Editing 101: How to Create a Consistent Look in Lightroom

Editing 101: How to Create a Consistent Look in Lightroom

Build your signature style and finally feel proud of your edits

Editing can be one of the most exciting—and overwhelming—parts of photography. You’ve taken some photos you love, but when it’s time to bring them into Lightroom, everything suddenly feels… off.

One image looks cool and crisp. Another looks warm and moody. The next one? Way too flat.

If you’ve ever struggled to make your photos look like they belong together, this post is for you.

Today, we’re walking through exactly how to edit in Lightroom to create a consistent style that makes your work stand out—without hours of frustration or over-editing. Sometimes simpler is better and I also think it's a great place to start. The last thing you want is over edited and processed photos.

Whether you’re brand new to Lightroom Classic or editing on Lightroom Mobile, these steps will help you streamline your workflow and build a signature look that clients (and you) will recognize immediately. It'll make people say "I want to work with them!"

What Does “Consistent Editing” Even Mean?

Consistency does not necessarily mean every photo is absolutely identical. It means your editing:

has a unique and creative voice- your voice
has a recognizable and repeatable style
images feel cohesive across your portfolio, website, and Instagram, and other social media grids

Having a consistent editing style wild build trust with your potential clients and followers. It also makes you look more professional, polished, and intentional.

Step 1: Choose Your Editing Platform (and Stick With It)

I'm a big fan of the Adobe Suite and of course Lightroom comes with it in two main flavor: Lightroom Classic (desktop editing with full features- I'd recommend this one) and Lightroom Mobile (a powerful app that can sync across devices with fewer bells and whistles than LRC). Choose the version that fits your workflow best—and don’t keep switching between them. Find that one that works for you and stick with it.

Pro tip: Lightroom Classic gives you more control over file handling and backups—perfect for building a client-ready editing workflow. I rarely edit in LRM for three reasons:

I am a millennial and I need a big screen.
The bigger screen helps you see into all the details that may otherwise be missed.
The quality of the image on your phone screen is not on par with the full high res large file on your desktop, meaning, you are not editing the same quality and caliber of photo.

Step 2: Start With a Preset or Create a Custom Base Edit

Presets are like recipes: they can be a great starting point for your edit, but feel free to get creative and pay around.

Purchase professional Lightroom presets that match your desired style
Build your own by editing a photo- once you're happy with an edit, save the settings as a custom preset you can come back to again and again

Either way, having a reliable “base edit” gives you a jumping-off point that keeps your work consistent across sessions.

Pro Tip: I have had little to zero success in buying presets- I think they are a big of a scam. There are so many variables to how you take a photo that even a color or light based pre-set may not fix. If you want to try some, download some freebies first and see how they work out for you.

Step 3: Dial in Your White Balance

Color temperature is one of the biggest reasons edits may feel inconsistent. If your photos are too blue in one session and too orange in another, start by getting your white balance right:

Adjust temperature (warmth) and tint
Use the eyedropper to correct color casts- choose a neutral mid-tone (think grays)

Matching white balance across images helps your skin tones stay natural and your brand stay on point.

Pro Tip: It's way easier to get this "right" in camera. Set your camera to a certain white balance and avoid AWB or "auto white balance". AWB sounds nice, but the color temperature will change at a whim, even by the passing of the clouds (EVEN ON A CLOUDY DAY!). You can chose a Kelvin number (International color scale) based on your lighting or choose one white balance setting- you can always adjust this later in LR but all the images should at least have the same white balance this way.

Step 4: Stick to Your Go-To Adjustments

It’s tempting to tweak every slider for every photo (and honestly can be fun)—but consistency comes from knowing what you always adjust and going through the same steps each time.

Try keeping these sliders within a reliable range:

Exposure
Contrast
Highlights/Shadows
Whites/Blacks
Clarity or Texture

Save those settings as part of your preset for quicker editing every time.

Pro Tip: Adjust your exposure settings FIRST before adjusting and color balance/saturation/vibrance etc.

Step 5: Copy and Paste Your Settings

Once you’ve dialed in your first image, you don’t have to start over for every photo. Lightroom lets you:

Sync edits across a full session in Lightroom Classic
Copy and paste settings in Lightroom Mobile
Save this copy and paste setting to your custom presets!

Then go through and make small adjustments as needed—especially for exposure or adjusting white balance in varying light.

Pro tip: Try sorting your session by lighting situation (outdoor vs. indoor, sunny vs. shady) and edit in groups for even better results and to save some time.

Step 6: Use the HSL Panel to Fine-Tune Your Colors

HSL (Hue, Saturation, and Luminance) is the secret sauce for developing your editing style.

Want all your greens to be more muted and less neon? Desaturate and shift the hue.

Want skin tones to glow without turning orange? Tweak the oranges and reds here.

Step 7: Save Time with Lightroom Editing Shortcuts + Tools

Speed and consistency = photographer happiness. When you have hundreds (okay, thousands!) of images to go through after a session, speed and knowing you're going to get the same results MATTER. Here are a few tools that can help:

Auto-sync in Lightroom Classic
Uploads images into Lightroom with presets
Before/after toggle (/)
Virtual copies to experiment without changing your original
Custom export presets for web color vs. print color (they have different colors spaces)

Step 8: Revisit and Refine Your Style Over Time

Your editing style isn’t a one-and-done thing. As you shoot more, you’ll evolve. I keep tweaking mine- it's all fun and it's all about growing and experimenting as an artist. That’s a good thing. But if you’re constantly jumping styles with no direction, it’s hard to build recognition.

Revisit your work quarterly or annually and ask yourself:

What are you loving?
What no longer fits?
What feelings to do I want to portray through my work?
Does this feel authentic?
Is this just a passing trend?

Make small tweaks and keep showing up. Art and life are about evolution, so don't be afraid to play around and try things out.

Ready to Find Your Signature Style (Without the Guesswork)?

You don’t have to figure all of this out alone. If Lightroom still feels overwhelming or you’re spinning your wheels trying to find a look that feels like you, I can help.

I offer mentorships for beginner and emerging photographers that include: