A couple days ago, I was chatting on the Photography Lounge (a discord server) about heavy yet still tasteful landscape editing and I wanted to show some examples of such images to someone. I went on Instagram to look for the photographer whose production I had in mind for this, not remembering I had blocked him because of his aggressive use of instagram ads. His preset packages had been filling up my feed left and right and I ended up so annoyed at this that I resorted to blocking him. Realizing this, I began feeling a forgotten yet preoccupying hate brood within me.
I have to vent that frustration somewhere and here will be where it happens.
Let’s cut right to the chase:
Lightroom presets are not magical shortcuts to creating beautiful images. At best, they’re a starting point, and at worst, it’s snake oil sold with the promise that anyone who purchases it will achieve a professional look with a mere click of the mouse. In practice however, such a click will almost always fail to deliver. Instead, it will taunt you with its underwhelming results.
Here’s the dirty truth these greedy photographers conveniently leave out: their showcased images have undergone a hell of a lot more than a single click on a preset, even the ones that are supposed to show what the preset actually does. Unfortunately, this is something that can be figured out only by a trained eye — or someone who's unluckily fallen into the trap.
Presets, by nature, are just that. Presets. They don't account for any of the varying conditions that can make a photograph drastically different from one another. Applying a preset blindly to a photo is like slapping a coat of paint on a wall and expecting it to magically renovate the entire house. Sure, the color might change, but the foundation needs deeper, more individualized attention. Anyone who has spent any amount of effort learning Lightroom or Photoshop knows that there is no “one-size-fits-all” adjustment. Pretending it can is nothing short of false advertising.
Do note that I’m not questioning the skill of these photographers, some of them create incredible work, no question - but I abhor the deceptiveness - selling a preset and implying that it's the secret sauce behind the brilliance of their photography is misleading; it’s like a chef selling you a spice blend and then pretending that, with it, you can replicate the complexity of a dish they spent years perfecting. It's fundamentally dishonest.
Then there’s the oversaturation of Instagram ads pushing these presets. The more I see them, the angrier I get. These photographers are selling an illusion, banking on the ignorance of those who are still finding their way into editing or in the hobby in general. Sure, for someone just getting started, a preset might feel like a lifeline. But the moment you start relying on them, you’ve already lost sight of what editing is really about — personal expression.
I understand that in the modern age of social media, everyone is looking for a quick fix, a shortcut to awesome results. But there are no shortcuts. The only way to grow as an artist is to put in the time. Experiment. Fail. Learn. Grow. Repeat. Presets can’t substitute for the hundreds of hours spent learning both image-taking and post-production and it sure as hell won’t make a bad photo good.
My hope if you're new to photography and stumble up this article is that the next time you see an ad for some miracle Lightroom preset promising to elevate your photography game to the next level, you'll take a step back and think about what’s really being sold.
Don’t be a sucker. Don’t be their sucker. Don't reward these people for their low-effort high-gain racket.
If you’re serious about photography, one of the most rewarding things you can do is learn to create your own presets. When you’ve taken the time to craft your own settings, not only do you gain a better understanding of how different adjustments affect your images, but you also begin to cultivate a style that is unique to you.
Reverse-engineering free presets (I believe even Adobe itself has released free preset packs) can be a great way to study how certain looks are achieved, but even then, there’s no shortcut to mastery; the hours spent tinkering with sliders, learning color theory and understanding which post-production choices fit best to a given lighting situation, that’s where the real growth happens.
This might even encourage you to step out of the preset logic that has plagued the mind of many an aspiring photographer — sometimes even professionals fall prey to it. Learning to edit from scratch is more often than not the superior long-term decision. Learning to use your own presets when relevant (when batch-editing for instance) and using the finer tool that is Photoshop for a more controlled result is — in my humble opinion — the most desirable course of action when tackling the seemingly daunting task of learning to edit.
So, rather than spending your money on preset packs, spend your time in learning the fundamentals. There are plenty of resources online that will guide you through everything from basic edits to more advanced techniques. YouTube is an incredible learning tool with countless tutorials at your fingertips. However if you’re looking for something more interactive, communities like the one I’m part of —the Photography Lounge— are out there to help you too.
Our Discord server is dedicated to supporting one another, sharing tips, offering free resources, and creating a welcoming space for photographers of all levels. It’s far more rewarding to get feedback, exchange ideas, and grow alongside other passionate individuals than to rely on the hollow promises that the presets scam dangle in front of eager beginners.
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