Editing Tips

How to adjust preset intensity with the Amount slider

Lightroom has a built-in Amount slider that scales the strength of any preset from 0% to 150%. It's the single most useful control for making presets fit your photo — softer at 60–80%, default at 100%, more punchy above 100%. Available in every current version of Lightroom Mobile, Desktop and Classic (Amount shipped in the June 2022 update).

5 steps~4 min read
Device
Phone or computer
App
Lightroom (any current version)
Time
2 min

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Lightroom Mobile — dial after applying

    Open a photo, tap Presets, and tap a preset to preview it. Above the checkmark you'll see an Amount slider — drag it left to soften the preset or right (up to 150%) to intensify. Tap the checkmark to commit.

  2. 2

    Lightroom Desktop — hover in the Presets panel

    Open the Edit panel and click Presets. Hover any preset in the list and an Amount slider appears in the preview strip above the preset name — drag it to preview at reduced or increased strength, then click the preset to apply at that amount.

  3. 3

    Lightroom Classic — same slider, Develop module

    Switch to the Develop module (press D). Hover a preset in the Presets panel on the left; the Amount slider appears above the preset list. Drag to preview, click to apply.

  4. 4

    Good starting values

    60–80% for a subtle, editorial look. 100% for the preset as designed. 110–130% for stronger colors and contrast on flat RAW files. Above 130% starts to look heavy on most photos.

  5. 5

    Fine-tune after with the Light panel

    Amount scales the entire preset uniformly. If only exposure needs tweaking, leave Amount at 100% and adjust Exposure in the Light panel instead — that keeps the color grade intact.

Helpful tip

Amount is non-destructive — you can revisit it any time by tapping/clicking the preset again. It also stacks with manual slider tweaks, so you can dial the preset back to 70% and then bump Exposure separately.

Common mistake

If you don't see the Amount slider, your app is out of date. Update Lightroom from the App Store, Play Store, or Adobe Creative Cloud.

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