So you’ve spent your cash money on Bali, you’ve vacationed, and now you’re back with 300+ getaway photos that you want to post but would rather not spend 4 hours editing. But if you don’t post them, did you REALLY go to Bali? Today I’ll be sharing how to edit travel photos to make them blog- and Instagram-ready using my favourite travel presets for Lightroom.
For the record it may not be socially acceptable to post all 300 photos from your travels on the gram but you can post them across different platforms (blogs, flickr, pexels etc.) or save some to post when you are low on content.
The lightroom pack I’ll be using features 15 different presets. Just a disclaimer, I did not make these and have no affiliation with the creators of the preset. If you want to find out where you can get them for FREE, be sure to read till the end!
Mountain Vibe HDR Preset
This image is was taken on my trip home to Nigeria in December 2020 – catch the rest of the photo diary here.
Hands down my favourite preset is the Mountain Vibe HDR. In this image I’ve increased whites, increased blacks, and reduced saturation on yellow.
Note that even after using a preset, you may still need to tweak the image settings. Also, a single preset will rarely give the same visual effect on every photo unless the scene and lighting have not changed.
To demo some of the other presets, I have teamed up with some friends of mine who have travelled quite a lot. Be sure to check out their instagram pages and blogs to see more of their adventures!
Nature Alt Preset
Two stunning images of Amara of AzaryaLifestyle taken in Marrakech.
Here I increased whites, shadows and exposure, and brought down highlights. I also sharpened and increased clarity to capture the details in the back wall.
Editing is very unique to each person. I personally don’t like a lot of yellow and blue (except the sky) and will naturally try to desaturate them and use them as sources of “whiteness”. You can see that a little bit here – desaturated yellows on the plants, changing the blue hue on Amara’s dress to create balance with her surroundings (note the blue tint on the floor tiles) but still draw attention to the subject (Amara herself!).
Nature 1 Preset
A desert pic of JM, founder of Agu Athletics taken in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
Now and then you come across a photo which literally needs zero edits. What do I do? Kill the yellows and use it as light (decrease yellow saturation and increase yellow luminance)! This is also another example of tolerable blue hues.
Night 2 Preset
A stunning sunset pic of my soul sister Athena in Ogunquit, Maine.
You’re probably wondering how I let this one slide with all the yellows and vibrant colours – sometimes you just gotta let it go… Here I changed the hue on the greenery slightly, and brought up the saturation of blue and pink to make the subject stand out.
TB 02 Preset
A portrait of my favourite sweetheart Megan D. (whose birthday is today – HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!) taken in Chicago, Illinois.
Sometimes a preset can intentionally switch up the entire mood of the image. I see this as an advantage – when putting together a travel photo diary I want to tell a story. Playing with elements in your images is a creative way to enhance your audience’s visual experience – and presets make it so much easier!
TB 04 Preset
A portrait of my girl Raven of RavenTeezy with the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
This image was the easiest edit and looked stunning with a majority of presets in the pack. I ended up choosing one that retained blue-green hues and I brought up whites and reduced blacks to add more dramatic effect to the image.
A portrait of my #1 stunner Dubby of DubeminTransit in Toledo, Spain.
I love the way the TB 04 preset brings up dark skin tones. Similar to Raven’s photo, the blues were originally more green so I adjusted to make it more blue. Exposure and shadows were also increased.
TB 05 Preset
A unique image of Bukky Oyewunmi of TheFlawedTravelers taken in Dubai.
Depending on your destination it’s hard to capture an image that is entirely monochrome and when you do, they can be even harder to edit. One way to go about it is to play with the different shades and contrasts. I reduced blacks, and brought up highlights, shadows (for the sake of the dress) and whites. Here I also focused on lifting any element of colour I could find – from the beads in Bukky’s hair to the details on her dress.
City 1 Preset
My number one cheerleader and confidante Kiden spotted at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan.
City 1 preset doing work in a city-set picture. Quite a bit of adjustments occurred post-preset to draw focus to the subject in such a busy scene – note the white vignette. I would even go as far as to add a slight blur to everything around Kiden.
Street photography captured by Megan D. in Chicago Illinois.
Y’all when Megan D. sent me this image I was sooo excited because this preset (and its City 2 counterpart) were the only 2 of 15 that I hadn’t used to my content. When I tell you there was NO tweaking required CHILE…
If you’ve made it this far you definitely deserve this next freebie. As I mentioned these presets are not mine but I came across them through my network of creatives. If you should happen to use them, be sure to tag my instagram page, and use the hashtag #astoldbyanthonia. I would LOVE to see what you come up with.
Thanks for tuning in, I’ll catch you in the next one.
ANTHONIAxo
