It’s Preset Day!
Welcome back to another edition of Matt’s Free Presets. This week the preset is one that I’ve been experimenting with a lot lately. I call it Vividity. It’s not really a word but I think it should be so I’ve named my preset in hopes that millions of people will follow and eventually force the dictionary gods (whoever they may be) to add it. Anyway, dreams aside, the preset does just what you think it does. It adds a degree of vividness (which is a word) to your photos. There’s a few different flavors that you’ll see when you download. Level 1 is the least vivid and Level 3 is the most. I recommend staying away from the Level 3 for portraits or photos with people in them as it looks a little too punchy. Otherwise, enjoy ‘em and let me know what you think by posting a comment. Thanks!
Click here to see a sample of the preset.
Click here to download Matt’s Vividity Presets
Click here to see a video on how to install presets.
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on March 19th, 2008 at 10:22 am
To quote Chris Orwig: Subtle yet significant! Great preset again Matt, thanks!
on March 19th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Thanks once again Matt
on March 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am
This is one of the best yet. Thanks, Matt!
on March 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Hey Matt,
Off-topic but, what’s the identification of the Kingfisher-like bird? I’m a birder and can’t quite figure this one out. Do you know its type and where it was photographed?
Thanks.
on March 19th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Thanks Matt!!
on March 19th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Thank you very much Matt!!!!!!!!!
Really great!
/Benny
on March 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
These are excellent presets. Very useful. But readers should be aware that applying this preset changes the White Balance and the Blacks. I’m not sure why, or whether Matt intended this given that these setting are usually optimised and specific to each image. I think I’ll be saving this particular preset without the WB and Blacks changes.
on March 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Matt,
Wicked awesomely epic presets. I subscribed to the RSS feed for this site specifically for your presets.
ciao // kent
on March 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Hi Matt!,
Excellent presets as always!
Mike
http://flickr.com/photos/mschollum/
on March 19th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Hi Matt,
Nice presets, thank you.
Help!
I was watching your video on how to move folders and consolidate them however -and I am sure there are a few souls out there that have the same problem- how do I consolidate different catalogs into one and how do I consolidate all my pictures folders (that I have in a FEW places) into one folder. I also would want all my corrections to be preserved of course.
I realize that it might be a problem but maybe it can be done in a few steps. Like you, and many others, I started in a certain way and changed it a few times before realizing that the best way would be to create on catalog and one photo folder.
Thank you,
Motti
on March 19th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Excellent preset. Many thanks.
As far as the bird is concerned, it looks like a normal kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). See http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kingfisher/index.asp
on March 20th, 2008 at 1:36 am
I like it Matt. Thanks a lot.
on March 20th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Great ones, as usual. Matt is the best resource ever for my workflow!
Just received my “Layers” book also.
Man, I thought I knew a lot about layers…
Thanks!
Alain
on March 20th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Powerfully effective in it’s subtlety. Add just the right amount of oomph for the job.
on March 20th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Thanks Matt for another good set of presets.
I applied to a couple of images that I thought were already “just right” and the presets made them “more right”. Or is that “even righter” ?
In my former life I were an engineer and grammer and speling ain’t our specilty
For the guy who mentioned the Slide Rule in the Lr pull back post, I still have a circular slide rule along with my linear slide rule and actually remember how to use them.
Thanks again
on March 20th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Hi Matt,
Love your presets. The one I particularly enjoy is the SurealEdgy. A must have ! I tried one day to reproduce this effect on a jpg image in photoshop. Do you have any advice on where to start ?
Thanks
on March 20th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Nice preset Matt. As always, thanks for sharing.
Hate to burst your bubble but “vividity” has already been “discovered”.
I found it in a couple of online dictionaries (inclduing Miriam-Webster)
There is also a Seattle-based band named Vividity that you can find on MySpace.
Ron
on March 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I have just recently found this site and have fallen in love with your presets! They have made my editing much easier while I learn and hopefully become more proficient myself.
Dave
on March 21st, 2008 at 4:37 am
Hm, After looking at the samples, it pushes the colors, but also decrease the dynamic range far to much.
Steve
on March 21st, 2008 at 9:38 am
I think the “Vividity” presets work better with the color-balance tweaks removed.
on March 21st, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Another great preset Matt! Thanks for all the work you put into these!
on March 22nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
To Mike, (about the Kingfisher)
Thanks for the info and the link. It’s clearly a UK variety not found in the US. That explains why it wasn’t in any of my US bird guides.
on March 24th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
This one is really good. I’ve played with all that you’ve published. This one I can see using on a regular basis. I tried it on some “cloudy day” pictures I took on the Oregon coast this weekend and it’s quite impressive (and a lot faster than working through all the adjustments myself). Thank you.
Given how many of these you and others are publishing it might be interesting to hear your thoughts on how this fits in the workflow. Do I apply “Matt’s sharpening” and then “Matt’s Vividity” or…
on March 25th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Are you still looking for ideas for future presets?A while ago you mentioned you’d like to make a preset for underwater photos and you asked if anyone wanted to send in some underwater pix as guinea pigs.
Well, I would love you guys to come up with an underwater preset so if you still need underwater images, please let me know and I can send you some RAW pix I just took in the Maldives. I am by no means a pro photographer but they would hopefully be good enough for you to use.
Thanks again for a great site - I find the ongoing format of small, practical “get-it-done” tips invaluable for learning my way around Lightroom
Best
Chris
on March 28th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Love this preset!!!
on March 28th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Thx Matt again for another great preset. Have taken up photography lately and have tried so hard making my photos look good. Then I came across your website with all these presets, after trying it out there’s no turning back. Now my photos look much better and I don’t have to spend so much time in front of my laptop. You’re the best. I’ll be using this preset a lot on my landscape photos.
on April 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hey Matt!
I just processed a whole galley of pictures using this preset!
Thee really helped make the poppy’s “Vivid” and pop out. They were pretty flat!
http://www.viscott.com/2008/tehachapi/index.htm