Why Quest?
Why subscribe to Quest? What makes the Quest Preset Subscription special?
Image by Seán Bell
Edited with Quest 03 Dynamics
We obviously adore everything about the Quest subscription, but why? We’re going to go over what makes Quest so special, and answer the question “Why Quest?”
Cutting Edge Adobe Technology
Image by Matt Pocknell Photography
Edited with Quest 39 Driftwood
Since Quest presets are released on a monthly schedule, our developers can incorporate new Adobe software advances immediately into fresh Quest presets!
Quest is an intuitive way to explore the capabilities of the latest Lightroom updates with your favorite presets! Sometimes you won't even know you're using brand new software features because they're woven into the presets themselves, benefiting you and your editing!
New Lightroom features = new creative ways to edit your photos! Updates like Creative Profiles, Lens Blur, Masking Features, and more have been added to our presets as soon as they've come out of Adobe Beta Testing!
Built-in advancements like automatic Subject and Background Masks means less hand editing, saving you hours at your computer!
Looking back, which Quest presets did we add new Adobe features to?
First of all, every single one of our Quest presets includes a Creative Profile that can be adjusted with the Profile Slider and mixed and matched using the Profile Browser in Lightroom! If you only use Archipelago Presets and Quest Presets, you might not realize that this is not standard among other photography preset creators.
It’s something we include to give you the maximum usability and customization with our presets.
Subject Masks
As soon as Adobe gave us the ability to use Subject and Background Masks, we added them to Quest 18 Arbor with the Subject Pop tool.
We’ve continued to utilize these masks in Quest presets and tools such as the Mist effect in Quest 20 Orphic and others.
Image by Anna Gadalean
Edited with Quest 18 Arbor
Person Aware Masks
Adobe updated Lightroom with even more AI aware features like Person, Object, and Sky selection masks, and the Person selection masks included the ability to select specific parts and features like Skin, Clothing, and more. We featured the brand new Person: Skin Select masks in Quest 24 Floresce with the Skin Tone tools.
Image by Luke Lambertson
Edited with Quest 24 Floresce
Point Color
When Adobe launched the Point Color feature—which allows for precise and targeted adjustments to specific colors within an image— we incorporated Point Color tools targeting blues, browns, and greens into Quest 32 Zalea. Point Color has continued to be a useful feature, giving our developers ways to manipulate color globally and within mask layers.
Image by Matt Pocknell Photography
Edited with Quest 32 Zalea
Lens Blur
Adobe’s Lens Blur features were in Beta for a long time, but once they were out of Beta, we adapted them into Quest 44 Aureus with its Aureum toolset. We also launched Quest Tools 10 - Lens Emulations, taking advantage of the scope of Lightroom’s Lens Blur features to create a toolset that mimics common modern and vintage lenses.
Image by Carlos Cordero
Edited with Quest 44 Aureus
“I’ve had it for a little over a year now and absolutely love it. No plans on leaving anytime soon. The variety and different tools/extras it provides some months on top of a few presets is definitely worth it. I find I mix a lot of the tools from different quest sets or use them in addition to another preset pack I got.”
Innovation within the confines of Lightroom
Our preset creators have been pushing the limits of what is possible in Lightroom— even without Adobe special features. things like borders, mist, snow, prisms, light leaks, film effects, dust and scratches, and more have been hand created by our developers to give you ultimate creativity without having to open a separate editing application.
Image by Marta Filipczyk
Edited with Quest 34 Collodion
Tools and Extras
Most Quest presets after the early ones (at least starting small with the Radial Obscura tool in Quest 07) include a few or a lot of tools meant to complement that preset collection.
The tools can be used in conjunction with the preset they came with, or with other presets you own to add to any edit!
Quest sets include tools for creative additions (like borders and effects), or to make life easier with shortcuts for hand editing, like the Subject Pop Mask.
Quest also has an archive of 11 Dedicated toolsets from Quest Tools 01 - Lens Effects all the way up to Quest Tools 11 - Diffusion Filters that add extra magic to your edits
“One of the often missed things when subscribing to Quest is not just the presets themselves, but the modifiers that are included - there have been some amazing ones over the years! Adding snow, making the landscape more autumnal, sun flares, etc.”
