Enhancing Your iPhone Images with Lightroom Presets

Enhancing your iPhone and Android Phone Images with Lightroom Presets

“The best camera is the one you have with you.”

I’d like to attribute that quote to its source but it has been so widely heralded, I can’t even name the genius who first stated it.

Though it was years into photography before I remember hearing this tidbit of wisdom, I have to admit that when I picked up my first DLSR in early 2009, I did not follow it.  After all, I’d just paid for this expensive, higher end camera…and I lugged it everywhere.  It helped that back in those early days, I was also lugging around diaper bags and strollers so the added weight did not seem like too big of a deal.

But, as my kids got older and my bags got smaller, my iPhone became my go-to camera.  It was always with me and while I strive to take professional quality pictures, the root of that desire is that I love photographs and I wanted those memories preserved, regardless of the format.  And if I didn’t have to lug around heavy gear to get it, all the better.

Even though I now have a mirrorless camera and I’m not dealing with having to lug around a heavy DSLR, my iPhone images are a much truer representation of my life these days than those shot with my pro gear.  Part of it is convenience but a larger part is simply that my kids are much more relaxed with me pulling out my iPhone to snap a picture than Sebastian (yes, I named my camera…).  In fact, it’s a rare day indeed when I take a “professional” shot of my family.

However, I still want my smartphone images to be consistent with the rest of what I shoot (both digital and film).  To do that, I make sure to still use my Lightroom presets from Pretty Presets to edit my smartphone images.

You can do this directly through the Lightroom’s Mobile App, but you can also just load your smartphone images into your Lightroom desktop version.  Keep in mind, there are a few things you need to know to get the most out of enhancing your smartphone images with your Pretty Presets for Lightroom.

Edited with Cassis from the Pretty Film Bohemian Collection

1. Start with a Sharp Image

Your smartphone may not have optical image stabilization so a steady hand is really important, especially if zooming in.

2. The Front and Back Facing Cameras are Not Created Equal

This will likely only come into play if taking a selfie (which I take a lot of with my children) as images from that camera are a lower resolution and tend to suffer in sharpness and noise.

3. When Editing Your Smartphone Images in Lightroom, Apply Your Presets Just Like You Normally Would

You can make all the same adjustments, but keep in mind that if you are used to working with RAW files, your smartphone’s jpeg images may respond slightly differently to the presets.

Smartphone cameras have come a long way.  Not only do we now have large, high resolution images to work with, the newest smartphones are even diving into depth of field and portrait lighting adjustments, which is pretty amazing.  Mobile phones are no long just simple phones with simple cameras.

Here are a few examples of how you can use your Pretty Lightroom Presets to add some extra polish to your smartphone images.  I’ll list the preset used under each image.

Examples of Lightroom Presets (from Pretty Presets) Used on My Mobile Images

Edited with Calypso from the Pretty Film Bohemian Collection

Edited with Harvest Moon from the Sugar and Spice Collection

Edited with Classic Clean from the Bella Baby Complete Newborn Workflow

Edited with Sliver Mink BW from the Pretty Film Pastels Collection

Edited with Moonbeam BW from the Pretty Film Bohemian Collection

If you'd like to edit your mobile images with presets in Lightroom CC for your phone or mobile device, we have a great tutorial on how to do that right here!

Do you have any questions or comments about Enhancing your iPhone or Android Images with Lightroom Presets?  Just leave us a comment below - we would LOVE to hear from you!  And PLEASE SHARE this post using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!