Mastering AI-Powered Presets in Lightroom: One-Click Edits for Underwater Photos
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| Parrotfish with/without AI-Presets |
Underwater photography is an art that requires patience, skill, and a bit of technical know-how - and just as important as capturing stunning images is knowing how to edit them afterward. Even if you've just had a fantastic dive, encountering a curious turtle or a school of shimmering jackfish, it's common to find that your photos don't quite match the magic you experienced underwater. When you look back at those images, they can sometimes feel flat - with dull blue tones, a greenish haze, and distracting particles or backscatter illuminated by your strobes.
That's the nature of shooting beneath the waves. Light behaves very differently underwater than it does on land. Water absorbs and scatters light, and even the top-of-the-line equipment can only do so much against these physical laws. For many Oceanic Explorers - whether recreational divers or professional photographers - the real challenge isn't just capturing the shot; it's transforming that raw image into a vivid, true-to-life photograph that reminds you of the underwater world you love.
Thankfully, modern technology has made this process much easier and more accessible than ever before. Adobe's latest AI-powered adaptive presets are a game-changer. Unlike traditional presets that apply the same adjustments to every photo regardless of its content, adaptive presets use intelligent AI masking. This means they analyze each image individually and adapt their adjustments accordingly, giving you a professional-quality edit with less effort.
With these tools in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw, you can now:
- Brighten and enhance your main subjects, be it a colorful fish, a diver, or vibrant coral, without overexposing the surrounding water.
- Minimize backscatter haze in the background while sharpening the details of your foreground subjects.
- Correct skin tones for divers, making them look natural regardless of the surrounding environment.
What's even better? These powerful features are available across various platforms: Lightroom Classic (v14.5.1), Lightroom (cloud version v8.5.1), Lightroom Mobile on iOS and Android, and Adobe Camera Raw (v17.5). Whether you're editing on a laptop during a surface interval, on a tablet while relaxing in your hotel room, or on your smartphone right after a dive, adaptive presets make pro-level editing simple and accessible for everyone.
Why does this matter for Oceanic Explorers like you? For years, traditional presets often gave underwater photos an unnatural, neon-blue or overly saturated hue because they were just applying the same corrections across the board — not taking into account the unique lighting conditions and color shifts underwater. Adaptive presets change that. They are mask-aware, meaning:
- They detect and separate your main subjects from the background water.
- They apply selective adjustments based on what’s actually in your frame.
This approach not only makes editing easier for beginners, removing the overwhelm of sliders and panels, but it also saves professionals hours of repetitive work. More importantly, it allows you to spend more time doing what you love — exploring the ocean — and less time behind your computer.
In summary, these innovative tools are empowering underwater photographers of all levels to transform their raw captures into stunning, memorable images that truly reflect the beauty of the underwater world. Happy diving and editing!
Step 1: Exploring Lightroom's Built-In Adaptive Presets
Adobe includes a library of adaptive presets right inside Lightroom. They're often overlooked but incredibly powerful for underwater work.
Key Adaptive Presets to Try Underwater:
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Enhance Subject: Brightens, sharpens, and boosts contrast on fish or coral.
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Darken Background: Creates separation between subject and water.
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Skin Tone Balance (People): Corrects diver portraits where skin looks green or cyan.
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Enhance Sky → repurposed for "Water": Adjusts gradients in backgrounds (beautiful for blue water scenes).
👉 Try this workflow: Capture a reef shot with a parrotfish. Use "Enhance Subject." The AI recognizes the parrotfish, enhances details, and subtly boosts vibrance without altering the blue water.
Step 2: Building Custom Underwater Presets
Built-ins are helpful, but your best results come from custom adaptive presets tailored for underwater conditions.
How to Create a Custom Adaptive Preset:
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Open a representative underwater photo (reef, wreck, diver portrait, etc.).
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Use AI Masks: Select Subject, Select Background, or "Select Water" (new in LrC 14.5.1).
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Apply adjustments:
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Subject: +0.3 to +0.5 exposure, +10 clarity, +15 texture, +10 vibrance.
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Background Water: –10 saturation, +5 luminance, –5 dehaze.
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Backscatter Zones: Spot Heal + subtle noise reduction.
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Save as Preset → Check "Masking" so Lightroom remembers the AI selections.
Now, when used for future shots, Lightroom will automatically detect the new subject and apply the same corrections intelligently.
Step 3: Stacking Presets for Layered Control
One of the most overlooked features is preset stacking. Instead of using a single all-in-one preset, you can apply multiple adaptive presets in sequence.
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Base Correction Preset: Fix color cast + general tone balance.
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Subject Pop Preset: Sharpen subject, boost contrast.
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Water Balance Preset: Smooth gradients, reduce haze.
This modular approach enables you to create a library of presets for various dive scenarios.
Step 4: Syncing Across Devices
Adobe's strength is its ecosystem. A preset built on your desktop works on your phone, and vice versa.
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On a liveaboard? Apply quick one-click edits in Lightroom Mobile.
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Back at home? Refine further in Lightroom Classic or Photoshop.
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Using ACR in Photoshop? Your adaptive presets load automatically.
This synchronization feature allows you to start editing your notes or reflections immediately after a dive, leveraging the freshness of your memory and the vividness of the colors involved. You can then complete or refine your work later on a larger screen, ensuring a more thorough and comfortable editing process.
Example Workflows in Action
Example 1: Reef Scene with Schooling Fish
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Problem: Flat blues, fish blend into the background.
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Preset: "Subject Pop."
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Result: AI masks fish school, brightens, and adds texture, while leaving water gradients smooth.
Example 2: Diver Portrait at 50 feet
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Issue: The diver's face appears blue, while the water is noisy.
