Why not just use the same preset for every portrait?

Because contrast, colour temperature and dynamic range vary by lighting setup — a preset tuned for one light source can push skin tones or contrast the wrong way under different conditions.

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Editing Suggestions for Portrait Photography

Portrait editing decisions — skin tone warmth, contrast level, background separation — are specific to each shot's lighting, not something a single preset gets right every time.

Editing Suggestions for Portrait Photography

Open the Editing Suggestions

Recommended settings

Run editing suggestions on the hero shot from a session before applying a batch edit to the rest.
Pay particular attention to exposure and contrast suggestions on skin tones specifically.

Tips for this niche

Use the crop suggestion to check headroom and framing once more before finalizing, especially on shots taken quickly during a session.
Compare suggestions across a couple of lighting setups in the same session rather than assuming one edit approach fits both.

Got your Portrait settings dialed in?

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Want the full lesson?

This topic is covered in depth in Lesson 6: Shooting for a Genre.

Example scenario

A portrait shot in flat, overcast light reads a little dull straight out of camera. Editing suggestions recommend a specific contrast and clarity boost that brings out more dimension in the face without the aggressive look a preset built for harsh sunlight would have produced.

Common mistakes

Applying a favourite preset without checking it against this specific shot. a preset tuned for one lighting condition can push skin tones the wrong direction under different light — check suggestions per shot, not per session.
Over-correcting contrast on already-contrasty light. hard directional light needs a lighter touch than soft window light — the same contrast boost that helps one look flat can push the other too far.

FAQ

Why not just use the same preset for every portrait?: Because contrast, colour temperature and dynamic range vary by lighting setup — a preset tuned for one light source can push skin tones or contrast the wrong way under different conditions.

Guides for this tool, by niche

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Before the shoot

Portrait Photography shot list