How to Add Presets to Lightroom: Choose Your App

By Matteo Martignago, founder of Artistic Hive.

Choose the Lightroom app first, then the file type. Lightroom Classic, cloud-based Lightroom desktop and Lightroom mobile have different import controls. A preset is a saved set of edit instructions; a profile defines part of the rendering foundation and may appear in a different browser.

The mobile paths and supported XMP, DNG and older lrtemplate formats follow Adobe’s September 2026 preset instructions. For desktop behavior, see Adobe’s Lightroom desktop preset guide. Menu labels can change; record the exact app and version when a route differs.

XMP, ZIP and DNG are not interchangeable

An XMP can contain a preset or a profile. A ZIP is an archive containing files, not an editing format of its own. A DNG is an image container that may carry editing settings; a preset pack using DNG files needs the workflow described by its creator and supported by your app.

Extracting an archive also exposes nested folders, duplicate packs and documentation that a preset importer may reject. Keep a copy of the source pack, and import one known preset first rather than dozens of unverified files.

Install presets in Lightroom Classic on Mac or Windows

Check the application name first. Lightroom Classic has a Develop module; Lightroom, the cloud-oriented desktop application, has a different import route. A preset installation guide for one is easy to misread as instructions for the other.

1. Download the preset package to a folder you can find. Keep the supplier’s original download in case you need to reinstall it.
2. Open an image in Lightroom Classic and switch to Develop.
3. In the Presets panel, select the add button and choose Import Presets.
4. Select the preset files or a supported preset ZIP, then choose Import.
5. Expand the imported group or User Presets, preview a preset on the selected photo and click to apply it.

Adobe documents ZIP import for current Classic, with an exception for legacy .lrtemplate presets inside ZIP files. Extract those first. If a download contains several folders, a PDF and other extras, locate the actual preset files rather than assuming the outer download is itself a valid preset package. See Adobe’s Classic preset instructions.

Install presets in Lightroom desktop and sync to mobile

1. Open Lightroom on your computer.
2. Choose File → Import Profiles & Presets.
3. Select the files supplied for Lightroom and complete the import.
4. Open a photograph in Edit and check the Presets panel for the imported group.
5. For cloud sync, sign in on the phone with the same Adobe ID and confirm that the subscription and sync status support the workflow.

This is Adobe’s desktop-to-mobile preset route. Importing into Classic alone is not the same operation. If a preset is already in Classic, export the custom preset and import that file into Lightroom desktop when you want to use this route. Keep the two app names visible while troubleshooting.

Install directly on iPhone, iPad or Android

Download and extract the files on the device, or make them available through its file picker. Open a photo in Lightroom, then choose Presets → Yours → Options → Import Presets. Select the preset file and complete the import. Look under Yours and User Presets, or the group specified by the package.

Adobe’s current mobile instructions say to extract compressed archives before importing. An older tutorial that shows a ZIP working on one device is not a reason to keep retrying a ZIP rejected by your app. Check that the file is fully downloaded from cloud storage; a visible filename does not always mean the local file is available.

When the seller supplies a DNG sample photo

A DNG package may require creating a preset from the sample’s saved settings. Adobe’s separate DNG preset workflow is:

1. Add the actual DNG file to Lightroom as a photo. A screenshot or JPEG preview of it will not carry the same editable settings.
2. Open the imported DNG in Detail view.
3. Choose the Options menu and Create Preset.
4. Enter a name and group, review which settings to include, then save.
5. Open one of your own photos and apply the newly created preset.

Choose settings deliberately. The sample photo’s crop or exposure correction may be inappropriate for your photograph. Preserve the look’s intended settings, but do not copy a sample-specific repair just because it is checked.

Diagnose the exact failure before importing again

• The file picker will not accept the download: check its actual extension and unpack nested archives. Renaming a PDF, JPEG or ZIP to XMP does not convert its contents.
• Import succeeds but nothing appears: open an image, look in the correct preset category and expand the package’s group. In Classic, inspect Manage Presets for hidden groups before making duplicate imports.
• Only some presets appear on a photo: test another suitable image type and check whether the package needs a profile or a particular raw source. A preset with unsupported settings is a compatibility issue, not necessarily an installation failure.
• The preset changes colors but not as the seller’s example shows: compare lighting, exposure and the underlying image. Identical settings cannot make different scenes identical.
• The Amount control is unavailable: not every preset supports an adjustable amount. In Classic this also depends on whether the preset was created with Amount support. You can still inspect and adjust the relevant edit controls.
• The preset stays on one device: confirm the Adobe ID, app name, entitlement and sync status. Reinstalling a preset repeatedly is unlikely to fix an account mismatch.

Before applying a new look to an entire shoot, test one bright frame, one dark frame and one photograph with skin or another familiar color. Keep the preset as a starting point, then correct exposure and white balance for each lighting situation.

Find the result after import

1. Open a supported photo and return to the Presets panel.
2. Look for the pack’s named group, not only the filename. Mobile imports can appear under Yours / User Presets.
3. Apply the preset and inspect the relevant edit controls. A changed image alone does not tell you whether all settings were compatible.
4. If the file is a profile, inspect the profile browser instead. Do not repeatedly import it just because it is absent from Presets.

Troubleshooting

Start with a noncritical photo, compare before and after, and keep the original settings available. For editing decisions after import, use the Lightroom mobile tutorial.