How to Install Presets in Lightroom, Photoshop and Capture One

To install presets in Lightroom Classic, open the Develop module, click the + at the top of the Presets panel, choose Import Presets and select the .xmp files (or the whole zip). Lightroom desktop and Photoshop's Camera Raw use the same .xmp files through their own Import menus, the free Lightroom mobile app uses .dng files that you turn into presets one by one, and Capture One uses .costyle or .costylepack files. Below is every route, plus fixes for presets that refuse to appear.

Which file goes where

Every HelloPresets film pack ships in three formats; pick the one for your app.

File type	Use it in	Devices
.xmp	Lightroom Classic, Lightroom (desktop, cloud-based), Photoshop via Camera Raw	Mac, Windows
.dng	Lightroom mobile app (free or paid)	iPhone, iPad, Android
.costyle / .costylepack	Capture One	Mac, Windows (desktop)

If you have a Creative Cloud photography plan, you usually only need the .xmp files: import them once on desktop and they sync to Lightroom on your phone. The .dng route exists for people using the mobile app without a subscription.

Where to download your HelloPresets files

After checkout you get an order confirmation email with download links, and the same files are always available in your account at account.hellopresets.com, so you can download them again on any device. Unzip the download on desktop to see one folder per format.

How to install presets in Lightroom Classic

1. Open Lightroom Classic and switch to the Develop module (press D).
2. In the left panel, find the Presets panel and click the + icon at its top right.
3. Choose Import Presets.
4. Select the .xmp files, or select the zip file itself. Lightroom Classic accepts zip files containing .xmp presets and imports everything inside.
5. Click Import. The presets appear in the Presets panel, grouped under the pack name.

You need Lightroom Classic 7.3 or later; that is the version where Adobe moved presets to the .xmp format. Any current version is fine.

How to install presets in Lightroom desktop (cloud-based)

1. Open any photo and click Edit (the sliders icon) to open the edit panel.
2. Click Presets at the top of the edit panel to open the presets list.
3. Click the … (three dots) menu at the top of the presets list and choose Import Presets.
4. Select the .xmp files or the zip and confirm.

Recent versions also offer File → Import Profiles & Presets, which does the same thing. The useful part comes after: if you are signed in with the same Adobe ID on desktop and on your phone, presets imported into Lightroom desktop sync to Lightroom mobile through Creative Cloud. Give it a few minutes and check that sync is not paused.

How to install DNG presets in Lightroom mobile (no subscription needed)

The free Lightroom mobile app cannot import .xmp files directly, but it can create presets from an edited photo. That is what the .dng files are: each one is a small image that already carries the edit. You open it, save its settings as a preset, and from then on the look is in your presets list. The free version of the app supports creating and using your own presets; a subscription is not required.

1. Get the .dng files onto your phone. Unzip the download on a computer and transfer the DNG folder via cloud storage, AirDrop or a cable, or unzip directly in the Files app on iPhone/iPad. On Android, a files app that handles zips does the job.
2. In Lightroom mobile, import the DNGs: tap the add-photos button and choose to add from files (or from your camera roll if you saved them there). Import all of them at once.
3. Open the first DNG. It may look like a plain sample image; the settings are what matter.
4. Tap the … menu (top right) and choose Create Preset.
5. Name it (for example, the variation name from the file), and pick or create a preset group such as "HelloPresets Portra 400" so the pack stays together.
6. Check which settings are included. Leave things like crop and geometry unticked so the preset never crops your photos. Tap the checkmark to save.
7. Repeat for each DNG in the pack. Ten variations takes a few minutes.

Once saved, you can delete the DNGs; the presets stay. Menu labels have moved around between app updates, so if Create Preset is not in the top … menu, look for it in the Presets panel's own menu.

How to install presets in Photoshop (Camera Raw)

Photoshop reads the same .xmp files through Adobe Camera Raw. You need Camera Raw 10.3 or later.

1. Open a RAW file (it opens straight into Camera Raw), or open any image and go to Filter → Camera Raw Filter. On a JPEG or a layer, convert it to a Smart Object first if you want the edit to stay adjustable.
2. Open the Presets panel from the icons on the right-hand side of the Camera Raw window.
3. Click the … menu at the top of the panel and choose Import Profiles & Presets.
4. Select the .xmp files or the zip and confirm.

Presets installed in Camera Raw are shared with Lightroom Classic on the same computer, since both read from the same Adobe settings folder. If you have already installed them in Lightroom Classic, check Camera Raw before importing a second time.

