Happy Valentines Day! FREE Preset (plus some behind-the-scenes!)
Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, this was the only holiday where on a specific day at school, everyone’s parents sent in sweets and we all decorated shoe boxes for collecting valentines and then exchanged cards that said kind things about one another.
Or maybe it’s all the pink… I’m not sure. I just know I love this holiday!
But since I’m not in school anymore (or even in a work environment where I’m surrounded by other people), I don’t often get the chance to really go all-in on Valentine’s Day. I mean, my man and I exchange cards and get dinner and all that jazz, but there’s never really, like, a party. It’s not an all-day thing.
So this year I’m offering a digital valentine to you and anyone who swings by the blog. All you have to do is pop your email into the appropriate box below, and you’ll get the mobile AG Valentines Day preset or the desktop AG Valentines Day preset!
Here’s what they look like!
The Desktop Version!
— behind the scenes with Mellow Botanical, a floral company —
Mellow Botanical is one of my 2021 subscription photography clients.
In January we photographed all sorts of collaboration items from this floral design company, plus Three Sisters Cake Shop and two other small brands in the Portmouth, NH/Dover, NH area for Valentine’s Day… and I just love the result!
To kick off the editing process, I first looked at what I thought would be my closest preset for the occasion, a preset called Midcentury Greenhouse, which is warm and colorful. It wasn’t quite right, though, so I made tweaks to a variety of colors’ hues, saturation, and luminance, warm tones in particular. The result is a mostly soft and neutral preset with bright pops of red and magenta.
Click through the slideshow above to see how this preset was used in a shaded natural light setting for a romantic series of Valentines Day images!
“ALEXIS! These photos are amazing!… Absolutely everything I envisioned and more.”
—Liz Nightingale, owner of Mellow Botanical
The Mobile Version!
— on-the-go behind-the-scenes shots from several brands —
Mellow Botanical wasn’t the only brand I did Valentines Day-themed photos for in January! And while I didn’t edit these other brands’ photos with the desktop preset, their behind-the-scenes images I did with a mobile version of the very preset you just saw above.
Plus I did a little mini-shoot just for me because, like I said… I love Valentines Day!
Click or tap through the slideshow above to see how this mobile preset transforms dull images into red and pink, love-and-excitement-infused photos!
Note: I did make some additional edits to these images in apps outside of Lightroom, but the color and lighting changes are all the preset! I also shared in this video how to create the preset on your own (I’ve made some adjustments to it since the video), which you can view here.
Tips for Using the Valentines Day Preset
— a preset for gifts and goodies —
ALL USERS: This preset is primarily for photos of flowers, cards, and Valentines Day sweets. This means if you try to use it on photos of you with your sweetheart, it might not look quite right and need some adjustment.
DESKTOP USERS: If you’re used to bumping up your ISO, this preset will probably start out too bright for your images. I try to keep my ISO super low, and then brighten in Lightroom later, so the exposure on this preset might seem shockingly high at first! Feel free to play around with it.
Once you apply the preset and tweak your light balance, I recommend erring on the side of a purple tint, since green is more nature-natural oriented, and purple tends to be more feminine-romantic.
Finally, I shoot on a Sony mirrorless camera, and my images are organically sharper than images shot on, say, Canon DSLR cameras, even at similar apertures. So you may need to play around with the clarity and sharpness to get the vibe you want!
MOBILE USERS: All of the images I’ve included in the Mobile Version section of this post were shot on an iPhone X. Some were shot in Portrait Mode and some were screenshots of video shot in 1080p at 60fps. That said, even if you shoot on an Android or you always shoot in Photo Mode, this preset should work just fine for you!
Depending on your lighting situation, this preset may be a bit bright. You can tap on the Light feature inside Lightroom Mobile to pull the exposure down as needed. You may also need to adjust your white balance if you’re shooting indoors with artificial light, or at night in a more romantic, candlelit setting.
If you need to make additional detail adjustments, as I did to certain images, a great free option for minor tweaks is Snapseed, where you can do things like remove blemishes and stray hairs easily, or brighten or sharpen just one part of the image for free.
Get the Preset!
— click the version that’s right for you! —
DESKTOP
VERSION
MOBILE
VERSION
This is just one of the free gems you can get as an AG student! When you click the image that’s right for you, you’ll be prompted to create a username and password, and then you’ll be redirected to your personal student dashboard, where you can access free resources from AG as they are added to the library.
Share your Valentines Day images edited with this preset on Instagram!
Use the hashtag #agvdaypreset and I’ll come leave you some Valentines Day 😘 love. I can’t wait to see what you create!
Tap through for some before-and-afters!
Which preset will you use? Tell me in the comments below! As always, share this post with your friends and pin it so you never lose it! Until next time, friends!
HELLO! MY NAME IS ALEXIS.
Coffee lover, day dreamer, foodie, and creative. I believe in doing what you can with what you have where you are. I blog to help you do more with what you have. I hope you love it here!
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