Have you ever edited a photograph in Lightroom and wished you could apply the same colors, contrast, and overall style to your next photo? Creating your own Lightroom presets makes that possible.
Instead of searching for a different preset every time, you can develop a personalized editing style and save your favorite adjustments for future use.
Whether you enjoy portrait photography, travel photos, nature photography, or Instagram content, custom presets can make your editing process more consistent and efficient.
In this guide, you will learn how to create Lightroom presets on mobile, save and organize your adjustments, update existing presets, and avoid common editing mistakes.
What Is a Custom Lightroom Preset?
A custom Lightroom preset is a collection of editing settings that you save for future use.
When you edit a photograph, you may adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, color temperature, saturation, and other controls.
A preset allows you to save selected adjustments and reuse them on different photographs.
For example, you could create a preset with warm colors, soft highlights, slightly faded shadows, and natural skin tones. You could then apply the same style to other photographs without rebuilding the look manually.
However, a preset is not a perfect automatic correction for every photograph. Images captured under different lighting conditions may still need individual adjustments.
Why Should You Create Your Own Lightroom Presets?
Creating personal presets has several practical benefits:
- Consistent editing style: Maintain similar colors and contrast across a collection of photographs.
- Faster workflow: Reduce repetitive adjustments when editing multiple images.
- Creative control: Build looks that reflect your personal photography preferences.
- Organized editing: Save different styles for portraits, landscapes, travel, and everyday photographs.
- Easier experimentation: Compare different editing styles without starting from scratch each time.
For photographers and content creators who edit regularly, even a small collection of carefully designed presets can be useful.
What You Need Before Creating a Lightroom Preset
Before starting, prepare the following:
- Install Adobe Lightroom Mobile on a compatible Android phone or iPhone.
- Open a photograph with good lighting and clear details.
- Make sure the editing features you need are available in your version of Lightroom.
- Decide what kind of visual style you want to create.
- Keep an original copy of important photographs when working with different editing applications.
If you are new to using downloaded presets, you can also read our guide to installing Lightroom presets on mobile before creating your own.
How to Create a Lightroom Preset on Mobile
The following workflow is suitable for supported versions of Lightroom Mobile. Menu positions may differ slightly between Android and iPhone.
Step 1: Open Lightroom Mobile
Launch Lightroom on your phone.
Open an existing photograph or import a new photo into your library.
Choose an image that represents the type of photography you edit most often.
For example, if you mainly edit portraits, begin with a portrait that has realistic skin tones and balanced lighting.
Step 2: Edit Your Photograph
Open Lightroom’s editing controls and start adjusting your photograph.
Focus on creating a balanced look rather than applying every available effect.
You can begin with the Light panel to adjust:
- Exposure
- Contrast
- Highlights
- Shadows
- Whites
- Blacks
Then explore the Color panel to fine-tune white balance, vibrance, and saturation.
The goal is to create a visual style that you can reuse with minimal changes.
Step 3: Adjust the Colors
Color grading plays an important role in a preset’s appearance.
You might prefer a warm lifestyle style, a cool cinematic look, or bright and natural colors.
Make small adjustments and review how they affect the overall image.
If you edit portraits, pay particular attention to skin tones.
Avoid extreme color adjustments unless they are part of a deliberate creative style.
Step 4: Open the Presets Panel
Once you are satisfied with the photograph, open the Presets option in Lightroom’s editing interface.
Look for the options menu and choose Create Preset.
This opens the preset creation screen.
Step 5: Give Your Preset a Name
Choose a short and descriptive name.
Examples include:
- Warm Portrait Natural
- Soft Travel Colors
- Moody Street Edit
- Bright Nature Look
- Minimal Lifestyle Tone
A descriptive name makes it easier to identify the preset later.
Step 6: Choose a Preset Group
Lightroom allows you to save custom presets in User Presets or create a new group.
For better organization, consider creating groups based on your editing needs.
For example, you could create separate groups for Portraits, Travel, Landscapes, and Cinematic Styles.