How to install Capture One styles

Capture One calls presets "styles". A .costyle file is a single style; a .costylepack is a bundle of several styles in one file. Either works.

• Fastest: double-click the .costylepack (or .costyle) file with Capture One installed. Capture One opens it and adds the styles.
• From inside Capture One: go to the Adjustments tool tab, find the Styles and Presets tool, click the + button and choose Import, then select the files.

Imported styles appear under User Styles. Hover over a style to preview it on the selected image, click to apply. Tool positions and labels vary slightly between Capture One versions and custom workspaces.

How to apply a preset well

A film preset is built for a correctly exposed, sensibly balanced file. A few habits help:

• Fix exposure and white balance first. If the photo is a stop under or carries a strong colour cast, the preset's colour work lands in the wrong place. Get skin and neutrals roughly right, apply the preset, then fine-tune.
• Try several variations. Each pack has ten variations because film behaves differently in hard sun, shade and indoor light. Hover in Lightroom Classic or Capture One to preview before committing.
• Use the Amount slider. Recent versions of Lightroom Classic, Lightroom desktop and Lightroom mobile show an Amount slider after you apply a preset, letting you dial it from subtle to stronger than default. Older versions do not have it; update if you want it.
• Batch-apply for a consistent set. In Lightroom Classic, edit one hero image, select the rest with it as the active photo and click Sync (Develop module) or use Sync Settings. In Capture One, select several variants and apply the style. Then adjust exposure per image.

If you want to see how a specific look is built by hand, our guides to the Portra 400 look and the CineStill 800T look walk through the actual slider decisions.

Troubleshooting: presets not showing up

Lightroom Classic or Camera Raw

• Check your version. .xmp presets need Lightroom Classic 7.3+ or Camera Raw 10.3+. Older versions only see the legacy .lrtemplate format.
• Turn on partially compatible presets. In Lightroom Classic, go to Preferences → Presets and tick Show Partially Compatible Develop Presets. Without it, some presets are hidden on JPEGs or certain file types even though they would work fine.
• Zip versus extracted. Lightroom Classic imports zips; some other apps and older versions want the extracted .xmp files. If a zip import does nothing, unzip it and select the .xmp files inside. Make sure you are not importing the .dng or .costyle folders by mistake.

Lightroom mobile

• Presets did not sync from desktop: sync only works with a Creative Cloud plan on the same Adobe ID. On a free account, use the .dng method instead.
• Some settings did not carry over: the free app does not include every premium feature (masking and some tools are limited without a subscription), so a setting the free app cannot use may be skipped. The core colour, tone and grain settings work.
• Cannot find Create Preset: you have to be in the edit view of the open DNG, not the grid.

Capture One

• Style only changed one image: styles apply to the selected variants. If you selected several but only the primary changed, enable Edit All Selected Variants (the double-arrow toggle in the toolbar) and apply again.
• Styles missing after import: check the User Styles group in Styles and Presets, and restart Capture One if a double-clicked pack did not appear.

Picking a pack

If you are still deciding, the price list shows every film and bundle side by side, and our roundup of the best film presets for Lightroom matches looks to subjects. Each pack includes all three formats, so you can install on desktop and phone without buying anything twice. HelloPresets is an independent studio and not affiliated with Kodak, Fujifilm, CineStill or any other film brand; film names describe the look we set out to simulate.

FAQ

Can I install XMP presets in the free Lightroom mobile app?

Not directly. The free app uses the .dng method: import each DNG, open it, and use Create Preset. With a Creative Cloud plan, import the .xmp files on desktop and they sync to mobile.

Do presets work on JPEG files?

Yes, but results are best on RAW files, which hold more colour and highlight information. In Lightroom Classic, enable Show Partially Compatible Develop Presets if presets are hidden on JPEGs.

Do I need to install presets separately in Photoshop and Lightroom Classic?

Usually not. On the same computer, Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic share the same .xmp preset location, so presets installed in one tend to appear in the other.

What is the difference between .costyle and .costylepack?

A .costyle is one style; a .costylepack bundles several styles in one file. Both install in Capture One by double-clicking or through Styles and Presets → Import.

I lost my download. How do I get the files again?

Log in at account.hellopresets.com with the email used at checkout; all your purchased packs are there to download again.

Can I use the presets for client work?

Yes, commercial and client work is allowed. Sharing or reselling the preset files themselves is not.