Apply additional local adjustment preset without deleting existing local adjustments

Hi, I have about 20 Local Adjustment presets that I will create but I can’t figure out how to do apply them without having the new local adjustment preset deleting the existing one. I know global presets can be applied without deleting/overriding current settings. Is it possible with Local Adjustment presets?

(using Elite version of PL 4 on Windows 10)

As far as I can see with a few trials, different presets con only complement each other in these cases:

  • They are partial presets
  • They contain settings of different tools

If two partial presets cover settings of the same tool (let’s say Contrast and Microcontrast), the two partial presets don’t complement each other, but overwrite each other, it’s not a matter whether a preset is global or local…

I’m confused about what you want to accomplish and how you would use these Local Adjustment presets. Local adjustments are based on masks. Assuming you can even create local adjustment presets, which I don’t believe is possible, the masks would probably not line up correctly with other images. Do you actually mean partial presets?

Mark

The easiest way to explain what I’m trying to do is to compare it to Lightroom brushes. If you are familiar with those, PL brushes do the same thing (in addition to the CP masks you reference), but in LR I can create multiple brush presets. Local adjustment presets would be a time saver because i don’t have to make multiple slider adjustments, I just have to move the adjustment circle.

In PL, you can create multiple Local adjustment presets the same way you create partial presets, but when you apply the local adjustment preset, it deletes the existing local adjustments.

Thanks, that is what I found during my experiments. I was hoping I missed something.

In PhotoLab you can not save any local adjustment settings in presets.

Mark

I guess I hacked the program then. But seriously, did you try making a partial preset with only local adjustments? It works for me. In fact, I can have multiple local adjustments that I turn on when needed in a single preset. Currently that is my workaround, but I’d prefer to have 1 local adjustment per preset like Skin or Eyes. Right now putting all my local adjustments in 1 preset that are all turned off is the only way I can make it work to speed up my workflow.

No no hacking, you can have this local partial preset sins the localadjustment tool is in the pallet. (just turn everything off except local adjustment in the edit mode and safe that as partial preset.)
I used it for vignetting blurring preset.
6 gradient filters around the centre.

Not sure how you came up to 20 different presets doh.
Can you show some examples?

Thanks for your response, but I’m not sure I understand. Are you saying you have 6 gradient filters in 1 preset or 6 separate presets? I can combine multiple local adjustments when they are all in 1 preset, but I can’t figure out how to combine multiple local adjustment presets separately.

Examples of Local adjustment presets I have:

  • Eyes: increase sharpness, saturation and exposure
  • Skin: reduce micro contrast and bump brightness
  • Teeth: increase sharpness and decrease saturation.
  • etc.

For some like the skin, I may have 2 versions (one for the brush and one for the control point.) I don’t need every adjustment for every photo so I’d rather not put all these local adjustments in 1 preset and turn them on when needed as the number adjustment circles are distracting.

This was a very quick and dirty example.

Ok i will show you tomorrow.( I am watching a movie now.
Base principle
1 make your settings rightmouse make preset from present settings.
2 go in to preset edit.
Turn off all what’s not needed.
Save preset.
This is a partial preset.

3 one problem: A preset local adjustment pallet is all over the old localsetting.
So a preset is replacing former settings.
You could try making a virtual copy and place there the second preset.
Then use selective copy paste to place this in the master.
(i just thinking of this no testing done.)

Interesting. I tried creating partial presets for just local adjustments and was unable to successfully include the specific local adjustments. I will try it again. I did it quickly and probably overlooked something.

Mark

Thank you. We have a bit of a miscommunication. I was only making a joke when I said I hacked the system. I was trying to convince the other poster that it was possible to make a preset for local adjustments. I should have laid out the steps like you did to prove it is possible.

I’ve done exactly what you said and discovered the same thing that it deletes the existing local adjustment. Obviously if I have a local adjustment for the skin and want to sharpen the eyes with a preset, it will delete the skin adjustment. I was just trying to see if there was a way to keep the skin adjustment.

I know, i just replied the way you can make a preset.
(never tried with a controlpoint but i assume it works.)

This is also a possible action.
Create all local corrections , give them a proper name in the local adjustment toolwindow.
Then hide them, the eye, then make from that a partial preset.
Apply preset and “unhide” the one’s you need.

What i was thinking make first a few virtual copies from your image.
Apply on master the 1e, on vc1 the 2e on vc3 the 3e.
Then use selective copy to copy local adjustment of the vc’s on the master.
(i am not sure if this works.)

If not, the only one who will work is that hide unhide preset.
Edit i think this is faster anyway.

Thanks, I originally thought multiple local adjustments in 1 preset was the best workaround, but I didn’t realize the adjustment circle is still visible even though the adjustment is turned off. I will experiment with VCs to see which is the least frustrating workaround. Thanks for the great suggestions.

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The only somehow practical way imo is to create a partial preset that contains all masks, brushes etc., apply it and manually disable the masks, brushes etc. that you don’t want to apply. No need for VCs, but you can still use them as you like.

To avoid confusion, you could make a preset each for landscape, portrait, stills etc.

Example: Landscape preset: one item each for background, foreground, midground. Apply to image and switch off the midground (if there is none). Name the items so that you know what to switch off.

This is a very interesting discussion. I never thought about using a partial preset that includes several different local adjustments, each of which can be used or not used on multiple files. This could be very useful, I will have to experiment. Thanks to all participants.

Thanks everyone for your help!

I tested virtual copies a couple of different ways. First, I created multiple VCs and put one local adjustment on each VC and then copied the local adjustments back to the master. Unfortunately, each copy deleted the previous adjustment. I then put 1 local adjustment on the master. Made a VC and added another local adjustment to it, but the previous adj. was also deleted.

So putting all my local adjustments on 1 preset seems to be the only option. The control point preset works like magic on faces. It’s like adjustable Smart Lighting but I can control size, brightness, etc. - so much faster and more realistic than brushes.

But there are a couple of flaws with this method. First, it gets very cluttered, even when the adjustments are all switched off as you still see the mask selection button for every adjustment. But more importantly, my system crashed 3 times when I was moving the points - happened for both control points and brushes. Having said that, using control points as a lighting preset is awesome so I will probably only put 2 or 3 CPs in my partial preset.

What about copying and pasting local adjustments from a set of photos that have different LAs.

This was my gut feeling too. As with most things, there is a good mix of number of bags containing a number of things each in order to best transport whatever needs to be transported. Too many bags means too much walking, to many things in a bag means too heavy lifting…

ok got the time to test and i find the clutter and distraction not that big if you switch all off.
For all see this video:link to clip
(my waving around with the mousepointer means “see no visual local tool lines”)

And to make this a partial preset to use see this clip as example

personally i think this is the most effective way to apply groups of corrections.
i have a “temp folder” in my presets which i can use as “project” store room for quick repair of many the same image’s. (as a temporaly group of corrections i want to use in a project of image’s)and as test folder. (so i know easy which to delete when ready. if i want to keep one i replace it to my "partial preset folder)

i made this before we are able to use this:


Now you can also use a Virtual Copy to store a certain level of correction and use that as source for selective pasting on different image’s
step 1 make your adjustments
step 2 create from that point a VC.
step 3 edit further on image 1
step 4 copy settings of VC and use selective paste to add your work on the next image.
step 5 edite further on image 2 . (adjust vc settings if needed)
selective pasting is much like a partial preset.

hope i helped.

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