Purchasing Lightroom presets is a personal choice that can help enhance your photographic style and speed up your editing time. I have a small pick of creative presets that I use for my work and also a heap of presets that I don’t use at all (but they were purchased as part of a pack). It’s a lot of trial and error figuring out which look you like and finding a style that suits your RAW files without it looking over-processed.
So far the most successful presets for my work have been made by Archipelago, a community of professional photographers who have spent the last 10+ years refining their presets. Their preset styles are earthy, modern, true colour, film and moody. I think almost everyone would find a look they like in their presets but it can take time to find the right one depending on what you want to achieve. I’ve purchased about 5 different packs over the years and have settled on one that I really love in 2024 which feels like I have found my editing style.
My favourite and most commonly used preset is from a set called Archipelago Quest 05. Over the years I have also used their Summit, LXC, Tempest and Wayfarer packs. Here is a run-through of each of these preset packs and how I have found the process of developing my editing style over the years. At the time of updating this blog post in 2024, I don’t believe any of these packs are available for purchase but you will get a feel for the diversity in their range (and also see the development in their presets over the years!)
Archipelago also offers a ‘Quest preset membership’ which gives you a new preset and creative profile monthly, plus a discount for their main shop. This was how I found my current preset and got to learn more about my own editing style. This is a really clever way to test out their products before purchasing some of their more expensive packs.
