Luxe Let it Snow! 2.0 Presets & Effects Guide
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We’re so excited to introduce our latest Core Collection Update of fan-favorite collection, Let it Snow! In this 2.0 edition of Let it Snow! we not only re-hauled the General Presets for beautiful, modern winter photo edits, but added in all-new tools and effects presets that take advantage of the latest features Adobe has to offer! Here in this guide, we’ll walk through specific compatibility & use of the all-new collection! Everything in the collection is easy and quick to use, but we're going to break it down in detail for learners new to presets, brushes, and/or adaptive presets so you can get the most out of the new Let it Snow!
Note: Like all of our collections, the core of the collection is the general presets – which allow for full color or black & white edits around the collection’s theme to be applied to your image in just one click! The tool, brush, and effects presets are all considered complementary to this core collection, but not necessary for use!
What types of presets are included in this collection?
About the collection & specific compatibility
How to use the General Presets
How to use the Snow Effects Presets
How to use our Local Adjustment Presets
Lightroom Classic Example Workflow
Photoshop Adobe Camera Raw Example Workflow
Lightroom Mobile Example Workflow
How to Adjust Snow Presets in LRC, LRCC, & ACR
How to Adjust Snow Presets in Lightroom Mobile
What Types of Presets Are Included in This Collection?
- 36 Let it Snow! General Presets
- 25 Tool* presets designed for Winter shoots!
- 26 Snow & Winter Effect Presets (Effects presets are ONLY available in XMP format. Compatible with all subscription versions of Lightroom & Photoshop for desktop. Must be synced to the mobile app on iOS for mobile editing!) Includes Hand-painted, realistic, special-effect presets that include many variations of snow.
- 25 Local Adjustment Brushes (Lightroom Classic ONLY!)
New to presets? Here are some quick definitions of the types of presets included in this collection (learn more about preset compatibility HERE):
- General Presets – Presets (a.k.a. "general presets" or "workflow presets") make global changes to an image in Lightroom or Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw. These are the full edit presets that are the core of our collections. They cannot be stacked and should be applied alone or before using a tool, effects, or layer preset.
- Tool Presets – Tool Presets or "stackable" presets are presets that change one or only a few quick settings to make small targeted adjustments in Lightroom or Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw. They are typically used after a general preset has been applied to make any additional changes to perfect or enhance the image. They are fully optional and are built to create a quick custom workflow designed to complement the theme of the preset collection you are using.
- Effects Presets – Effects presets are tool presets that function to recreate some magical or whimsical element typically exclusive to Photoshop Overlays. These include things like Snow, Sunlight, and Fairy Light, and other effects. Some of our effects presets rely on AI masking and thus may require a current subscription to Lightroom or Photoshop (for use in ACR).
- Brush Presets - Local Adjustment Brushes or Local Adjustment Presets are tools designed for the local adjustment brush or masking feature in Adobe's Lightroom Classic. They only affect targeted or localized areas as painted on with the local adjustment brush or other masking tools in Lightroom Classic and are typically used for retouching. These are included in most of our preset collections, but we also offer the Luxe & Brixton brushes as a standalone product.
About This Collection - Let it Snow! 2.0
The Luxe Let it Snow! 2.0 collection includes all-new modernized presets for versatile winter workflows & is our first to offer an Effects toolkit that includes adaptive AI-reliant masking presets. While all of the General Presets in the collection will work in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop, as well as both paid & FREE versions of the Lightroom mobile app, the Snow Effects Presets do require a current subscription to Lightroom to function.
How are the new snow effects different from the older ones? The original snow effects from Let it Snow! 1.0 would apply to your whole image, and in older versions of Lightroom it could take a while to render the hand-painted snow. This was due to how Adobe rendered local adjustments at the time. With the latest Lightroom & ACR updates, local adjustments have been massively prioritized & maximized for the fastest localized workflows to date!
Because of these extensive feature updates, the brand new Snow Effects Presets now include all-new Adaptive presets to isolate subject & background in just one click with AI masking! For each snow effects preset, a minus-subject version is available!
These AI masking features are not available in earlier versions of Lightroom or Lightroom Classic purchased outright. To use the new Snow Effects Toolkit as intended, and take advantage of the all-new masking features, you will need to be an up-to-date Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, or Lightroom (for desktop or Android) subscriber!
How do you install Effects presets? For desktop and Android subscribers, your new effects presets will install just like your traditional/general presets.
Do the Effects Presets work on iPhone/iPad? Those wishing to edit with the effects presets on an iPhone or iPad will need to sync presets to mobile from a desktop version of Lightroom (CC) as Adobe has not designed Lightroom mobile on iOS to import XMP files. The same is true for included tool or layer presets.
How do I install everything? You can learn how to install your presets HERE (sorted by Software).
How do I use the different types of presets? We’ll walk through use specific to this collection across desktop & mobile below!
How to use Our General Presets
General presets apply in one click on desktop or mobile! Let it Snow! 2.0 offers versatile options, so we recommend selecting your presets based on both the atmosphere and elements present in your original shot, as well as the editing goal you have in mind!
How to use Our Presets + Tools
We recommend applying tool preset after your general edit, or general preset has been applied. As a stackable adjustment. You can stack tools just as easily as you apply presets in desktop versions of Lightroom & Photoshop.
On your mobile device you would click to apply your general preset, click the check to apply, then apply a tool and click check to apply, and then repeat for each additional tool applied.
How to use Our Snow Effects Toolkit
Finally, once you are happy with your full-photo edit, you can layer on snow effects.
Important: In Lightroom mobile on an Android phone, when you apply a “(Minus Subject)” snow effect or one of our background effects, you will need to click on your masking tool, click on the mask you applied with the preset and allow it to AI detect your subject and update masks. There will be blue pop-ups walking you through this in Lightroom mobile as well!
How to use our local adjustment mask/local adjustment brush presets in Lightroom Classic
To apply your local adjustment brushes to localized parts of your image via the local adjustment brush/radial/gradient tools (in older versions) or the masking tools (in newer versions) you would use the local adjustment presets in Lightroom Classic!
Simply select a brush or other masking tool, then navigate over to "Effect" at the top of the brush settings panel and select one of your Let it Snow 2.0 brushes from the installed options.
Using Lightroom Classic, but can't locate your local adjustment brushes? Be sure to check out our installation guide to be sure that they're properly installed. They can sometimes be missed, as they are installed differently than general presets!
How to use the entire collection in Lightroom Classic (example workflow):
- Apply Preset
- Apply Tool Preset
- Apply Snow Effects Preset
- Full Effect
- Minus Subject
- Full Effect
- Apply local adjustments as desired
How to use the General, Tool, and Effects Presets in Lightroom CC (example workflow):
- Apply Preset
- Apply Tool Preset
- Apply a Background Effect
- Apply a Snow Effect
- Optional: Open your masking panel, expand your masking layers, select the snow layer, select "Subtract" and use a brush with softened settings to erase some of the snow for a layered, realistic effect.
How to use the General, Tool, & Effects Presets in Photoshop ACR (example workflow):
- Apply Preset
- Apply Tool Preset
- Apply Background Effects Preset
- Apply Snow Effects Preset
- Remove Snow from Parts of Your Image by Subtracting From Your Mask with a Soft Brush
How to use the General, Tool, & Effects Presets in Lightroom Mobile (example workflow):
- Apply Preset & Click Check
- Apply Tool Preset & Click Check
- Apply a Background Effects Preset & Click Check
- Update AI Subject Selection Under "Masking"
Select the Mask with the ! error
Click "Update" to AI mask your Subject
Click Check to Apply. - Apply a Snow Effects Preset & Click Check
- Update AI Subject Selection Under Masks
Click again on the mask with the ! error and update to recompute your subject. It will be much faster this time (as it will not need to detect subject if already done in LR for this particular subject!) - To remove or soften some of the snow, Select the Snow layer, then click on the -/+ icons and select "Subtract from Snow" from the menu, then select your "Brush"
For softening snow, lower the flow of your brush then softly paint over the area you wish to minimize or subtract from your snow mask!
Click check to apply your changes
How to adjust masks/snow effects in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop ACR for desktop
When you are finished editing your photos, you can adjust masks by heading over to your masking tool. With multi-layers masking, you can find the layer you want to adjust by clicking through the layers to preview each one (with red overlays to indicate where snow/changes have been applied). Once you have selected the one you’d like to edit, you can click on the little “-“ button below that layer (or “Subtract” if the layers are expanded to include text). The best subtract option for erasing little bits of snow you don’t want would be the “brush” option which offers the most freehand control. You can also use AI or other types of masking to subtract from the effects layer selected. See an example of this above in our Lightroom example workflow above.
How to adjust masks/snow effects in Lightroom Mobile
The process for adjusting masks in Lightroom mobile will work just like it does in Lightroom CC! You will simply apply the masking preset, make sure any adaptive presets were able to compute your subject in the masking panel, and then select the new snow or background layer, select subtract, select your brush, and then paint where you would like the snow removed. You can see this in action in our Lightroom Mobile example workflow above!
Run into any issues, or have any questions before purchase?
Reach out to our dedicated support team at support@theluxelens.com for 1:1 support, recommendations, and tips!
Featured workflow images by Bree Friesen, Julie Jourdan, and Anka Melnikova