Kodak Presets Bundle - Desktop

About

After 5+ years of photographing on all types of film, I’ve captured the fairy dust that makes film special and bottled it in this bundle. In order to optimize these presets for every camera and every screen, I tapped into the film-scanning knowledge of my brainier friends to ensure that every detail — from the fineness of the grain to the color rendition — is accounted for. I.e. they’ve spent countless hours going over film scans from Nortisu scanners to create consistent palettes and grain emulation.

These presets capture and replicate the balanced, dreamy, and true-to-life tones for which Kodak film stock is so well known. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when using these presets:

• These presets are not intended to finalize your images without adjustments. Instead, they are intended to optimize your image quality and act as your base. Apply them, and then touch them up as you see fit. Your unique style is the secret ingredient to the base preset recipes that I have created (see the FAQ below for more on how I like to use them).

• Just like analog Kodak film stock, these presets are versatile and can be applied to a variety of situations. I recommend experimenting with them all. (I use them for my client work when I need pleasing skin tones, during my architectural photography in San Francisco, and when I’m out taking pictures of natural landscapes.)

What’s Included

• 30 presets and color profiles in total. These have been designed to be customizable, changing the exposure and white balance will be helpful after application.

  Portra 160: Offering medium contrast and light saturation, while remaining neutral and flexible. Ideal for all daylight scenarios and various types of portraiture. I personally use this preset during street photography with harsh light and for photos of my friends.

  Portra 400: Warm and versatile, Portra 400 serves as the preferred film for numerous film photographers. Suitable for all photography scenarios, I personally trust in this preset’s ability to deliver my desired final look.

  Portra 800: Saturated yet natural, Portra 800 helps you render that perfect evening of shooting. Styled to help render low-light scenarios, this preset will help create balanced contrast and add a bit of pop to all of your photos.

  Gold 200: Perfect for any shooting situation, this preset is vivid, but subtle enough to be versatile in both landscape and portraiture situations. The 35mm grain variation is my favorite preset in the pack and it’s what I use most often with both my digital and iPhone photos.

  Alex’s Most Used: This preset is modeled after my preferred Portra 800 scans and reflects my personal editing style for Portra 800 film photos. Essentially, it replicates the Portra 800 look but with modifications that emulate my preference for soft, colorful images with fine grain.

  Colorplus: Colorplus is a popular film known for its affordability and ability to produce vivid and contrast-rich images. This preset aims to capture that same essence in your photos, infusing them with vibrant color and a touch of nostalgia.

  Ektar 100: This preset produces strong contrast and vivid saturation, making it suitable for both daytime and evening shots & portraiture. Personally, I find it especially effective for capturing vivid sunsets, and for portraiture, I tone down the red tones to create a more atmospheric, moody effect.

  Kodachrome 64: Kodachrome is a versatile film known for its soft yet colorful look that can be applied to any lighting scenario. It is particularly effective in achieving an old-school aesthetic. When green tones are present in the subject or the midday sun needs to be subdued, I rely on this look the most.

  Kodachrome Saturated: This preset achieves the signature Kodachrome look with a touch more saturation, resulting in an image with added vibrancy. It's perfect for colorful buildings or capturing friends in beautiful surroundings.

  Ektar 100 ( - , + ): Ektar pushed and pulled. Essentially giving and taking contrast. Perfect for using the Ektar look, but giving you more control.

  Kodachrome 64 ( + ): Kodachrome pushed. Adds a stronger color profile for when you’d like your images to look that much more ‘filmy.’

• “Film Tools.” Presets to help in different lighting situations and add film grain (grain fineness rendered from film scanners across hundreds of film scans).

  • Apply 35mm or medium format grain.

  • Ability to reduce Ektar’s contrast in dynamic situations.

  • Image “warmers.” How I like to introduce warmth into my shadows.

  • Ability to reduce Portra’s contrast in difficult lighting situations.

  • Image “softeners.” How I like to tweak my photos for an easy-on-the-eyes look.

FAQs

1. How would you suggest using these presets?

• I’d suggest using them exactly as I do:

  To begin editing your photo, it's crucial to adjust the white balance (WB) first. I typically opt for the Auto WB setting in Lightroom to see the program's recommendation. However, this can be hit or miss. Sometimes it's very helpful and improves the photo, while other times it dramatically cools or warms it, negatively affecting the final result. Regardless, I always consider the suggestion and adjust the sliders accordingly. Generally, I tend to warm up my photos using the temperature slider, as I prefer my sunny shots to reflect the warmth of the environment. It's important to note that white balance is crucial not only for these presets, but for all photos, as it has a significant impact on the overall mood and feel of the image.

  It's time to select your preferred preset! I usually try out each option to see what kind of result each produces. For portraits and landscapes, I tend to favor the 120 selections for their fine grain, which adds to the sharpness of the image. On the other hand, when I want a bit more texture throughout the photo, I opt for the 35mm selections. If you find that you like the look of a particular preset but aren't satisfied with the grain style, you can always modify it by selecting either "35mm grain" or "120 grain."

  One notable feature of Lightroom presets is the option to adjust the strength of the effect. Once I've selected a preset, I often check to see if I prefer it at full strength, toned down, or even intensified to better achieve the desired result. This has been particularly useful with Portra 800 in both directions and toning down the preset can be helpful with images taken on phones.

  From here on out, feel free to experiment! Make any adjustments you feel are necessary, or simply leave the photo as is once you've applied the WB and preset. As I mentioned earlier, these presets are designed to mimic film, and sometimes that's all you need. For my own photos, I tend to lower the whites and highlights to achieve a softer overall look.

2. How did you decide on this price?

• To put it simply, I want these to be accessible to everyone. I’m hoping these will make it easier to approach the world of editing and also provide more experienced folks with a refreshed look for their images.  

3. How do I install these?

1. Start by downloading the preset files from the file link sent to you. The preset files come in a .zip file, which you'll need to extract first before proceeding.

2. Open Lightroom on your desktop.

3. Once Lightroom is open, navigate to the Develop module.

4. Look for the "Presets" panel on the left-hand side of the screen. If you can't see it, click on the small triangle on the left side of the screen to reveal the panels.

5. In the "Presets" panel, click on the "+" icon at the top right corner and select "Import Presets" from the drop-down menu.

6. In the window that pops up, navigate to where you saved the preset files and select the .xmp files you want to install.

7. Click "Import" and wait for Lightroom to finish importing the presets (they normally important rather quickly).

8. Your newly imported presets should now appear in the "Presets" panel.

9. To apply a preset to a photo, simply select the photo you want to edit, then click on the preset you want to use in the "Presets" panel.

4. Any other tips?

• I enjoy applying “upright” to my images with architecture with them. Having straighter lines can help improve an image quite a bit.

• I’ll occasionally apply the preset, export the photo, and then import the edited photo back into Lightroom. Editing from that point is sort of like editing a film photo at that point in my mind.

• Play with the white balance a lot, which can dramatically change the quality of a photo.

• Check back here for added tips :)

Lightroom Preset Packs are non-refundable.