Adobe Lightroom is the most popular organization and photo editing tool for underwater photographers. Lightroom has robust cataloguing and search features, powerful editing tools that virtually eliminate the need for Photoshop, and many tricks to streamline your editing workflow.
I’m sharing these free Lightroom underwater photo presets to help you take your photo editing to the next level. They’re designed for beginners looking to dive into Lightroom and also for experts looking for inspiration. This preset pack is my one click formula for editing underwater images!
This Free Underwater Photo Preset Pack Includes:
4 Wide-Angle Presets
3 Macro Preset
2 Ambient Light Presets
Blackwater Preset
Black & White Preset
These presets are designed for underwater photographers who shoot in a raw format (CR2 (Canon), NEF (Nikon), ARW (Sony), ORF (Olympus), RW2 (Panasonic)). I based each preset on the most common adjustments I make when editing photos shot with DSLR, mirrorless and compact cameras.
Note that a preset is a starting point for Lightroom photo editing. It will not fix a poorly composed or poorly lit photo – that’s on you. A raw image saves more data than a .jpg image, but does so in a very flat, low contrast manner that requires editing. These presets are my custom formula for bringing life into the raw file. If I’ve shot a nice image, then I click this preset and am finished with all global editing. The remaining editing involves localized adjustments.
Please also keep in mind that these presets are generalized for all cameras and conditions, so feel free to start with these and then modify them for your specific underwater photo gear and conditions of the shoot. The goal is for you to see how I am adding contrast and crispness in each shooting situation, which should spark the creative editing process.
Download the Free Presets
Click below and simply enter your name and email.
You’ll then receive an email from me with a Presets download link.
How to Import the Lightroom Presets
Importing your Lightroom preset pack takes less than 3 minutes and just a few clicks. Once installed, you will immediately be able to start applying the presets to your raw files, either during Import or while editing in the Develop module.
Watch my video on How to Import Lightroom Presets below on YouTube. You can also refer to the Importing Lightroom Presets article on this tutorials website for step-by-step installation instructions.
Video Tutorial
How to Import Lightroom Presets
Note: I updated these presets to .xmp files after the format change in Lightroom Classic CC 7.3 (April ’18). These 11 presets are last updated in May 2020. I have also included legacy format LRT files in the download email (for those using older non-cloud Lightroom software), although this presets pack is limited to my original 3 free presets.
Quick Tips for Using These Presets
1) You can greatly speed up your editing workflow by using some keyboard shortcuts. I’ve listed my favorites in Lightroom Shortcuts for Underwater Photographers.
2) Above I mentioned that these presets are a starting point for editing. If you’d like to start customizing them to your individual gear, diving conditions and style, check out my article Editing Tips for Underwater Photographers. These are the first editing aspects you’ll want to start adjusting.
3) Want to learn more Lightroom editing tricks? Check out all my Lightroom Editing Tutorials.
Additional Help
Want help building your own custom Lightroom presets?
I can help create your own custom Lightroom develop presets as part of a constructive image review or Virtual Photo Lesson!
Recommended Video Tutorials
Speed Up Your Lightroom Workflow
Use these tricks to edit more photos in less time so you can go diving!
10 Lightroom Editing Tips
10 Essential Tips to help take your underwater photo editing in Lightroom to the next level.
Underwater Strobe Positioning
This 21 minute video tutorial + article features detailed instruction and diagrams for single and dual strobes, macro and wide-angle.
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