I’ve discussed many, many times over the years to trainees especially, several reasons why I don’t use those filters that are trendy especially on Instagram.
Using and buying Lightroom presets can have both advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of them:
Advantages:
1. Time-Saving: Lightroom presets can help save time by quickly applying predefined adjustments to your photos. This can be especially useful when editing large batches of photos with similar characteristics.
2. Consistency: Using presets can help maintain a consistent look and feel across your photos or a specific project. Presets provide a set of predefined adjustments that can be applied uniformly, reducing the need for manual fine-tuning.
3. Learning Tool: Presets can serve as a valuable learning tool for those new to photo editing. By analyzing the adjustments applied in a preset, you can understand how different settings impact the overall look of a photo.
4. Customization: Most presets can be further adjusted to suit your specific needs. This allows you to tailor the preset to your desired outcome, giving you more flexibility and control over your editing process.
Disadvantages:
1. Generic Look: Since presets are created to work on a wide range of photos, they may produce a generic look that lacks uniqueness. This can be a downside for photographers looking to develop their signature style or create a one-of-a-kind look in their images.
2. Presets are purchased by many other photographers resulting in a look that is not unique but often in trend. Trends change after time and can and do look dated.
2. Limited Creativity: Relying heavily on presets may restrict your creative freedom. Presets provide a set of predefined adjustments, and while you can customize them to some extent, they may not always allow for the full expression of your unique vision.
3. Inconsistency: Presets that work well on some photos may not produce the desired results on others. This can lead to inconsistency in the editing process, requiring additional manual adjustments to achieve the desired outcome.
4. Cost: While there are many free presets available, premium and high-quality presets can be expensive. Purchasing presets can add extra costs to your editing workflow, especially if you require multiple presets for different types of photography.
5. Images of food, products, interiors, etc that depend on colour accurately would be ruined by the appliance of filters.
It's worth keeping in mind that presets should be used as a starting point for editing rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Experimentation, personalization, and manual adjustments are often needed to achieve the best results.
I do experiment with filters on my World Instagram page but as far as commercial photography is concerned, I aim for colour correct or as near to real life as possible.
Which do you prefer in the below image?
#filters #editing
