Editing Presets Guide

How to Use This Guide

Each "look" below lists starting values for common editing sliders. These work in most phone editors and free editing apps, though slider names, ranges, and strength vary between apps. Treat every number as a starting point and adjust to your photo.

The scale: values are written for sliders that run from −100 to +100 with 0 as neutral. If your app uses a different range (e.g. −50 to +50), scale accordingly, roughly halving the numbers.

Before you apply any look:

1. Crop and straighten first.

2. Get the exposure roughly right.

3. Apply the look.

4. Fine-tune to suit the photo, then save it as a preset (if your app allows) so you can reuse it.

Golden rule: if skin looks unnatural or the photo looks "edited," pull everything back by about a third.

Look 1: Clean & Bright

Airy, fresh, natural. Great for lifestyle, interiors, products on white.

Tip: if whites look gray, nudge whites up and warmth down slightly.

Look 2: Warm Golden Hour

Glowing, cozy, sunset feel. Great for portraits and travel.

Tip: watch skin tones. If faces turn orange, lower warmth or saturation.

Look 3: Moody & Dark

Deep shadows, muted colors. Great for rainy days, coffee shops, cityscapes.

Tip: keep your subject bright enough to stand out. Brighten it selectively if your app has a brush or selective tool.

Look 4: Film-Inspired Matte

Soft, faded, nostalgic. Great for everyday moments and portraits.

Tip: if your app has a curves tool, lift the bottom-left point of the curve slightly instead of using fade.

Look 5: Crisp Black & White

Timeless, graphic. Great for portraits, architecture, strong light and shadow.

Tip: works best with photos that have strong contrast and interesting shapes. Flat photos often look gray in B&W.

Look 6: Vibrant Food

Fresh, appetizing, true-to-life color. Great for dishes and drinks.

Tip: avoid making greens neon or meat orange. Food should look real and delicious.

Look 7: Cool & Minimal

Clean, modern, slightly cool. Great for architecture, tech products, winter scenes.

Tip: pair with lots of negative space in your composition.

Look 8: Accurate Product

Neutral and honest. Great for online shop listings where color accuracy matters.

Tip: always compare the edited photo with the real product in daylight. Customers should get what they see.

Creating Your Own Signature Look

1. Pick the look above that's closest to your style.

2. Apply it to five different photos.

3. Adjust one or two settings until it feels like "you."

4. Save it as a preset and note your values below.

5. Use it consistently, tweaking exposure and white balance per photo.

Sample product from a Fora-made demo creator page.