Got you — 3-part blog series on New Trending Colour Grading in Lightroom 🔥
Here’s ready-to-publish content you can drop straight into your blog:
Part 1: The 2026 Colour Grading Shift — What’s Trending in Lightroom Right Now
Colour grading in 2026 isn’t about slapping on the same teal-and-orange preset anymore. Creators are moving toward mood-first grading that feels cinematic but still natural.
The 4 biggest trends right now:
- Film Faded Neutrals: Soft blacks, desaturated greens, and warm skin tones. Think A24 movie stills. Less contrast, more texture.
- Golden Hour Amplified: Not just warm. We’re pushing honey-amber highlights + dusty rose shadows. Works insanely well for portraits and travel.
- Cool Moody Editorial: Crushed blues in shadows, muted reds, and slightly green midtones. Big with fashion and street photographers.
- Vintage Kodak Revival: Grain, halation, and that nostalgic yellow-orange shift. Everyone’s chasing that 90s disposable camera vibe again.
Why this matters: Audiences are tired of over-edited, high-saturation feeds. The new trend is “intentional imperfection” — colour that tells a story instead of just looking punchy.
In Part 2 we’ll break down the exact Lightroom tools and presets making these looks possible.
Part 2: The Lightroom Tools + Presets Behind the Trends
You don’t need 50 presets. You need to know where to push in Lightroom Classic + Lightroom Mobile.
1. Film Faded Neutrals
- Basic: Contrast -15, Highlights -30, Shadows +20, Blacks +10
- HSL: Green Saturation -25, Orange Luminance +15
- Colour Grading: Shadows = teal-blue hue 210, Saturation 8. Midtones = warm beige
- Effects: Grain 25, Vignette -10
2. Golden Hour Amplified
- Temp: +12 to +18
- Colour Grading: Highlights = orange hue 35, Saturation 20. Shadows = magenta hue 320, Saturation 10
- Tone Curve: Slight S-curve, lift blacks
- Masking: Use Radial Gradient on skin to keep it from going too orange
3. Cool Moody Editorial
- Basic: Dehaze +10, Texture +15
- HSL: Blue Saturation +20, Red Saturation -15
- Colour Grading: Shadows = blue hue 230, Saturation 15. Midtones = green hue 120, Saturation 5
- Calibration: Blue Primary Saturation +10
4. Vintage Kodak Revival
- Basic: Fade +10, Grain 30, Size 25
- Split Toning/Colour Grading: Highlights = yellow 50. Shadows = orange 30
- Lens Correction: Add slight chromatic aberration for that old lens feel
Pro tip: Save each as a base preset, then use Adaptive Presets in Lightroom to auto-target skies, subjects, and backgrounds. That’s what makes 2026 grading feel pro instead of filtered.
Part 3: How to Apply Trending Grades Without Ruining Your Photos
Trends are great. Copy-paste grading kills photos. Here’s how to use them right:
1. Start with the story
Ask: What mood do I want? Nostalgic, calm, edgy, warm? Pick the grade after that. Film Neutrals for lifestyle, Golden Hour for portraits, Cool Moody for brands.
2. Nail exposure first
No colour grade can save a bad exposure. Get skin tones between 60-75 IRE before you touch Colour Grading panel.
3. Use local adjustments
Don’t grade the whole image the same.
- Keep skin in its own mask and pull Orange hue toward red
- Isolate sky and push blue luminance down for that cinematic depth
- Add subtle radial dodge on subject so the grade doesn’t flatten them
4. Less is more with grain + fade
2026 trend = texture, not noise. Keep grain between 20-35. Too much and it looks like a filter pack from 2018.
5. Make it your own
Take the base preset above and shift just one thing: the shadow hue, or the green saturation. That 10% tweak is what stops your feed from looking like everyone else’s.
Final thought: The best trending grade is the one people feel before they notice it. Test these on 3 different lighting conditions and you’ll see which one becomes “your” look.
Want me to turn these 3 parts into downloadable Lightroom preset files + captions for Instagram too?
✅👇Preset &Dng File 👇✅
https://t.me/sandy_editz_298_nani/3819