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Preset: "Skin Tone Balance + Water Balance."
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Result: Skin corrected to natural tones, water dehazed, and noise reduced.
Example 3: Wide-Angle Wreck Shot
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Problem: Structure detail lost in haze.
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Preset: "Background Balance."
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Result: Haze reduced, wreck structure sharpened without over-brightening water.
Example 4: Macro Nudibranch (Smartphone HEIC)
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Problem: The small subject lacks detail, and the background is cluttered.
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Preset: "Macro Pop."
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Result: AI isolates nudibranch, increases texture and vibrance, subtly darkens background.
Example 5: Night Dive Barracuda
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Problem: ISO noise, overexposed highlights from torchlight.
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Preset: "Noise Reduction + Highlight Control."
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Result: Balanced exposure, reduced grain, natural look preserved.
Compatibility & Tools Chart
| Workflow Feature | Lightroom Mobile (v10.5) | Lightroom (Cloud v8.5.1) | Lightroom Classic (v14.5.1) | Photoshop / ACR (v17.5) | Supported Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-In Adaptive Presets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | RAW, DNG, JPEG, HEIC, TIFF |
| Custom AI Presets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | RAW, DNG, JPEG, HEIC |
| Mask-Aware Adjustments | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | RAW, DNG, JPEG, HEIC |
| Preset Sync Across Devices | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | N/A | All formats |
| Select Water (new in v14.5.1) | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | RAW, DNG, JPEG |
| Stacking Presets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Limited | All formats |
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: My preset made the water too dark. What happened?
A: Adaptive masks can sometimes over-darken backgrounds. Adjust the Dehaze and Exposure sliders manually after applying.
Q: Can presets fix heavy backscatter?
A: Not entirely. Presets can reduce haze, but backscatter removal is best handled with the Spot Removal tool or AI Healing.
Q: Do adaptive presets work on JPEG/HEIC?
A: Yes, though RAW/DNG files yield better results. Presets adapt well to compressed formats, but color recovery is limited.
Q: Can I sell/share my underwater presets?
A: Absolutely. Many professionals create custom preset packs tailored to specific dive environments (reefs, wrecks, macro, night).
Pro-Level Strategies for Oceanic Explorers
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Build Depth-Based Presets: Shallow reefs, mid-depth wrecks, and deep wreck/night dives all require different corrections. Save presets for each environment.
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Create Signature Styles: Apply consistent preset stacks to build a recognizable "look" across your portfolio.
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Combine with Photoshop: Use adaptive presets in Lightroom, then refine complex edits (like removing divers in the background) in Photoshop.
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Use Presets for Teaching: If you're mentoring dive buddies, presets give them confidence with one-click results.
Why This Matters
At its core, AI-powered presets serve as powerful tools that eliminate much of the technical overwhelm associated with photo editing, allowing users to focus on the creative and storytelling aspects of their work. Instead of fighting with numerous sliders and settings, these presets enable you to effortlessly shape the narrative of your dive, bringing your underwater adventures to life with vivid, professional-quality results.
For beginners, presets are invaluable for building confidence. They provide a reliable starting point, helping newcomers achieve stunning, polished images that make them say, "Wow, my photo looks professional!" This immediate visual gratification encourages continued learning and experimentation.
Advanced shooters, on the other hand, can leverage presets to significantly boost efficiency. When tasked with editing large batches of photos, such as 200 dive shots, presets can reduce editing time from hours to under an hour, freeing you to focus on capturing more extraordinary moments. This efficiency is especially crucial during demanding dive trips or professional assignments.
For all Oceanic Explorers, passionate divers, underwater photographers, and hobbyists alike, presets democratize underwater editing by making it more accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding. They lower the barrier to entry for those just starting out while providing experienced photographers with streamlined workflows. Ultimately, AI-powered presets empower everyone to tell compelling stories from beneath the waves, preserving their underwater memories with beauty, authenticity, and ease.
Final Thoughts & Call to Action
Oceanic Explorers emphasizes that adaptive presets are more than mere shortcuts; they are powerful, innovative tools designed to enhance and extend your creative vision when capturing the beauty of the ocean. The ocean world already provides us with extraordinary moments, dynamic, breathtaking scenes that tell compelling stories. AI-powered presets are engineered to ensure that your photos do justice to these moments by intelligently enhancing details, colors, and textures, making your images more vivid and impactful.
Next time you're reviewing your shots, don't overlook those images that seem dull or unremarkable. Instead, apply a preset to instantly elevate the quality of your photos. With just a single click, you can bring out hidden details and create a more engaging narrative, allowing your audience to experience the wonder of the ocean as you saw it, or even more vividly.
📌 Want my Top 10 Lightroom Fixes Every Underwater Photographer Should Know? Grab your free guide here: https://info.robertherb.com/lm-3
📌 Share your preset-powered edits with #RobertHerbPhotography
📌 Dive deeper in my upcoming training program—details at RobertHerb.com
Until next time, dive smart, shoot sharp, and edit with intention.
- Bob Herb 📷
🧠What's Next?
🟦 Have you tried any of these techniques yet? Share your edits using #RobertHerbPhotography.
🟦 Want to see these workflows in action? Sign up for my upcoming training course at RobertHerb.com or reach out at bob@robertherb.com
🟦 And don't forget—new blogs drop weekly at Robert Herb Photography Blog
Written by Robert Herb – Empowering underwater photographers to capture and enhance the beauty of our oceans since 1978
Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into underwater photography. Let's dive deeper into the art and craft of capturing the marine world! If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Get ready for an exciting underwater photography adventure! For more details on my upcoming online training course, check out my "Training" page at RobertHerb.com or email me at bob@robertherb.com.
Sincerely,
Bob Herb
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