Notable Tools
Change the Weather
Literally change the weather in your photos using mist tools from Quest 20 Orphic and Quest 31 Mythos, add snow with Quest Tools 05 - Snowfall, and create sunlight with sun tools in Quest 26 ZIA and sunsets with Quest Tools 09 - Sunset Enhancer. You can even change the season using Quest 30 Autumnal, and the time of day using Quest 35 Nexus!
Image by Lex Hudson
Edited with Quest Tools 05 - Snowfall
Borders
Simple, filmic, grungy, or modern— we have several Quest collections that include tools to add borders (like Quest 11 Instant Film, Quest 16 Riven, Quest 21 Wayfarer SE, and more), as well as two borders toolsets: Quest Tools 06 - Modern Borders and Quest Tools 07 - Filmic Borders. Our creators painstakingly created border presets for Lightroom so you can add the finishing touch without even opening Photoshop!
Image by Vivid Symphony
Edited with Quest 16 Riven
Portrait Tools
We have Quest collections full of options to enhance portraits, skin tones, and subjects using masks. To name just a few, Quest 45 Atelier includes Enhance Skin and Enhance Features tools, Quest 37 Soraya includes a Skin Softening tool, Quest 36 Botanica includes a Skin Saturation - tool, and Quest 25 Fable includes tools to adjust subject masks.
Image by Valeria Duque
Edited with Quest 45 Atelier
Lighting Effects
Many Quest collections include masks, vignettes, radial or gradient filters, or other ways to manipulate light in an image for dramatic editing effects. Quest 41 Raven includes the Moonlit tool as well as a baked in Background Mask, Quest 28 Descent has Abyss, Euphotic Light, and Specular Reflection, Quest 47 Frontier includes a Background Crush tool, and more.
Image by David Griso
Edited with Quest 41 Raven
Magic
Add special effects (or as I like to call it— ✨MAGIC✨) to your photos! Quest 38 BeQuest has the Aurae tools, Quest 39 Driftwood has Fireflies and Naked Flames, and Quest 42 Falena has Glimmers, to name a few!
Image by Foggy Stories
Edited with Quest 38 BeQuest
Variety
“...it’s great having a nice variety, there’s always something that improves my editing.”
Whether your signature aesthetic leans warm and earthy, bright and colorful, moody and cinematic, true-to-color, or vintage and filmic—Quest has something for everyone. With a wide range of preset styles released monthly, Quest gives photographers the ability to explore fresh looks, push their creativity, or fine-tune their go-to edit with precision. You’ll never feel boxed into one vibe—the variety is endless and always evolving.
Archipelago “Look”
Even with all this diversity, every Quest preset set is crafted with the distinctive "Archipelago Look"—a thoughtful balance of tone, texture, color, and emotion. That means your edits will feel consistent and intentional across your entire portfolio, even if you’re using completely different Quest sets from session to session. It’s the perfect way to add variety to your editing while still maintaining a strong and recognizable style.
Image by Michaela Sonntágová
Edited with Quest 47 Frontier
50 Quest Sets (And Counting!)
With over 50 Quest sets and toolsets already available and new ones dropping every single month, Quest is more than just a preset subscription—it’s an ever-growing toolbox of creative inspiration. Whether you want to keep your editing fresh, explore seasonal styles, or try something totally new, Quest makes it easy to play, experiment, and evolve your visual voice over time.
Image by Story Of Eve
Edited with Quest 01 Diffusion
Cost Savings
Image by Lex Hudson
Edited with Quest 13 Intrepid
Yes, we know, price and budget is everyone’s least favorite thing to talk about. But here’s the thing— Quest is an affordable way to play with new editing tools each month (especially if you’re like us and collect presets like Pokemon cards)! So here’s some pointers about the cost savings of Quest:
Presets are as low as $10*! (*Based on monthly presets as part of the 6 month subscription plan)
Save almost 40% off* on past Quest sets in the Quest archive (*Public Quest sets are $64, subscribers can purchase past sets for $38)
Quest sets are a fraction of the cost of full preset collections for sale from Archipelago AND elsewhere, with no loss of quality and access to support!
Quest members also save money in the Archipelago Presets shop by claiming their FREE Archipelago Society Membership! Up 50% off Archipelago sets and LUTs!