Step 7: Select Which Settings to Save
Lightroom provides options for choosing the adjustments that will be included in your new preset.
Depending on the app version, you may see options such as All, Default, Modified, or individual adjustment categories.
Think carefully before including settings that depend heavily on the original photograph.
For example, exposure often needs to be adjusted separately for each image.
If a preset saves an extreme exposure adjustment, it may make other photographs too bright or too dark.
For a reusable color-grading preset, consider excluding settings that should be customized for each photograph.
Step 8: Save the Preset
Review the selected settings and save your preset.
Your custom preset should appear in the relevant group under the Yours section of the Presets panel.
You can now use it on other photographs.
How to Apply Your Custom Preset to Another Photo
After saving your preset, test it on a different photograph.
Follow these steps:
- Open another photograph in Lightroom.
- Select the Presets panel.
- Open the Yours section.
- Locate your custom preset group.
- Tap your saved preset.
- Review the result and make any necessary corrections.
A good preset should provide a useful starting point without requiring you to rebuild the entire look.
However, it is normal to adjust exposure, white balance, and shadows after applying a preset.
Five Lightroom Preset Styles You Can Create
If you are unsure where to begin, try developing one of these editing styles.
1. Warm Natural Portrait Preset
A warm portrait preset can work well for daylight photography and lifestyle images.
Try starting with slightly warm white balance, gentle contrast, controlled highlights, and natural saturation.
Keep skin tones believable and avoid excessive orange or yellow coloring.
Best for: Portraits, lifestyle photography, and outdoor photographs.
2. Moody Cinematic Preset
A cinematic look often includes controlled shadows, restrained saturation, and subtle color contrast.
Begin with moderate contrast, slightly muted colors, and a careful balance between highlights and shadows.
Avoid making every dark area completely black.
Best for: Urban photography, travel images, and creative portraits.
3. Bright Nature Preset
Nature photography often benefits from balanced greens, detailed highlights, and clear colors.
Try gently improving contrast and vibrance while keeping foliage realistic.
Avoid turning all green areas into unnaturally saturated colors.
Best for: Landscapes, gardens, parks, and outdoor travel photography.
4. Soft Minimal Preset
A soft editing style often uses lower contrast, gentle highlights, and subtle color adjustments.
The result should appear clean and calm without removing important image details.
Best for: Café photographs, indoor lifestyle images, and minimal social media content.
5. Classic Black-and-White Preset
Black-and-white presets help emphasize lighting, expression, shape, and texture.
Start by converting the image to monochrome and adjusting the tonal balance.
Pay attention to highlight detail and midtone contrast.
Best for: Editorial portraits, architecture, and storytelling photographs.
How to Make Custom Presets Work on Different Photos
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is assuming a preset will produce identical results on every image.
In reality, several factors affect the outcome.
Lighting Conditions
A photograph captured in direct sunlight will respond differently from one taken indoors.
Adjust exposure and shadow detail after applying the preset.
White Balance
Warm indoor lighting and cool outdoor light may produce different color results.
Correct white balance when the edited image appears too orange, blue, or green.
Camera and File Format
Photographs from different cameras and smartphones may have different color characteristics.
RAW and JPEG images can also respond differently to certain adjustments.
Subject Colors
A preset designed around green landscapes may behave differently when applied to an image dominated by red clothing or warm interior lighting.
Test your presets using several photographs before deciding whether the style is versatile.
How to Update an Existing Lightroom Preset
Sometimes you create a preset and later discover that a slightly different version works better.
Lightroom allows you to revise custom presets in supported versions.
A typical workflow is:
- Open a photograph and apply the preset.
- Adjust the photograph until you achieve the improved style.
- Open the Presets panel and locate the preset.
- Open its options menu.
- Choose the available update option.
- Save the selected settings.
The exact controls may differ by app version.
Before updating a preset you use regularly, consider creating a separate version so you can compare the original and revised styles.
How to Organize Your Lightroom Presets
An organized preset collection can make editing faster.
