Urban and streetscape photography captures the dynamic energy of city life. It offers a way to document cityscapes, winding country roads, and everything in between. However, the constant motion of urban settings can pose challenges for photographers.
That’s where Lightroom presets can simplify this process. They enable consistent stylistic edits across multiple photos with just a single click in Lightroom.
This collection features the top Lightroom urban and street photography presets, ranging from rich, colorful designs to stark black and white imagery. Suitable for photographers of any skill level, these presets are easy to use and will save you time by applying the same consistent edits across your photos.
What is Urban or Street Photography?
Urban and street photography are captivating styles of photographing city life. Urban photography focuses on the physical aspects of the city, and street photography delves into the human element.
Both styles offer unique perspectives for appreciating the beauty and authenticity of city life. The key attributes of urban and street photography include:
- Candid Scenes: Street photography is all about motion and action. They grasp the ebb and flow of humanity in motion.
- Vibrant Hues & Colors: Color lends itself to urban scenes. Working on color can make any urban street photo more true to life.
- Crisp Contrasts: Photography like this revolves around contrasts. No single element should fade into the background. If it does, you’ll miss out on the complete dynamic effect of any scene.
- Motion in Action: Let’s face it, streetscapes are seldom static. Whether it’s pedestrians or vehicles, something is always moving. Presets improve the motion effects that you capture with your lens for truly unforgettable urban photography.
- Gritty Realism: Gritty details make for magical photos. Urban and street photography shows these details in real, raw form.
The Top Urban & Street Lightroom Presets for Photographers
Skyfall Lightroom Preset (Free)
Skyfall will give your street photos a sunlit and crisp look. This free preset amplifies contrast and gives new life to darker shades. It’s also useful for urban landscapes.
ARTA Manhattan Street Presets for Lightroom
These presets will infuse a modern color palette into your photos, making them an excellent fit for travel, fashion, or lifestyle photographers. Crafted with meticulous attention, these presets serve as an excellent foundation for taking your street or urban photos to the next level.
Brilliante Lightroom Preset (Free)
This free preset sharpens and brightens colors in your streetscape scenes. Each tone appears brighter and more vibrant. It’s a crisp, quick edit for any urban photo in your portfolio.
Street Photography Lightroom Bundle
The thirteen presets in this Lightroom bundle have been created to instantly give your shots a street and urban aesthetic. The bundle includes black and white, film, and night photography effects.
City Vintage Lightroom Preset (Free)
Street photography benefits from excellent lighting and bolder colors. This free preset is designed specifically for road photography, highlighting details and boosting contrast.
Street Tones Lightroom Preset
These presets have been created to give you a one-of-a-kind, polished aesthetic that works on the subtle tones and shades of your photos. These presets are perfect for bringing dimly lit pictures to life.
California Dreamin Lightroom Preset (Free)
The California Dreamin presets are ideal for urban scenes, especially when buildings are featured. They add a glow to any flat, dull image, reduce shadows, and reveal details in every shot.
Contrasena Lightroom Preset (Free)
Are you searching for a sunset or a golden hour glow for your photos? Contrasena provides it – even if your camera misses the mark. Orange and gold hues are brightened, and your photos can take on a timeless feel with the preset applied.
Street Film Lightroom Preset (Free)
Film effects are perfect for cityscape photos. They bring motion to life and lend a gritty look to every scene. Street Film is a preset that does precisely that. You’ll see each detail sharpen and come into focus.
Street View Lightroom Preset (Free)
In urban photography, contrast is the name of the game. Many scenes will appear dull and flat. But your photos don’t have to! The Street View preset will brighten the tones in any urban or street photo.
Muyvibrante Lightroom Preset (Free)
Muyvibrante is a classic street preset. It’s a powerful option if you need to experience color depth in your imagery. Color hues are worked on for a rich look and feel. Try it for your next streetscape image edit.
Havana Lightroom Preset (Free)
Are you looking for a retro look for your street photos? Havana is a free preset with this goal in mind. Streets are given an earthy, sunlit tone, and surrounding features are brightened to add unique contrast.
Sincerely Yours Lightroom Preset (Free)
Street scenes are all about vibrance and thrilling scenes. This preset brings these pictures to life. Try it to make the most of any street photo you’ve captured with your lens.
The Walk Home Lightroom Preset (Free)
Black and white scenes capture the look and feel of many street scenes. The best way to capture them is with a preset like this. Any photo can be transformed into a sharp, two-tone scene.
Street Photography Lightroom Presets (Free)
These street photography presets offer twelve varied options, perfect for any urban photo in your portfolio. They are ideal for street photographers looking to improve their work.
