Consistency is essential for your Instagram feed. But it can get tedious to edit each photo. Do you even remember what you did on the last picture to get your signature look?
Presets are the perfect solution to getting a consistent look quickly! Here’s a roundup of the best free presets for Lightroom to help you edit your Instagram photos.
What Are Instagram Presets?
A preset is just another term for a filter. Instagram presets change the exposure and color values to enhance the quality of your image and reach a vintage look.
So are Instagram presets worth it? The simple answer is yes! In most cases, the colors in your photos don’t look as vibrant straight from your camera. That’s why you’ll need to make various adjustments in post to liven up your images.
Of course, you can always adjust your exposure and color manually. But that takes a lot of time to do. With a preset, simply click on the option you want and apply to your Instagram photos. The program then automatically applies the changes and saves you a lot of time.
What makes Instagram presets so useful is that you have the option to tweak them. For instance, if the colors are too saturated for you, you can always tone them down.
Instagram presets also make your photos look more consistent. Why? Because they produce specific ‘looks’. If you chose a vintage preset, for instance, you could expect your digital files to look like old photos every time.
How Do I Achieve The Instagram Look in Lightroom?
You already know how Instagram filters work. You tap them, and you see the colors in your photos change.
Instagram filters make your picture unique because of their film and vintage look. It is understandable if you want to mimic their mood on the photos you took with a DSLR.
Good news! You can also add Instagram style presets using third-party apps! In this article, we’ll talk about Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Mobile in particular.
In many ways, Lightroom presets work just like a regular Instagram filter. All you have to do is tap the option you like, and you’ll see the app transform the photo automatically.
But you have to remember that Lightroom is a third-party app. So the real challenge lies in how you upload the photos with presets to Instagram.
The easiest way is to use Lightroom Mobile. All you have to do is apply the preset and post the photo to Instagram within the Lightroom app itself.
The tricky part is if you edit your photos using Lightroom Classic on your desktop. So how do you share your files, then? The secret is to sync your Lightroom Classic with your Lightroom Mobile app.
To sign up to Lightroom Mobile, you have to use the same Adobe Creative Cloud account you use to log into Lightroom Classic. So thankfully, whatever collection of photos you have in Classic will automatically appear in your Mobile galleries through the cloud.
Knowing this, all you have to do is to pick the photo you want from the collection. Then you can post your image to Instagram from within the Lightroom Mobile app. Easy, right?
10 Best Free Presets for Instagram
All the presets below are Lightroom presets. So the information you just learned will come in handy!
1. Presetpro
Looking for a one-stop-shop for a variety of presets to sample? You may want to check out the free Lightroom presets collection from Presetpro.
They have an extensive collection of preset bundles. They’re broken down into categories, and each allows one free preset download. It’s the best opportunity to sample before you buy!
Feel free to try their film-inspired Instagram presets. They are some of the best we tested on this list.
2. Greater Than Gatsby
Greater Than Gatsby is a well-known creator of presets and actions for portraits and weddings. They offer a free 10-preset sample pack for download.
Unlike other Instagram preset packages, the free options that Greater than Gatsby offers retain skin tones. That means you won’t get unnatural colors that make your beautiful subjects look anaemic.
3. FreeLightroomPresets.co
FreeLightroomPresets.co is the sister site of Lookfilter.com. The latter sells Lightroom tool bundles.
Their shop has very few items, but the free Lightroom presets site has an extensive collection to choose from. Their presets are divided into categories.
You can join their mailing list to get updates on new downloads available.
4. Cole’s Classroom
Cole’s Classroom offers a free Lightroom presets bundle. It’s packed with a mix of looks that can fit a variety of photo subjects.
With the stylized looks of these presets, though, they’re a good fit for portraits.
Cole’s Classroom offers a set of stylized presets best suited for casual portraits with a vintage flair.
5. Fix the Photo
Fix the Photo is a website that specializes in photo retouching services. But it also offers a large collection of presets for Lightroom for a variety of categories!
They do also sell presets that they refer to as “Pro.” But the presets you can get for free will serve you well for finding that Instagram-worthy look.
<img class=”aligncenter” src=”https://expertphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Best_Free_Lightroom_Presets_Fix_the_Photo.jpg” alt=”A screenshot of Fix The Photo free sample presets for Instagram” width=”700″ height=”856″ />
6. Photonify
Photonify, a site with photo-editing tools for sale, has a section of freebies. Essentially, they offer one preset for free from each of their bundles.
It’s a great way to sample their Instagram presets before investing.
7. Lightgram
Lightgram’s freebie bundle has looks that are great for Instagram-worthy photos. It includes 15 Lightroom presets, and is also a great introduction to their bundles for sale.
Lightgram’s looks are moody and modern, making them a great fit for Instagram feeds.
8. No Man Before
If travel photos are your main Instagram topic, then you’ll want to take a look at the presets bundle created by No Man Before–a travel site for the modern explorer.
These Instagram presets give a warm look full of sunshine to any photo. Take a look at their site’s images to give you the overall feel that these presets will create for you.
9. Trey Ratcliffe
This one is a 2-in-1 because there are two Instagram preset bundles from the world-renowned travel photographer Trey Ratcliffe.
On his site, Stuck In Customs, Trey offers a sample pack of his Lightroom presets for download. Trey also works with ON1 to provide a free Lightroom preset bundle on their site.
If you like vibrant images with strong contrast and vignetting that adds punch, then you’ll enjoy Trey’s presets.
Trey’s presets offer a lot of colorful punch, making them perfect for very bold imagery full of color and contrast.
10. Helene in Between
Do you aspire to reach influencer status or be a full-time travel blogger? Then, it only makes sense to use Instagram presets from a travel blogger or influencer!
Helene sells Lightroom presets in her online shop. But the free bundle is a fantastic introduction to looks that are tailored to Instagram.
Helene in Between’s presets make your photos look like a professional’s work with inviting with soft colors and dark shadows. It’s a great start to editing travel photos.
Conclusion
While it’s not very difficult to create your own presets, having some at your disposal to play with is helpful. These days, most online shops that sell presets will also offer some for free download.
With so many options out there, what’s stopping you from creating your perfect Instagram look?
Looking for more awesome ideas on Lightroom presets? Check out our new post on the best Lightroom presets for portraits!
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