Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are Lightroom presets?

A. Lightroom presets are adjustable filters you apply in the editing process to make your photo look a certain way or style. Over the years of editing I’ll change things like curves, shadows, split toning etc to achieve a specific look. When I find one that works particularly well I save it as a preset so that it can be applied to other images. This saves a huge amount of time and gives a more consistent look with my images. The presets that I have for sale are the exact presets that I use when I edit.

Q. Who do you recommend the DESKTOP presets for?

A. I recommend these for anyone who shoots RAW photos with a DSLR camera and has started editing on desktop. These are great for someone getting more into photography, who wants to have their photos look more professional, and have the full range of editing capabilities available to you. If you are already super happy with the look of your photos – these might not be for you. If you only shoot on mobile these are also not the packs for you (check out my mobile specific pack instead).

For anyone starting a blog, excited about editing and getting a little more into photography, taking product photography, out in nature, and especially lifestyle images with people in them – THIS IS MADE FOR YOU :).

Q: Help, I can’t decide which pack to get!

A: I’m indecisive so I feel you! Keep in mind the Complete pack includes everything from the Earthy Editorial pack. I know they are an investment so, here are my thoughts on it:

Earthy Editorial is fantastic for skin tones, a buttery natural look. For examples see my Tulum photos or the recent desert pictures. Softer shadows. The ones in this pack are my parred down essentials that I edit the majority of my photos with.

Earthy + Cinematic Complete Pack- this is for the person who wants more options and pop. Room to experiment. It encompasses all my favorite curated looks and options for lighting conditions that might be less common or harder to edit. For example the Pink Sky preset is incredible for backlit silhouettes at sunrise or sunset, but isn’t a preset I would use on every photo. This is also a great pack for anyone who has never bought presets before as it will give you a wide variety of options to choose from including my current palette, film styles, clean edits, and underwater options.

These are what’s included:

Q: Are these different than the ones released in the Color Bundle?

A: Yes! My taste is always evolving and being re-inspired by different environments. Many of you have actually noticed that I developed a new go-to look while in Tulum and I’ve kept it since. I’m biased but it is my favorite look to date and the closest I’ve come to having a preset work in just one click.

Q: Will these work on mobile?

A: YES, but only if you get the MOBILE Bronze collection which are specific to mobile editing on the free Lightroom app. They come with a full detailed pdf of installation instructions.

Both other packs are Adobe Lightroom Classic (DESKTOP) version. In order to use them you will need a monthly Adobe subscription. If you don’t have it you can try it here free for 7 days!

Q: Will you be releasing mobile presets?

Yes they are now live! Right now they are available for Lightroom CC (the mobile app). In the near future there will be an option to use them within a free app making it super easy to use and install. This seems to be the hardest part so I wanted to streamline the process.

I didn’t launch both packs at the same time as I wanted to tailor them to be mobile specific. Many people simply convert their desktop presets to mobile – which works sometimes – but often doesn’t give the same result. I wanted to more extensively test my presets on cell phone photos and jpg photos so that I knew I was giving you all a top notch product. I am SO happy with the results for the Mobile pack.

Q. I’m just getting into editing with Lightroom, do you still recommend your presets?

A. Absolutely! These filters are designed as a “shortcut” to better editing and to help those with little editing knowledge to achieve a look similar to mine. That being said while some of them will work in one click the result will also largely vary with the tones and lighting of how you shoot the photo. This is where you get to learn and be creative.

Q. Are your downloads instant? How do I receive them?

A. Yes, all of our downloads are instant. They are sent to you via email immediately after payment is completed and you have 24 to download them so please check your email!

Q. If I buy a new computer or phone can I transfer my presets?

A. Yes. Once you receive your presets via email it’s a good idea to back them up on an external hard drive. You can do this by simply duplicating the zip folder then dragging it into the external hard drive folder. This way you have the presets stored safely forever.

Q. I don’t shoot RAW photos, will the presets still work?

A. Shooting in RAW is recommended when using our desktop presets as it gives you access to all of the data within the photo. If you shoot mostly mobile or jpg I recommend the Mobile pack.

Q: What camera do you shoot with?

A: I shoot with a Canon 5DIV or Canon 1DXii. However I have the benefit of constantly shooting with new friends and photographers so I get to test out my presets on a wide variety of cameras. My favorite lenses are the 50mm 1.2 and the 16-35mm 2.8.

Q: Are these the same presets you use for your feed?

These are the exact presets I use not just for my feed but also for my commercial clients like Canon USA, tourism boards, hotels, lifestyle brands, food photography, etc.

I’ve tested these presets across different camera systems such as Canon, Apple iPhone, Sony, Olympus, and Nikon to ensure that it will enhance your photos no matter what system you’re shooting on! I do highly recommend you shoot RAW (versus .jpg) on whatever camera you are using as that is what these are designed for if you get the Desktop packs.

Q: I have another question – how can I can contact you?

We tried to answer all the main questions here and in the installation guide but for any other questions feel free to send them to hello@chelsea-kauai.com and we will get back to you within 24 hours.