Ode to Kodak - Mobile

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 pack. 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

• 16 presets 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.

• “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 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. Download the folder to your files. Make sure to unzip it after downloading.

2. Add the DNG photos to Lightroom. Think of these images as the 'preset placeholders.' The preset data is within each one. Names of the preset are attached to the photo.

3. Open the photo and in the Presets tab, select the top right 3 dots and select: Create Preset. This will add the settings from the photo and you can name it according to the file name.

4. Add it to any group you want, but I'd suggest making a group and name naming it Ode to Kodak to organize them :)

• Something to note, these files have to be this size in order to retain the preset data. Once you've created the presets, I'd recommend deleting all the photos to save your phone some space.

  After all this, you should be good to go! Please let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to keep walking through.

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.