As part of my ongoing photography project Between the Hills, I created this set of presets to bring a consistent look to the work while keeping the edits in tune the scenes I photograph.

Each preset is inspired by the feel of classic film and is designed to be simple, subtle, and usable across a range of conditions. They’ve played a key role in shaping the mood of my images without over-processing them.

Below, you’ll find a short description of each preset and how I use them in my workflow.

1. Echos

Inspired by vintage Kodachrome, Echos is a cinematic preset that brings character to your urban and architectural photography. Perfect for buildings, ruins, and street scenes, it infuses your photos with vibrant colors and a timeless, nostalgic atmosphere. 

Best For: Architectural photography, street scenes, cinematic moments, textured surfaces, ruins.

2. Drift

Inspired by Portra 400, Drift offers a soft, ethereal look with its smooth gradients and muted tones. This preset captures the subtle beauty of natural light, ideal for dreamy landscapes and moments of quiet contemplation. Drift brings a soft, filmic glow to your photos, making them feel organic, intimate, and timeless.

Best For: Misty landscapes, soft light, long exposures.

3. Earth

With the vibrancy and clarity of Ektar 100, Earth brings your landscapes to life with deep, rich colors and crisp details. This preset enhances natural tones, allowing your photos to pop with stunning contrast and color accuracy. Perfect for those who want to highlight the natural world around them.

Best For: Landscape photography, vivid colors, clear details, outdoor scenes, makes greens pop.

4. Broken

Ilford HP5-inspired, Broken is a gritty, emotional black-and-white preset that adds raw texture to your images. Perfect for conveying depth and story, it embraces imperfections, creating timeless, documentary-style photos with high contrast and a touch of drama. This preset is ideal for those looking to evoke nostalgia and realism.

Best For: Black-and-white photography, high-contrast images, storytelling, street photography.

5. Dust

Inspired by T-MAX 100, Dust brings a smooth, refined black-and-white aesthetic to your photos. With its clean, minimalist tones and balanced contrast, this preset adds a timeless, classic feel to your work. It’s perfect for fine art, documentary, and landscape photography, offering understated elegance and a cinematic quality.

Best For: Black-and-white photography, clean images, minimalist scenes, fine art.

What’s Included

This pack includes five core presets, each with its own character and analogue-inspired aesthetic. By default, they include subtle grain and vignetting to give a nod to the analog process.

For those who prefer a cleaner look, I’ve included alternate versions of each preset with the grain and vignette removed. That makes a total of ten presets, offering flexibility for different subjects, styles, and personal preferences.

Designed to Be Adjusted

These presets are intentionally strong when first applied. This is to help you clearly see the mood they create. Lightroom’s preset amount slider allows you to easily dial back the intensity until it feels just right for your image.

A Starting Point, Not a Fix

These presets are designed as creative tools — a starting point to help achieve a certain look or mood. They’re not intended to colour correct your image or fix issues with poor exposure or white balance. For best results, apply the preset first, then adjust the preset amount and fine-tune the white balance. Once those are dialled in, make any further exposure or tonal adjustments as needed.