10 Candid Street Presets for Urban Photography

10 Candid Street Presets for Urban Photography

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10 Candid Street Presets for Urban Photography

Street photography captures the essence of urban life, and editing is key to making those moments shine. Lightroom presets simplify the process, offering quick, professional-grade edits tailored to different styles and lighting conditions. Here’s a quick guide to 10 presets designed for urban photography:

  • Urban Cool: Softens harsh shadows and highlights for balanced daytime shots.
  • B&W Streets: Classic black-and-white tones with rich contrasts.
  • Lucent Presets: Enhances natural colors for daytime and street portraits.
  • Moody Grey: Adds drama with desaturated tones and cinematic shadows.
  • Street Film: Vintage-inspired look with film grain and warm shadows.
  • Neon Nights: Perfect for vibrant, high-contrast night scenes.
  • Urban Noir: Intense black-and-white for low-light drama.
  • Rustic Charm: Warms tones and enhances textures in cityscapes.
  • Grit & Grain: Adds texture and grain for a raw, urban feel.
  • Street Fashion Flair: Polished, natural edits for fashion-forward street shots.

Each preset is priced at $27.00, with some discounted to $12.00. For a broader range, the Master Preset Bundle offers 721 pre-sets for $49.00.

Quick Comparison

Preset NameStyleBest ForPrice
Urban CoolMuted tonesDaytime architecture$27.00
B&W StreetsMonochromeDocumentary shots$27.00
Lucent PresetsBright, airy tonesStreet portraits, fashion$27.00
Moody GreyCinematic shadowsOvercast conditions$27.00
Street FilmVintage film lookGolden hour$27.00
Neon NightsHigh saturationNight photography$27.00
Urban NoirDark, moody tonesLow-light scenes$27.00
Rustic CharmWarm texturesHistoric districts$27.00
Grit & GrainTextured, raw lookGritty cityscapes$27.00
Street Fashion FlairBalanced, naturalFashion-focused shots$27.00

These pre-sets are beginner-friendly and customizable, making them ideal for creating a consistent style while saving time on edits.

Street Beat Lightroom Presets - The Best for Street Photography

Lightroom

1. Urban Cool by PresetLove

PresetLove

Urban Cool is perfect for street photography, adjusting urban lighting to soften harsh shadows and tone down bright highlights for a more balanced, natural look. It's easy to use, making it great for beginners, while still offering the flexibility advanced users need for further tweaks. This preset works seamlessly with Lightroom, Luminar NEO, and Capture One, setting a strong foundation for the rest of our curated collection.

2. B&W Streets by ON1

B&W Streets addresses the challenges of urban lighting by using advanced tone mapping. This feature automatically adjusts highlights and shadows, ensuring the exposure is well-balanced in environments with mixed lighting. It’s designed to help create striking urban photography styles.

3. Lucent Presets

Lucent Presets are designed to enhance natural colors across various daytime lighting conditions. Whether you’re shooting in harsh sunlight or soft urban light, these pre-sets can handle it all.

They’re perfect for beginners looking for simple, effective tools to edit street photography. At $27 (currently discounted to $12), they’re a budget-friendly option for quick, polished edits.

4. Moody Grey Presets

Moody Grey Presets bring a dramatic vibe to urban photography by fine-tuning tones and enhancing contrast. They help balance light and shadow effortlessly, giving your images a sleek, polished finish. Compatible with Lightroom, Luminar NEO, and Capture One, these pre-sets make it simple to achieve a consistent moody style, whether you're shooting lively cityscapes or quiet urban corners.

5. Street Film by Speckyboy

Speckyboy

Street Film brings an analog vibe to your urban photography, giving everyday scenes a cinematic touch. It’s designed to turn flat lighting into rich, moody visuals that feel straight out of classic street photography.

This preset uses film-inspired color grading to create subtle tonal shifts, carefully balancing shadows and highlights without making the image look overdone.

It’s especially effective in preserving highlight details and warming shadows in bright conditions, while also lifting darker tones in low light. This makes it perfect for capturing the unique atmosphere of urban environments.

Optimized for RAW files, Street Film highlights natural contrasts and textures, helping your photos retain that film-like character with greater flexibility.

6. Neon Nights by Sleeklens

Sleeklens

Neon Nights makes editing low-light, high-contrast urban night scenes a breeze. It helps you bring out the best in urban nightscapes with minimal effort, making it a great addition to your editing toolkit.

Part of the Neon Light Preset Collection, it’s available for $12.00 (regular price $27.00). This preset is ideal for capturing candid street moments under mixed lighting conditions with ease and precision.

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7. Urban Noir by Flourish

Flourish

Urban Noir transforms street photography with a striking black-and-white look. By focusing on intense contrasts, it adds drama and depth, perfect for enhancing mood and telling compelling visual stories. Its adjustable settings make it easy to tweak for different lighting and urban environments. Ready for more? Check out preset 8 for a fresh approach.