Vintage Streets Lightroom Preset (Free)
Often, subtle changes are the most powerful. That’s especially true with street photography. This free preset adds vintage effects with gritty details.
Black & White Lightroom Preset (Free)
Black and white images are a great way to view streetscapes. Clutter fades into the backdrop, putting the focus on the road itself. This free preset is tailor-made for street photos that need a grayscale effect.
Narrow Streets Lightroom Preset (Free)
This free street photography preset adds warm tones to your images. It highlights the contrast between light and dark shades and delivers a classical look and feel to your street photos.
Your Old TV Lightroom Preset (Free)
Another black and white option, this free preset is another top choice for urban photos. Pavement, concrete, and earth tones are amplified and boosted with the one-click edit. Use this preset for street scenes, skylines, and more.
City Dusk Lightroom Preset (Free)
Night photography often captures streetscapes at their most striking. This preset boosts contrasts and shadows, adding an excellent effect to shots of wet pavement.
Soft Film Lightroom Preset (Free)
With film effects, you can give any photo in your collection a timeless look and feel. These soft film Lightroom presets sharpen tones and contrasts while preserving a natural look and feel.
Urban Soot Lightroom Presets (Free)
These free street photo presets provide a cinematic look, adding a gritty, crisp feel to each photo. They give photos the appearance of being captured on old film, with a classic look and warmth.
Cobble Street Lightroom Preset (Free)
Cobblestone streets are highly photogenic, but they can often appear dull and flat. This free preset solves that issue, boosting contrasts and adding natural color to stone streets everywhere.
How to Install Lightroom Presets
Lightroom Classic Installation
- Download the Preset: Download the Lightroom preset you want to use. Make sure you save the
MXP
file somewhere memorable. - Open Lightroom: Launch Lightroom on your desktop.
- Access the Develop Module: Once Lightroom is open, navigate to the
Develop
module by clicking on it in the top-right corner of the screen. - Find the Presets Panel: On the left-hand side, you will see a panel labeled
Presets
. Click on it to view the preset options. - Import Preset: Right-click anywhere within the
Presets
panel and selectImport
. Locate the preset file you downloaded and then clickImport
again. - Apply the Preset: With the preset now imported, you can apply it to your photos by clicking on the preset name in the
Presets
panel. Your photo will instantly take on the preset’s settings.
Lightroom Mobile Installation
- Download Lightroom Mobile: If you haven’t already, download and install the Lightroom Mobile app from your device’s app store.
- Transfer the Preset: To get the preset onto your mobile device, you can use cloud storage or email it to yourself. Once it’s on your mobile device, make sure you know where it’s located.
- Open Lightroom Mobile: Launch the Lightroom Mobile app on your device.
- Import the Preset: Tap the
+
icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new project. Then, selectFrom Files
or the equivalent option based on your device’s file management system. Locate and select the preset file you transferred in step 2. - Save as a Preset: After importing the preset, open any photo in Lightroom Mobile. If required, adjust the settings to your liking, using the preset as a reference. Once satisfied, in the top-right corner of the screen, tap the three dots (
...
) and selectCreate Preset
. Give your preset a name and save it. - Apply the Preset: Now, whenever you edit a photo in Lightroom Mobile, you can apply the preset you created by tapping the
Presets
icon and selecting your custom preset from the list.
The Very Best Urban & Street Photography
This preset collection captures the best options for urban and street photography. With just a few clicks, every urban scene can be transformed into something truly magical, thanks to the power of Lightroom presets.
So, what are you waiting for? Download your favorite presets today! Then, start applying them to all of your favorite photos. You’ll be amazed by the stunning results.
Urban & Street Lightroom Preset FAQs
What are These Lightroom Presets?
They are Lightroom presets designed specifically for highlighting the unique aspects of urban and street photography, such as contrast, texture, and color toning, to bring out the gritty, vibrancy of cityscapes.
How Do These Presets Improve Urban Photos on Instagram?
They can transform urban photos for Instagram by emphasizing architectural details, adjusting lighting and contrast, and adding a stylistic flair that makes city scenes pop, perfectly suited for the platform.
Are These Lightroom Presets Suitable for Beginners Interested in Street Photography?
Yes, they are ideal for beginners because they provide a quick and easy way to apply advanced editing effects, helping new photographers achieve professional-looking results.
Can I Customize These Presets to Fit My Unique Photography Style?
While presets provide a base look, you can tweak various settings in Lightroom to make sure they perfectly align with your style and the mood you want to convey.
Do These Presets Work Well with Different Lighting Conditions in Urban Settings?
Yes, many presets are designed to be versatile and can be adapted to various lighting conditions typical in urban environments, from bright daylight to neon-lit night scenes.