Presets for Beach Photography – Review of Sleeklens Presets for Lightroom with long exposure & sunset images of Topsail Island, NC.
Lightroom presets are ever gaining in popularity due to the simple, consistent variety it allows a photographer to apply to each photo. With the rise of this popular Adobe program, other experts have stepped into the mix, adding a plethora of new and exciting presets. One such expert, is Sleeklens. https://sleeklens.com/
Sleeklens provided me with a the package they call Through the Woods Workflow. https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-lightroom-presets/ I was thrilled to jump in and see how well it enhanced the photo (common for all presets) while actually maintaining a natural look (uncommon for landscape, nature, and environmental photography).
Image 2548: (South Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets (Version 2)
I was looking for some specific traits:
- Is it intuitive?
- Do the landscape presents stay true to nature?
- Do the presets require excessive tweaking?
- Do they add a wow factor?
THE DETAILS:
These presets come with 42 landscape brushes and 80 landscape presets. It’s compatible with Lightroom 4-6 and Lightroom CC. Awesome tools include the adjustment brush, gradient filter, and the post-crop vignettes.
The organization of the Sleeklens website is clean and clear. Categories are grouped together distinctly, and the entire Sleeklens present was simply easy to use. The workflow was intuitive and I was able to catch on quickly, making minute adjustments to the preset with ease. There is a tutorial section for Sleek Lens https://sleeklens.com/lightroom-tutorials/
for those who need it.
Image 1974: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
As a resident of coastal North Carolina, it’s no shock that photographing the sunrise at the beach is my happy place. Even though I shoot up and down the coast, I could take pictures at the exact same spot on Topsail Beach or Wrightsville Beach every single day, and not a single sunrise would be the same. So of course, these are the photos I chose to use in the Sleeklens Through the Woods Workflow experiment. https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-lightroom-presets/
Overall, I would definitely recommend the Through the Woods Workflow to my fellow landscape and nature photographers. The software is really intuitive and each preset enhanced the photography while keeping the overall colors and feel true to nature. Additionally, it was easy to add adjustments although they were not excessively necessary, and the wow factor was there!
Image 1506: (North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
Below is each photograph I have applied the present to, with photograph locations including:
- Topsail Beach, NC
- Surf City, NC
- North Topail Beach, NC
- Wrightsville Beach, NC
If you are also tired of the same old thing in Lightroom, give Sleeklens a go. Their blog offers tons of tips and tricks to keep your work fresh and exciting. If you are not yet ready to invest in the nominal fee of one of their packages, they have a starter pack of presets you can try out for free. https://sleeklens.com/product/the-starter-pack-lightroom-presets/
Sleeklens Info:
About https://sleeklens.com/about-us/
Presets https://sleeklens.com/product-category/lightroom-presets
Contact https://sleeklens.com/contact/
Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/SleeklensMembersClub/
The photos are listed below, along with numbers to use as a guide for the layering order.
Image 2548: (South Topsail Beach)
SOOC (straight out of the camera)
Image 2548: (South Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets (Version 3)
Preset used: 0-All in One- Dawn Rising
Image 2548: (South Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets (Version 2)
Preset used: 0-All in One- Shine Into The Sunset
Image 2548: (South Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets (Version 1)
Order in which presets were applied
- 1-Base – Exdenting DR -Crispy and Sharp
- 2-Exposure – Less Highlights
- 4 Tone/Tint – Warm It Up
- 5-Polish – Add Clarity
- 5- Polish – Punch It Up
- 5-Polish – Sharpen
Image 1506: (North Topsail Beach)
SOOC (straight out of the camera)
Image 1506: (North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
Order in which presets were applied
- 1-Base – Exdenting DR -Crispy and Sharp
- 2-Exposure – More Highlights
- 5-Polish – Add Clarity
- 4 Tone/Tint – Warm It Up
- 5-Polish – Add Contrast
Image 1985: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
SOOC (straight out of the camera)
Image 1985: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
Order in which presets were applied
- 1-Base – High Dynamic Range
- 4- Tone/Tint – Color Pop
- 5-Polish – Add Clarity
- 5-Polish – Add Contrast
- 5-Polish – Sharpen
- 6-Vignette – Subtle Black
Image 1974: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
SOOC (straight out of the camera)
Image 1974: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
Order in which presets were applied
- 1-Base – High Dynamic Range
- 2-Exposure – Darken
- 4- Tone/Tint – Color Pop
- 5-Polish – Add Clarity
- 5-Polish – Sharpen
Beach Photography & Presets – Using Sleeklens Presets for Adobe Lightroom
Image 1965: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
SOOC (straight out of the camera)
Image 1965: (long exposure photo at North Topsail Beach)
Edited with SleekLens Through The Woods Presets
Order in which presets were applied
- 1-Base – Punchy
- 3-Color – Deep Blue Skies
- 4- Tone/Tint – Color Pop
- 4 Tone/Tint – Warm It Up
- 5-Polish – Add Clarity
- 5-Polish – Add Contrast
- 5- Polish – Punch It Up
- 5-Polish – Sharpen
Read more tips for taking your photography to the next level here: How to Develop Your Personal Photography Style
For some of the photography equipment that I use regularly, read this article: What’s In My Photography Bag? Rachel Carter Images
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