Landscape photography is where Lightroom presets become indispensable. The dynamic range of a sunrise mountain scene, the unpredictable lighting of a forest, the haze of distant peaks — these all need careful color and tone management, and a well-built preset packs that judgment into a single click. This guide covers what separates great landscape presets from mediocre ones, the categories worth knowing, and a curated list of working landscape and travel photographers whose preset packs we carry.
What “best” actually means for landscape photography
- Dimensional landscapes. A great landscape preset adds depth — the foreground isn’t flat, the mid-ground separates from the background, distant ranges retain atmosphere instead of going neon-saturated.
- Sky balance. Skies should pop without going cartoon-blue or going so dark they crush the foreground. The HSL sliders on blue and aqua are doing real work in any quality landscape preset.
- Lush greens that aren’t neon. Forests, fields, and foliage should retain dimensional color, not become uniform fluorescent green.
- Shadow detail. Mountain shadows, forest understory, canyon walls — the shadow architecture is where landscape photos have texture. Quality presets keep shadows breathable.
- Skin tones for portrait-in-landscape work. If you photograph people in your landscapes (adventure portraits, hiking shots), the preset should still render skin reasonably.
Common landscape preset categories
Adventure / outdoor
Punchy color, dramatic skies, rich shadows. Designed for mountain, desert, and adventure photography. See Alen Palander and Chris Hau.
Travel / lifestyle
Versatile across cityscapes, beaches, and outdoor scenes. Brighter, more inviting tones. See Jungle Presets and Mike Crawat.
Nordic / archipelago
Cooler shadows, restrained warmth, atmospheric haze. Suited to coastal, mountain, and northern landscapes. See Archipelago Quest — explicitly engineered for Nordic and archipelago environments.
Cinematic / moody
Atmospheric grading, controlled saturation, deep shadows. See Cinematic Stills and Pacific Northwest-styled packs from Emmett Sparling.
Seasonal
Specialized packs for autumn foliage, winter snow, summer beaches, etc. See seasonal collections like Alen Palander’s seasonal preset packs (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter).
Photographer collections worth knowing
- Alen Palander — landscape and adventure photographer with seasonal preset packs (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, New York)
- Archipelago Quest — Nordic and archipelago-inspired packs, distinctive cool atmospheric color
- Emmett Sparling — Pacific Northwest landscape and outdoor photography
- Henry Tieu — landscape and travel photographer collections
- Jungle Presets — vibrant, tropical-toned travel collection
- Mike Crawat — adventure and lifestyle photography
- Chris Hau — adventure and travel color grading
Tips for using landscape presets effectively
- Apply, then dial back. Most landscape presets are calibrated for a particular lighting condition. If your shot is in slightly different light, the preset may push too far. Reduce the preset intensity (in Mobile) or pull individual sliders back (Classic / CC).
- Use graduated filters and masking. Lightroom’s masking tools can isolate sky, mountains, foreground, and water. Apply a preset, then refine each region individually.
- Watch atmospheric haze. Distant mountains naturally have atmospheric haze that lends depth. A heavy preset can crush this, flattening the photo. Pull back Dehaze if the photo loses dimensionality.
- Sky and water care. Both are sensitive to oversaturation. If your sky goes neon or your water turns turquoise-cyan, the preset may need easing on the Aqua / Blue HSL sliders.
Browse landscape and travel presets
See our full Landscape & Travel Presets collection, plus our complete Lightroom presets catalog.
For more on choosing the right pack, see our complete buying guide.