profiPhotos News

It’s time again to release a new Lightroom 2 preset. This preset differs from the ones I’ve presented in the past in that it requires some previous knowledge of Lightroom and presets to get the most out of it. For this reason, I’ve produced a small 9 minute video to act as a tutorial for those wishing to explore this advanced preset. Shown on the left is a typical look that can be achieved with this preset. You can compare it with the “out of camera” photo on the right. (click on the photo to see a larger view).

As a side note, I thought I’d comment on the new Lightroom “Release Candidate” 2.3 from Adobe. I think with this release, version 2 of Lightroom has finally matured into a stable platform which professionals and amateurs can rely upon. I too, was plagued with some of the problems in Lightroom 2.2 - and this release candidate was a welcome relief. Thanks Adobe, for quickly getting a solid program out to your users! The accompanying instructional video was even produced utilizing the new Lightroom 2.3 RC (ran like a charm).

Either scroll down or click on the “Read More” button to get to the goods.

Watch the Video

Click on the LARGE photo below to start the video.

As you can see, there’s a lot of creative potential in this preset. I’ve shown it on a winter landscape, but you should try it out on all your landscape shots, that need that “little something different”. The techniques shown in this video apply to the majority of the presets that belong to the Focus Beauty Collection of presets also found on this site. They’re a great way of precisely focusing your viewer’s attention on the subject in your photographs.

Download this Video

If you’re pressed for time and would like to watch the video at your leisure, I’m providing the following download links. Pick the one that best matches your viewing environment and click on the link to download.

Download Apple iPod Video (mp4) - 640×480 pixels, 4:3 format - 61MB
Download the Flash Video (flv) - 750×420 pixels, 16:9 format - 26MB
Download MPEG/Quicktime Video (mp4) - 750×420 pixels, 16:9 format - 49MB

Watch Related Videos

Here’s a small list of other related videos we’ve produced in the past.

Some Before and After Shots

Original Photo (RAW)	with Snowscape Snap and Dramatic Sky preset (this is a new Focus Beauty preset)

Original Photo (RAW)	with Snowscape Snap and Dramatic Sky preset (this is a new Focus Beauty preset)

Download the Dramatic Sky Preset Here

	Download the Advanced Dramatic Sky Preset
	Collection:	Dramatic Sky Preset
	Version:	1.0
	Updated:	26. January 2009
	Size:	1.33 KB
	Downloaded:	41,888 times.

For Flickr Users - Tagging Your Photos

Since I have become more involved with the “Presetting Lightroom” group on Flickr, I’ve become aware that many people are “tagging” their photos with the Lightroom presets they’ve used to develop them. In order for me to see what kinds of great shots you produce with this preset, I would ask that you “tag” your photos with “Focus-DramaticSky“. In my experience, I don’t get a lot of comments and I almost never learn what types of shots are developed using my presets. Since the preset is free - is it too much to ask?

Also, the group on Flickr has assembled a collection of presets with before and after shots. Here’s a link to the post on Flickr or you can click on the image below.

Your Comments Please

Why not take a moment and tell us what you think about this week’s post. Your feedback will help me to determine if and how often I produce these free presets.

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