A brightened photo of a woman running towards the beach

Smart Fill Light


Smart Fill Light is a free Lightroom preset that brightens images without compromising definition. It optimizes light and dark regions to reveal as much detail as possible. For an added polish, it also softens tones and applies a matte film look.

This versatile preset can be used on various types of photography, from portraits to landscapes, whether shot indoors or outdoors. You can use this preset as a quick fix for underexposed images. If you end up having a dim outdoor photo after shooting in overcast weather, you can use Smart Fill Light to illuminate and soften tones. It would draw out the scene’s natural beauty and illuminate it like sunlight.

Illuminates and Draws Out Hues

A bright and vivid flat lay of a book, pink flowers, and a cup of tea

Natural Brilliance. The preset begins by, as its name suggests, filling the image with light. It moderately increases the exposure to brighten the image. Then, to complement the added brilliance, Smart Fill Light amplifies contrast as well. This fundamental color adjustment helps extract hues and match the resulting light intensity.

In the After photo above, you can see how much light the preset adds to the flatlay. Look at the bright whites, the vibrant green leaves, and the softened shadows. As you may notice, the brightening adjustments also come with an elegant look and feel.

Lightens and Adds a Matte Look

A bright and clear outdoor portrait of a woman wearing a brown coat

Film Matte. The preset lowers the intensity of light and dark regions to bring out as much detail as possible. After all, textures do get washed out in overblown highlights and harsh shadows. To do this, Smart Fill Light mutes whites and highlights and lightens shadows. It then moderately amplifies clarity and black tones, just enough to retain depth.

In the example above, notice how these tones come together to produce that sought-after matte look. It is reminiscent of the classic analog film style. With the preset’s vignetting, too, you get the full classic look.

As you can see, Smart Fill Light not only optimizes tones but it also produces an elegant style. Because of its distinct aesthetic, you can use it as an Instagram filter. Smart Fill Light would add a professional and cohesive look to your entire feed.

Sets the Vibrance of Colors

A bright and vivid indoor portrait of a woman sitting cross legged on the bed

Vibrant Hues. Smart Fill Light refines hues by optimizing their intensity. It increases vibrance levels, which boosts color density without compromising skin tones. To further refine this adjustment, the preset also decreases saturation levels under Lightroom’s Presence section.

You can see the results in the example above. See how Smart Fill Light processes colors, especially the woman’s skin tone. She is more illuminated, revealing more of her features and expression. Notice, too, how the brightening and softer tones give the indoor portrait a more inviting look and feel.

Reveals and Sharpens Textures

Crisp Details. The preset’s refinements in tone and color call for enhancements in texture as well. For this, Smart Fill Light boosts sharpening. As you can see in the After photo above, this tweak makes details noticeably crisp and clear.

Notice how this complements the softened light and dark regions: the subdued tones reveal details while the amplified sharpening refines them. The latter also preserves textures that could otherwise be lost in the preset’s brightening settings. Try to examine the landscape above: examine the blue sky, the textured terrain, and the mountain range in the background.

Smart Fill Light is for Lightroom Mobile, Desktop, and…

Like all our presets, you can absolutely use Smart Fill Light preset as is, right out of the box. With any preset, you might need to make adjustments to accommodate your specific camera, settings, lighting, and subject matter.

  • Entirely Adjustable
  • Compatible with Lightroom 4, 5, 6 and CC
  • Performs with both PC, Mac, and Mobile
  • Applicable to both RAW and JPG images
  • 100% Free

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