Lightroom Presets Inspired by Real Photography
Over the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of processing my Fujifilm RAW files in Lightroom.
Rather than trying to reproduce a particular film simulation or create a preset that dramatically transforms every photograph, I’ve been developing presets from my own photography and the situations in which I actually use my camera.
Some are inspired by nature, forests and landscapes. Others, like this one, were born from a specific photographic experience.
NENO’S FATIMA REPORT SUMMER PRESET was developed while working on a small photographic series in Fátima, Portugal, during summer. It started as a set of adjustments for those photographs and gradually became a preset that I could use as a starting point for similar situations.
These presets aren’t intended to reproduce a particular film stock, nor are they commercial presets created to make every photograph look identical. They are simply part of my own experimentation with colour, RAW files and Lightroom.
NENO’S FATIMA REPORT SUMMER PRESET
NENO’S Fatima Report Summer was created around a very particular type of photography: walking through a place with my camera and documenting what I find without controlling the light, the people or the environment.
Fátima during summer can present very different photographic situations within just a few minutes. There are large open spaces under strong sunlight, deep shadows, pale stone, architecture, vegetation and, above all, people constantly moving through the scene.
I wanted a preset that could give these photographs a consistent visual character without removing their documentary feeling.
Rather than creating an exaggerated cinematic effect, the intention is to maintain relatively natural colours while giving the image a slightly more distinctive interpretation. The preset is designed to work particularly well with daylight and the stronger contrast we often encounter during the Portuguese summer.
People were also important when developing it. Because many of the photographs from Fátima include visitors, pilgrims and everyday moments, I wanted skin tones to remain believable and not become secondary to the colour treatment.
The result is a preset that I see primarily as a travel and documentary photography preset, rather than one designed exclusively for landscapes.
I particularly like using it for street photography, travel, architecture, people, summer landscapes and photographic reportage.
As always, I don’t expect the preset to finish the photograph for me. Exposure and white balance may still require adjustment, particularly when moving between direct sunlight and shade.
That is an important part of how I use presets: they establish a common visual language, but each photograph remains an individual photograph.
The character of NENO’S Fatima Report Summer
The main characteristics I was looking for were:
- natural but distinctive colours
- controlled summer highlights
- good separation between light and shadow
- natural-looking skin tones
- balanced greens and vegetation
- warm summer light without excessive yellow
- enough contrast to give the image presence
- preservation of architectural and surface detail
- a subtle photographic rather than heavily filtered appearance
- consistency across a documentary series
What I like most about this preset is precisely where it came from.
It wasn’t created first and then taken out looking for photographs. The photographs came first, and the preset grew out of them.
For me, that makes NENO’S Fatima Report Summer much more personal. It isn’t simply another Lightroom look; it is part of a photographic series and a particular summer day in Fátima.
Download the Preset
Both versions of the preset are available for download below:
- Desktop Version — designed for RAW files and use with Adobe Lightroom Classic / Lightroom Desktop.
- iPhone / Mobile Version — adapted for photos taken with an iPhone and use with Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
Use the same photographic style across your camera and iPhone.
RAW – Fujifilm X-T20 — Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR
