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September 25, 2025
Answered

Should I include skin masks in my preset?

  • September 25, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 71 views

I’ve been working on my own preset that I want to start selling, but I’ve run into a question. When I include a skin mask (using color range) in the preset, it looks fine on some photos, but on others the skin ends up looking really bad—desaturated and unnatural. Do you think I should even include the skin mask in the preset, or would it be better to leave it out? Any suggestions or advice would mean a lot. Thanks so much!

Correct answer Sean McCormack

The skin selected using colour range would be very specific, so any variation in skin colour of the subject would yield less than stellar results. I'd absolutely include it, but rather than thinking of it as click and be done, I'd be thinking of it as a starting point. You don't have to manually make the skin mask and intersect with the color range, but you do have to refine the range after you apply the preset. Does that make sense? 

1 reply

Sean McCormack
Community Expert
Sean McCormackCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
September 25, 2025

The skin selected using colour range would be very specific, so any variation in skin colour of the subject would yield less than stellar results. I'd absolutely include it, but rather than thinking of it as click and be done, I'd be thinking of it as a starting point. You don't have to manually make the skin mask and intersect with the color range, but you do have to refine the range after you apply the preset. Does that make sense? 

Sean McCormack. Author of 'Essential Development 3'. Magazine Writer. Former Official Fuji X-Photographer.