How to Save a Preset in Lightroom

Once you've dialed in an edit you love, save it as a preset so you can apply the same look to any photo with one click. Here's how, in every version of Lightroom.

Lightroom Classic

  1. Edit a photo in the Develop module until you’re happy with the look
  2. In the Presets panel on the left, click the + icon and choose Create Preset
  3. Name the preset and pick a preset group to keep things organized
  4. Check the settings to include — for a reusable look, include tone, color, and effects, but leave out Exposure so the preset adapts to differently lit photos
  5. Click Create

Your preset now appears in the Presets panel and applies to any photo with a single click.

Lightroom (CC / Desktop)

  1. Edit a photo, then click the Presets button at the bottom of the Edit panel
  2. Click the three-dot menu and choose Create Preset
  3. Name it, choose which edit settings to include, and save

Presets sync through Creative Cloud, so anything you save on desktop shows up in Lightroom Mobile automatically.

Lightroom Mobile

  1. Edit a photo, then tap the three-dot menu in the top right
  2. Tap Create Preset
  3. Name the preset, choose the settings to include, and tap the checkmark

If you use the free version of Lightroom Mobile without a subscription, presets stay on your device. With a Creative Cloud subscription they sync everywhere.

Which Settings Should a Preset Include?

A good rule of thumb:

  • Include — Tone curve, color mix / HSL, color grading, grain, vignette, calibration
  • Usually exclude — Exposure, white balance, crop, and local adjustments (masks), because these are specific to each photo

This is why applying a preset rarely finishes an edit: you’ll still fine-tune exposure and white balance per photo.

Saving a Preset from Someone Else’s Photo

If you have a JPG that was exported from Lightroom with metadata intact, the full recipe of the edit may still be inside the file. Upload it to the Lightroom preset viewer to see every slider value — then either recreate the settings manually or copy the preset directly from the photo as a downloadable XMP file.

Backing Up and Sharing Presets

Lightroom stores presets as .xmp files. To export one from Lightroom Classic, right-click the preset and choose Export. Send the XMP file to anyone, and they can install it in their Lightroom in a few clicks.