Free Lightroom 3 & 4 “Technicolor” Motion Picture Presets
Note: Be sure to check out our other free Lightroom presets.
I bet you’re asking yourself, “What the heck is Technicolor?” Great question! It’s a motion picture coloring process invented in 1916 to add dazzling color to films. Technicolor is best known for producing over-saturated colors giving old Hollywood movies a magical look and feel.
The 1932 film adaption of The Wizard of Oz and the 1949 version of The Story of Seabiscuit were filmed using specially equipped Technicolor cameras. Disney widely used Technicolor in many of its cartoons and movies.
So why should you consider using the Technicolor presets? These presets are a fun way to jazz up environmental portraits; grass become greener and flowers are more vivid. Your images will pop with color!
Download the Presets
Download the Lightroom 4 Technicolor Presets (use these presets for LR 4)
Download the Lightroom 3 Technicolor Presets (use these presets for LR 3 or older)
How to Install the Technicolor Presets (it’s easy!)
The Technicolor Presets are available as a downloadable zip file. Download the file onto your desktop (or someplace convenient). You should now have a folder named “F-Stop Spot LR4 Technicolor.zip” on your desktop. Unzip the zip file onto your desktop. Open the folder you just unzipped and look for a sub-folder named “F-Stop Spot LR4 Technicolor”.
To install the presets, open Lightroom 4 and navigate to either the Library or Develop Module. Next click Edit -> Preferences from the top menu to open the preferences dialog window. Click on the Presets tab (at the top) and then Show Lightroom Presets Folder. Your computer’s file explorer window should pop open. Open the Lightroom folder and then open the Develop Presets folder.
Save the sub-folder named “F-Stop Spot Technicolor” (that is within the main folder you just unzipped) inside the Develop Presets folder. Now you must close and re-open Lightroom for the presets to show up. You will find the presets in the left panel under the Develop Module.
Using the Technicolor Presets
Sometimes you’ll find that Lightroom presets don’t work how you expected them to. Although the Technicolor presets were designed to be used on Raw images, you can also get great results with JPEGs. Either way, there’s a chance that your images will need to be tweaked after using the presets.
If the color is a bit too much for you, pull back on the Vibrance and Saturation sliders. Also, don’t hesitate to push the Clarity slider upward to see how it affects your images. These presets are just a starting point for creating awesome images. Experiment and have fun!
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About the Author
Steve Paxton lives with his wife and two children in the Seattle area. Steve has been a photographer for nearly 20 years. His experience ranges from wedding and portrait work to landscape photography.
Steve owns and manages the F/Stop Spot; a website dedicated to supporting photographers of all skill levels. You can find more of Steve’s work at Paxton Prints and Paxton Portraits.