Instead of placing every preset in one large group, consider creating categories based on how you use them.
For example:
Portrait Presets: Natural skin tones, studio portraits, soft outdoor light.
Travel Presets: Warm landscapes, city photography, coastal scenes.
Cinematic Presets: Moody colors, film-inspired looks, urban atmosphere.
Nature Presets: Green landscapes, bright skies, outdoor scenery.
Black-and-White Presets: Classic monochrome, high-contrast and soft tonal styles.
Choose clear preset names rather than generic labels such as Preset 1 or Edit 2.
Common Lightroom Preset Mistakes
Saving Extreme Exposure Adjustments
Exposure settings that look correct on one photograph may be unsuitable for another.
Consider excluding exposure from presets intended for different lighting conditions.
Excessive Saturation
Increasing saturation too far can make photographs look artificial.
Focus on balanced color rather than simply making every color stronger.
Overediting Skin Tones
Portrait presets should preserve natural-looking skin texture and color.
Pay attention to the orange and red color channels when editing portraits.
Applying the Same Preset Everywhere
Not every photographic style works with every subject.
Choose presets based on the image and make adjustments where necessary.
Creating Too Many Similar Presets
Saving several nearly identical presets can make your library difficult to navigate.
Keep the most useful versions and organise them logically.
Custom Lightroom Presets vs. Downloaded Presets
Both options can be useful.
Custom presets are created using your own editing decisions. They offer greater control over your preferred colors, contrast, and overall photographic style.
Downloaded presets are created by someone else and can help you explore different editing approaches.
Neither option guarantees a perfect result on every photograph.
A practical approach is to experiment with existing styles, learn how the adjustments work, and gradually develop your own preset collection.
If you want to explore importing external preset files, visit our Lightroom preset installation tutorial.
How to Build a Consistent Photography Style
Consistency does not mean every photograph must look exactly the same.
It means that your images share some recognizable visual qualities.
For example, your photographs might consistently feature gentle contrast, warm highlights, natural skin tones, and restrained saturation.
To develop a recognizable style:
- Choose several photographs with different lighting conditions.
- Edit one image until you are satisfied with the result.
- Save the most reusable settings as a custom preset.
- Apply the preset to the other photographs.
- Adjust individual images while maintaining a similar overall appearance.
- Refine the preset based on what you learn.
This approach can help you create a collection of photographs that feels visually connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create Lightroom presets for free?
Lightroom Mobile offers preset functionality, but available editing features may depend on your version, device, and subscription. Review the current features available in your app.
Can I make my own Lightroom presets on Android?
Yes. Supported Android versions of Lightroom Mobile allow users to create and save custom presets.
Can I create presets on an iPhone?
Yes. Compatible versions of Lightroom Mobile on iPhone support custom preset creation.
Can I use the same preset for portraits and landscapes?
You can, but the final result may differ significantly. Adjustments to white balance, exposure, and color may be necessary.
Where are my custom presets saved?
Custom presets are generally available under the Yours section of Lightroom’s Presets panel, within User Presets or the selected custom group.
Can I change a preset after saving it?
Yes. Supported versions of Lightroom allow you to update or rename custom presets.
Should I save exposure settings in every preset?
Not necessarily. Exposure often varies significantly from photograph to photograph, so excluding it can make a preset more flexible.
Can I share my Lightroom presets with someone else?
Lightroom provides preset export options in supported versions. Sharing formats and available features may vary, and you should confirm that you have the rights to distribute any included materials.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to create your own Lightroom presets on mobile is an effective way to develop a consistent and personal photo editing style.
Instead of relying entirely on downloaded editing packs, you can save your preferred adjustments and reuse them whenever you need a similar look.
Start with one carefully edited photograph, save the settings that work well across multiple images, and test your preset on different subjects.
As your experience grows, build a small, organised collection of styles for portraits, landscapes, travel photos, and creative projects.
For more photo editing tutorials, explore the Presets category on Daily Inspiration.
If you are just getting started, our step-by-step Lightroom preset installation guide is another useful place to begin.