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FREE Dark Moody Lightroom Preset

FREE Dark Moody Lightroom Preset!

How to give your photos that dark moody look in Lightroom

Todays Friday Freebie is a brand new Free Dark and Moody Lightroom Preset Download. Created to give a dark and moody look to your photos with a simple click. Perfect for giving your photos that moody vibe with a single click.

To get the most out of this preset, make sure to check out our Moody Photography Guide!

Download Your Free Preset Here

Want to bypass the tutorial and download the free dark and moody preset?

Download it now here!

Dark + Moody Lightroom Editing Tutorial

Let’s take an in depth look at how to give your photos that dark moody vibe in Lightroom.

Our Image Before Editing:

Moody Dark Photo Edit Step 1: Tone Curves.

Applying a basic S Curve for contrast and then raising the blacks / lowering the whites will give your photo that faded, moody look. You can go as strong or subtle as you like. For this tutorial, we’re going for a dark and moody edit with a subtler fade. Make sure to check out this easy tone curve tutorial.

A slight S Curve for contrast and pulling up the blacks for that faded moody look. Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset Tutorial Dark Moody Photo Editing Tutorial Tip 2:

Adjust your color tone curves. Once you’ve adjusted the overall RGB curve of your image, you can further stylize and add that dark moody feel to your photos by adjusting the individual color tones. If you’re in the forest and want your photos to look dark and moody, adding greens to the shadows can be a great trick. But don’t stop there – Explore how raising and lowering different colors in the shadows, mids and highlights affects the mood and feel of your images. If you’re going for Dark Moody photo edits like Taylor Cut Films, greens are a great starting point. But blues can also be fantastic for a more cool moody feel, like instagrammer Dylan Furst. Check out @dylanfursty to see how he works almost entirely with a blue and orange color palette.

A slight S Curve + pulling up the greens in the shadows. Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset TutorialFree Dark Moody Lightroom Preset Step #3 – Use the HSL Panel

Next we head over to the HSL panel – Possibly the most underused tool in Lightroom for getting dark moody look to your photos! We started by warming up the yellows and greens in the image to give them a more organic feel. Play around with your image to see what works best.

Adjusting the hue of your yellows and greens is a gamechanger. Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset TutorialMoody Forest Photo Preset Step 4 – Desaturation is your friend!

What makes a photo look dark and moody? A lot of it is the color tones, and the saturation levels. Desaturation gives a more moody vibe to your image – Where adding saturation adds color, life and energy, taking saturation away gives photos more of a moody, raw feel to them.

The HSL panel is a CRUCIAL factor in giving your photos a moody feel. Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset TutorialDark Moody Photo Editing In Lightroom Step 5 – Use Split Toning!

While not totally necessary, adding split toning can be a great way to finesse the tones in your image. We added a little yellow / orange to our highlights to counteract the coolness of the overcast sky. You could just as easily add some blue however if you’re after a more cold moody edit.Adding split toning gives your photo more warmth Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset TutorialHow To Edit Dark + Moody Photos Step 6 – Camera Calibration

Think of camera calibration like a more powerful HSL panel. Instead of adjusting the whole color range, you adjust only the primary colors and how lightroom interprets them. The biggest difference is often in the blues – Shifting the hue towards aqua and dropping the saturation adds some fantastic orange coloring to your photo and further enhances the dark and moody look!Adjusting Your Camera Calibration is key. Dark & Moody Lightroom Preset Tutorial
And thats all there is to it! You now know how to make your photos more moody and dark. So if you’re wondering “how do I make my photos dark and moody?” – This is it. Go ahead and save your dark and moody image as a new preset.

 

Download Your Free Preset Here

Want the free dark and moody preset?

Download it now here!