8. Rustic Charm by FixThePhoto

FixThePhoto

Rustic Charm focuses on enhancing warm tones while fine-tuning texture settings. It brings out architectural details and urban features without making the image look overly edited. This preset maintains the authentic feel of cityscapes under different lighting conditions. Looking for another style? Check out preset 9 for a fresh perspective.

9. Grit & Grain by FilterGrade

The Grit & Grain preset adds texture and grain, giving photos a raw, urban feel. It highlights the details in your images, enhancing the gritty essence of cityscapes.

Check out preset 10 for a different take on urban editing styles.

10. Street Fashion Flair by LightroomPresets

LightroomPresets

Street Fashion Flair by LightroomPresets is designed to bring out the best in your street photography. It gives your images a polished yet natural feel, avoiding an overly processed look. Priced at $27.00, it's currently on sale for $12.00. You can also get it as part of the Master Preset Bundle, which includes 721 pre-sets for $49.00. This preset is perfect for keeping the essence of urban street style intact while refining your photos.

Preset Features Comparison

Here's a quick look at the key features of each preset to help you decide which one suits your urban photography needs.

Preset NamePrimary Color StyleKey FeaturesBest ForPrice
Urban CoolHigh contrast, muted tones• Enhanced shadows
• Crisp details
• Subtle grain effect
Daytime urban architecture$27.00
B&W StreetsClassic monochrome• Deep blacks
• Rich mid-tones
• Film-like contrast
Documentary-style shots$27.00
Lucent PresetsBright, airy tones• Soft highlights
• Natural skin tones
• Clean whites
Street portraits, fashion$27.00
Moody GreyDesaturated, cinematic• Dramatic shadows
• Teal undertones
• Matte finish
Overcast conditions$27.00
Street FilmVintage color palette• Film grain
• Warm shadows
• Analog feel
Golden hour shooting$27.00
Neon NightsVibrant, high saturation• Enhanced neons
• Deep blacks
• Sharp contrast
Night photography$27.00
Urban NoirDark, moody tones• Heavy contrast
• Crushed blacks
• Sharp details
Low-light situations$27.00
Rustic CharmWarm, earthy tones• Textured look
• Rich browns
• Subtle fade
Historic districts$27.00
Grit & GrainRaw, textured look• Heavy grain
• High contrast
• Dramatic shadows
Gritty street scenes$27.00
Street Fashion FlairBalanced, natural• True-to-life colors
• Clean edit
• Subtle refinements
Fashion-focused shots$27.00

Each preset is available for $27.00, offering professional-grade edits tailored to specific styles. For even more variety and creative options, the Master Preset Bundle is available for $49.00. It's perfect for elevating your candid street photography with a wider range of editing tools.

Summary

Candid street photography often demands quick decisions, and using the right pre-sets can streamline your editing process. These pre-sets are fully compatible with Lightroom Mobile, and the Master Preset Bundle offers 721 mobile-ready pre-sets in DNG format for just $49 (originally $672).

To make the most of your presets:

  • Test them under different lighting: Lighting can drastically change how a preset looks. Experiment to see what works best.
  • Adjust the intensity: Fine-tune the effect using the preset opacity slider to suit your style.
  • Save your tweaks: Customize pre-sets and save your variations to create a signature look.

These tips help keep your edits as dynamic as the urban scenes you photograph. The bundle, like the individual pre-sets mentioned earlier, provides tools that fit the challenges of urban photography.

Each preset is designed to be personalized, giving you room to shape your creative vision. Whether you're capturing the energy of New York streets or the stillness of a quiet neighborhood, these pre-sets offer professional-grade editing options. For beginners, they're also a great way to learn adjustments and develop a consistent, personal style.

FAQs

How can I select the best preset for different lighting conditions in urban photography?

Selecting the right preset for urban photography depends on the lighting and mood you want to achieve. For cloudy or overcast days, a moody preset can add depth and drama to your shots. On the other hand, if you're shooting vibrant cityscapes in bright sunlight, choose a preset that enhances colors and contrast to bring out the energy of the scene.

Experimenting with pre-sets tailored for specific conditions, such as low light or golden hour, can also help you create striking and cohesive edits. Consider the atmosphere you want to convey and match the preset to your vision for the photo.

Are these presets compatible with all versions of Lightroom, including the mobile app?

Yes, the 10 Candid Street Presets are compatible with most versions of Adobe Lightroom, including Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC, and the Lightroom mobile app. This ensures you can edit your urban photography seamlessly across devices.

For mobile use, simply install the pre-sets on your Lightroom app following the provided installation guide, and you're ready to elevate your street photography on the go!

What are the advantages of buying the Master Preset Bundle instead of individual presets?

Purchasing the Master Preset Bundle offers several key benefits compared to buying individual pre-sets. First, it provides better value for your money, as bundles are often priced lower than the combined cost of individual pre-sets. This makes it an economical choice for photographers who want access to a wide variety of styles.

Additionally, the bundle gives you a comprehensive collection of pre-sets, allowing you to experiment with different looks and adapt to various photography styles, from urban to cinematic. This versatility can save you time and effort when editing photos, as you’ll have a broader set of tools at your fingertips.

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