Presets to Add Light
Image by Romulo Ozolio
Edited with Halite Presets + Limited Edition Lens FX
While it’s still gray and gloomy daily in the Northern Hemisphere as winter edges closer to spring, you can still inject a TON of light into your images!
We’ve rounded up all the presets that help you add LIGHT— from the absolute wizardry of the NEW Limited Edition Lens FX to the filmic goodness courtesy of Light Leaks, read on to discover all the sets that bring your images to LIGHT. ✨
LIMITED EDITION LENS FX
This new preset collection is downright magical— layer and customize over 70 presets to add sunspots, sunbursts, rays of light, light blooms, and more! This set is limited in number, so get your copy before it’s sold out of the Archipelago Presets shop!
Image by Rebekah Dunn
Edited with Halite Presets + Limited Edition Lens FX
QUEST TOOLS 08 - EXF LIGHT LEAKS
February’s Quest preset is all about reigniting the FUN of photography back into your editing workflow. Play with Vintage Tone and add a bunch of incredibly filmic light leaks using this set! You can use the light leaks to give your photos a retro/filmic vibe, or lower the opacity using the preset slider to give more subtle light effects.
In film photography, a light leak occurs when unintended light exposes the film, resulting in unpredictable streaks, spots, or fogging within the image. Rather than being considered flaws, these imperfections can inject a vibrant sense of energy into the frame, contributing to the overall narrative of your photograph.
Introducing Quest Tools 08 ExF Light Leaks — a powerful tool that allows you to precisely control the appearance of these nostalgic visual effects in your images using Lightroom’s masking capabilities. The collection comprises eighteen light leak presets, offering a diverse range of styles, colors, and placements of light leak effects designed for seamless layering and adjustment within the masking panel.
Additionally, the set includes a Vintage Tone tool that can be effortlessly layered over any other preset. This transformative feature turns your edit into an analog-inspired masterpiece characterized by desaturated colors, muted dynamics, a gentle haze, and filmic grain.
Please note: Due to current limitations within the Masking feature of Adobe Camera Raw, it’s not possible to move an entire masking group, as such, we recommend using Lightroom Classic for the best experience when using masking tools.
Sun + Burst from Quest 26 ZIA
Warm glowy presets AND Sun and Burst effects give ZIA a leg up in giving your images a hit of golden hour summer sunlight!
ZIA was developed with golden sun-kissed imagery as a top priority. Each color-graded preset variation lends itself to honey amber skintones with slight variations in tonality, giving you perfect grade for every scene under the sun you may encounter. Also included are 3 sun burst presets, both horizontal and vertical variations, designed to create or enhance an already existing light source for a one-of-a-kind dramatic effect. Lastly, be sure to use the Dorado preset for that extra dose of warmth your imagery has been missing!
ZIA 01: Honey brown earth tones paired with lush greens for a neutral palette with a healthy boost in warmth. Muted highlights and deep blacks for a soft yet striking appearance.
ZIA 02: A variation with a push in amber and a decrease in green saturation, along with a slight boost in warmth.
ZIA 03: A desaturated variation with a heavy push in warmth for a copper sepia feel.
Dorado: Hazy golden hues meant to blend with the existing preset.
Background Temp: Manipulated your background hue while retaining golden skintones.
Sun H & V: Use this to emulate the setting sun in your scene.
Burst 01 H & V: A subtle yet effective sun burst bringing a bit more drama to your scene.
Burst 02 H & V: A more pronounced variant with striking rays bursting from all sides.
Image by Azahar Acosta
Edited with Quest 26 ZIA
Anamorphic Flare from Quest 23 ODEON
Want something more cinematic and less warm and sunny? The Anamorphic Flare included in Odeon Presets imitates the horizontal flares that occur when a cinematic lens catches light sources, such as the sun or headlights. Add this flare to elements in your images such as reflections, sunlight, light sources, and more!
Image by Sharon Kastelijns Photography
Edited with Quest 23 Odeon
Quest 23 Odeon delivers a subtly cinematic aesthetic that allows the narrative of your photo to be told in a richly dynamic way. Each of the three base presets offers a uniquely beautiful starting point for your image, while the three Color Grade presets can be layered on top and used in conjunction with the ‘preset amount slider’ to further dial-in the look. The Odeon creative profile gives ultimate flexibility by adjusting the highlights and shadows across the image, giving total control over the dynamic range.
AQ23 i - Neutral color palette that brings a balance of warm and cool tonality, resulting in a faithful yet stylistic look.
AQ23 ii - Calming blues, soft magenta highlights and myrtle greens create a gentle yet crisp cinematic style.
AQ23 iii - A distinct push in warmth, along with desaturated blues and yellow greens, give this preset a rich, harmonious feel.
Odeon Profile - Control dynamic range across the image.
Color Grade 1 - Adds teal color grading to highlights, warm color grading to midtones and shadows
Color Grade 2 - Adds subtle warm color grading to highlights and midtones, cool color grading to shadows
Color Grade 3 - Adds overall warm color grading with warmth to midtones and subtle green to shadows
In addition, tools such as Anamorphic Flare, Cinematic Haze, Background Texture and Black Bars use Adobe’s advanced mask features to bring a creative edge to your work.
Quest Tools 04 - Prism Effects
Prism Effects give you so many ways to add creative light effects to your images! These presets are inspired by different ways you can use prisms, crystals, and other pieces of glass to reflect light in your photo. Use the effects to add realistic prism effects to your image or play with them creatively to add light in new ways!
Bend the light. Shift the frame. Break the ordinary.
Prism Effects is a light-sculpting preset collection designed to introduce dimension, movement, and creative distortion into your imagery. Inspired by the timeless technique of holding a glass prism before the lens, this set captures the magic of refracted light — reflections, flares, spectral shifts, and layered fragments — all within a seamless digital workflow.
Light becomes fluid. Edges fracture. Colors stretch and scatter across the frame.
Each prism effect is fully adjustable within Lightroom’s Masking Panel, allowing you to reposition and refine intensity with precision. Layer multiple prisms together to build complex compositions filled with depth and atmosphere, or apply a single subtle refraction for a refined, editorial touch. Horizontal and vertical versions ensure effortless integration into your composition.
From dreamlike portraits to experimental landscapes, Prism Effects transforms light into a creative instrument — turning simple scenes into immersive visual stories.
What’s your favorite preset to add light to your images? Tell us in the comments!