How to Create Your Own Lightroom Presets (and Sell Them)

If friends keep asking how you edit your photos, you already have the makings of a product. Creating your own Lightroom presets is easier than most people think — you perfect one look, save it, and it becomes a one-tap style you can reuse forever (and sell again and again). Here is the full process, on desktop and mobile.

What a Lightroom preset actually is

A preset is simply a saved set of Develop adjustments — white balance, tone, colour, grain and more — bundled into a single click. Instead of editing every photo from scratch, you apply your look instantly and fine-tune from there. That reusable consistency is exactly what buyers pay for.

Step 1 — Perfect one edit you love

Start with a photo that represents the kind of work you shoot, and edit it until it feels unmistakably “you”. Focus on the adjustments that define a look rather than fixes specific to one image:

• White balance & tone — set the overall warmth and exposure mood.
• Tone curve & contrast — the backbone of any look; gentle curves read as “film-like”.
• HSL / colour mixer — tune skin tones and signature colours (muted greens, teal shadows, etc.).
• Colour grading — add a tint to shadows/highlights for a cohesive feel.
• Grain & texture — a touch of grain makes digital files feel organic.

Avoid baking in photo-specific fixes like spot removal or heavy cropping — those won’t translate to other images.

Step 2 — Save it as a preset

Lightroom Classic & CC (desktop)

• In the Develop module, open the Presets panel and click the + icon.
• Choose Create Preset, name it, and tick the settings to include (leave out exposure if you want it to adapt per photo).
• Save — it now lives under your User Presets, ready to apply or export.

Lightroom mobile (free app)

On mobile, open an edited photo, tap the … menu and choose Create Preset. Mobile-first packs are often delivered as DNG files too — the same look, baked into a sample photo. New to this? Our guide on how to install Lightroom presets covers every format your buyers will use.

Step 3 — Test it across many photos

A preset that looks incredible on one photo but breaks on the next won’t sell. Apply yours to a range of scenes and lighting before you trust it:

• Bright and dark scenes — does it hold up in both?
• Different skin tones — do faces stay natural?
• Indoor vs golden hour — is the white balance forgiving?

Adjust until it behaves well with only minor per-photo tweaks. That robustness is what earns 5-star reviews.

Step 4 — Build a small, cohesive pack

Don’t dump 50 random presets on people. A tight pack of 5–10 cohesive looks that work together sells far better than a giant grab-bag. Give the pack a clear theme — moody film, light & airy, warm portraits — so buyers instantly know who it’s for.

Step 5 — Turn your presets into income

Once your pack is ready, you can list it in minutes. On PresetScout you keep 90% of every sale — one flat 10% fee with no listing or hidden costs — and get paid directly through Stripe. Start selling on PresetScout, then upload your first preset with real before/after previews so buyers see exactly what they’re getting.

Tip: list one preset for free to build an audience — free presets pull in new buyers who often come back for your paid packs.

You only have to create the look once. Do it well, package it honestly, and it can sell while you’re out shooting.