Categories: PhotographyTags: ,

For those of you who use Lightroom, you are probably familiar with Develop presets and how to use them. However, something that has baffled me for quite some time is how to batch-apply a preset to a large group of photographs. The most common answer is always to process one photograph (or apply a preset to it) and then use the “Sync Settings” feature to sync your image together. That method has always felt laborious, especially when I’m using a preset and I’m not 100% certain what the settings are that I should sync, particularly with images where I do not want to sync all of the settings (such as exposure or white balance).

I am happy to say that I have finally found a way, and it is so easy that I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I didn’t figure this out earlier … just use the Quick Develop panel!

So, here’s how it works:


Step 1

First, in Lightroom, go into the Library module by pressing G (for Grid view).


Step 2

Then, highlight the photos you want to work with.

 


Step 3

Next, head over to the Quick Develop panel on the right and select the preset you want to apply from the “Saved Preset” section. (You may need to create your preset in the Develop module before doing this step.)


Step 4

All of your photos should now have the newly-added preset applied, saving you a lot of time and frustration!

 

For those of you who use Lightroom, you are probably familiar with Develop presets and how to use them. However, something that has baffled me for quite some time is how to batch-apply a preset to a large group of photographs. The most common answer is always to process one photograph (or apply a preset to it) and then use the “Sync Settings” feature to sync your image together. That method has always felt laborious, especially when I’m using a preset and I’m not 100% certain what the settings are that I should sync, particularly with images where I do not want to sync all of the settings (such as exposure or white balance).

I am happy to say that I have finally found a way, and it is so easy that I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I didn’t figure this out earlier … just use the Quick Develop panel!

So, here’s how it works:


Step 1

First, in Lightroom, go into the Library module by pressing G (for Grid view).


Step 2

Then, highlight the photos you want to work with.

 


Step 3

Next, head over to the Quick Develop panel on the right and select the preset you want to apply from the “Saved Preset” section. (You may need to create your preset in the Develop module before doing this step.)


Step 4

All of your photos should now have the newly-added preset applied, saving you a lot of time and frustration!

 

Stay in touch

Stay in touch and get the latest updates by subscribing to my newsletter below:

Nicolesy Newsletter: Homepage Form

Nicole is a photographer, published author, and educator specializing in Lightroom, Photoshop, and photography. She is best known for her books on food photography but is widely versed in various photographic genres, including landscape, nature, stock, travel, and experimental imagery.

3 Comments

  1. Neal R Walters June 5, 2014 at 2:36 am - Reply

    That’s a great tip Nicole and one that I will put to use immediately!

  2. Anonymous June 11, 2014 at 7:05 pm - Reply

    Great tip Nicole! Thanks for sharing!

  3. Roxana Snedeker January 18, 2019 at 1:33 pm - Reply

    I have been trying to figure this out today, thank you so much! Tricky little thing LR!

Leave A Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.