usually don’t apply a preset and leave it there, always a starting place.
I save presets of some shoots and try them on other shoots – may they work, maybe not. If they doesn’t work even after making some changes, I will start on the beginning and try something complete new.
So I use them sometimes, sometimes not. I decide from case to case.
Presets are a great tool when dealing with common situations that require a common ‘look’ or style. They can also be a great boilerplate tool, and can be awesome for learning a new technique or style. Standalone fix-alls? Absolutely not.