How to Install Lightroom Presets in Adobe Lightroom CC: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Adobe Lightroom CC is an essential tool for photographers, offering powerful features to enhance and organize digital photos. One of its key capabilities is the use of presets—customizable filters that can dramatically change the look of your photos with a single click. Whether you're new to Lightroom or a seasoned user, installing presets can enhance your photo editing workflow significantly. This blog post will guide you through the steps to install Lightroom presets on both Mac and PC, covering both manual installation and via the application itself.

Before diving into the installation process, let's briefly discuss what Lightroom presets are. Presets are predefined adjustments made to the various sliders in Lightroom. These can include changes to exposure, contrast, color, and more. By applying a preset, you can instantly apply a specific style or look to your photos, which is especially useful for maintaining consistency across a photo series.

Adobe Lightroom CC makes it easy to install presets. You can do this in two ways: directly through the application or by manually placing the preset files in the correct folder. Below, we’ll walk you through both methods for both Mac and PC platforms.

1. Open Adobe Lightroom CC: Launch Lightroom CC on your computer.
   
   
2. Go to the Presets Section: Click on the ‘Edit’ icon (represented by three sliders on the right), then click on the ‘Presets’ button at the bottom of the editing panel to open the Presets panel.
   
   
3. Import Presets: In the Presets panel, click on the three-dot icon at the top and select ‘Import Presets…’.
   
   
4. Select Your Preset Files: Navigate to where your presets are saved. These will typically be .xmp or .lrtemplate files. Select the files or folder you want to import and click ‘Import’.
   
   
5. Use Your Presets: Your imported presets will now appear in the Presets panel, under the ‘User Presets’ tab. Simply click on a preset to apply it to your current photo.

For Mac:

1. Open Finder, and go to Go > Go to Folder….
   
   
2. Type '~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings' and hit Enter.
   
   
3. Copy the downloaded preset files into this folder.

For Windows:

1. Open File Explorer, and navigate to C: \ Users \ [Your User Name] \ AppData  \ Roaming \ Adobe \ CameraRaw \ Settings.
   
   
2. Copy the preset files into this directory.
   • After placing the presets in the folder, restart Lightroom CC. Your presets will now appear in the Presets panel.

Visual learner? 

We have an installation video below. 

To keep your workflow efficient and your presets easily accessible, consider organizing them into folders within Lightroom. You can create new groups by right-clicking in the Presets panel and selecting ‘Create Group’. This is particularly helpful if you have a large number of presets.

Installing presets in Adobe Lightroom CC is straightforward, whether you opt for the direct import method or prefer to install them manually. By adding these presets to your Lightroom library, you enhance your ability to creatively and efficiently edit your photos. Whether you’re looking to apply quick edits or elaborate transformations, presets are a valuable addition to any photographer's toolkit.

Feel free to experiment with different presets to find the styles that best suit your photography. Remember, every preset can be further adjusted using Lightroom’s editing sliders, allowing for endless customization and creativity. Enjoy your enhanced photo editing journey!

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