Preset & Filters For LR

What Preset & Filters For LR Actually Offers

After months of editing with Lightroom on my Android phone, I kept hitting the same wall: finding presets that didn’t look like muddy Instagram knockoffs or cost a monthly fee. Preset & Filters For LR is one of those apps that tries to solve that without asking for your credit card. It’s essentially a gallery of downloadable presets and filters, organized into categories, that you can import directly into Lightroom. The appeal is obvious: thousands of ready-made looks, from film emulations to moody tones, all free. But as I quickly learned, “free” here comes with its own set of trade-offs.

Downloading and Applying Presets – The Real Workflow

Getting a preset onto your phone is straightforward, but not instant. You browse through the categories—portrait, landscape, black-and-white, vintage, and a few niche packs like “cinematic” or “pastel.” Each preset shows a preview thumbnail, though the previews are small and sometimes don’t accurately represent how the look behaves on different photos. Tapping a preset opens a download button, which saves a .DNG file (a Lightroom preset format) to your device. Then you open Lightroom, navigate to presets, import from files, and apply. It works, but the number of steps means you won’t casually apply ten presets in a row.

One thing I appreciate: the app updates its library daily. New preset packs appear every morning, which keeps the selection fresh. But the downside is that the older presets don’t seem to be curated or removed, so the list grows longer without any quality filter. You’ll find genuinely good presets next to ones that look like they were slapped together in five minutes. Sorting through them requires patience.

Performance, Permissions, and Hidden Caveats

The app itself runs lightly on my mid-range Android—no lag, no crashes. But the permission list is longer than you’d expect for a preset browser. It asks for read/write external storage (necessary for saving .DNG files), network access (for downloads), and even “prevent processor from sleeping” and “access to the vibrator.” That last one is unusual. In practice, the app doesn’t spam vibration, but it’s a red flag that the developer packed in permissions without clear purpose. I’d recommend installing only if you’re comfortable with that level of access—or you can deny vibration permission if your Android version allows granular control.

Another limitation: the presets are optimized for Lightroom Mobile’s free version, but some advanced adjustments (like tone curves or selective edits) may not transfer perfectly if you’re using the free tier. You might see a warning that certain settings require a subscription. So the “premium” feel of a preset depends partly on whether you have the paid Lightroom. That’s not the app’s fault, but it’s a realistic constraint that many reviews gloss over.

Who Should Use This App (And Who Should Skip It)

If you’re a casual photo editor who wants to experiment with different looks without spending money, Preset & Filters For LR is a solid resource. The sheer volume—thousands of presets—means you’re bound to find a few that match your style. I personally keep about 15 presets downloaded that I rotate through for travel photos and social media posts. For that use case, it’s genuinely useful.

But if you’re a professional or semi-pro who relies on consistent color grading across a shoot, skip this. The preset quality is uneven, and you’ll waste too much time filtering out mediocre ones. The app also lacks any editing tools of its own—it’s purely a preset downloader. No adjustments, no preview comparison, no ability to tweak a preset before applying. That’s fine for its intended role, but it’s a clear shortcoming if you compare it to integrated preset managers within Lightroom itself.

Final Thoughts on the Daily Refresh Model

The daily update feature is both a strength and weakness. It keeps the content pool growing, but it also means you can’t rely on a stable, well-tested set of presets. Some packs are clearly auto-generated or copied from other sources. The “premium” label in the app is misleading—nothing is actually premium here since everything is free. What you get is a massive, uncurated library with occasional gems. I’ve had good luck with the “film stock” and “moody landscape” categories. Others, like “glamour” or “neon,” were too harsh for my taste. Your mileage will vary, but if you’re willing to spend 10 minutes sifting, the payoff can be worth it.