20+ Best Free Matte Effect Lightroom Presets

Matte styling adds a touch of vintage elegance to your photos. It’s typically achieved during post-processing rather than in real-time. Using the right edits, any image can be given a matte look and feel.

This is where matte Lightroom presets come in handy. They allow you to apply a specific edit with a single click, adding stunning matte effects to your photos.

They also give you consistency, which is especially useful for editing multiple shots from the same session, giving you a cohesive look for your portfolio.

In this collection, you’ll find twenty of the best free Lightroom matte effect presets. Each offers rich matte effects and is easy to apply, even for beginners. Pick your favorites, download them, and start editing today!

Our Favorite Matte Lightroom Preset Collection

Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Reducing color contrasts is a hallmark of matte photography. It softens photos and lets the details stand out. This matte preset works for almost any subject and focuses on color reduction.

The Top 20 Matte Lightroom Presets

Matte & VSCO Lightroom Presets

This professional collection of VSCO and matte Lightroom presets will boost the efficiency of your photo processing and editing tasks. They give your photos the understated and fashionable look associated with VSCO.

Mattehue Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Mattehue is a matte preset for urban and street scenes. It adds a matte effect without a faded look by working on the hue of each photo.

Matte Box Photoshop Actions & Lightroom Presets

The Matte Box Lightroom presets have been designed to give your photos a very distinctive matte finish. These presets gently soften colors, slightly fade darker tones, and create the look of images printed on matte paper.

High Tide Matte Preset for LIghtroom (Free)

High Tide is a versatile matte preset. It adds a grungy aesthetic to cityscapes and urban scenes. But you can also use it for landscapes to create a moody atmosphere.

50 Matte LUTs Pack

With just a few clicks, you can quickly create impressive cinematic-style visuals with these presets. These color-grading LUTs have been designed to add cinematic tones, with a matte touch, to your photos and videos.

Matte Gold Lightroom Preset (Free)

A gold tint can give any photo a timeless look. This matte preset with gold coloring can be added to your photos with a single click.

Matte B&W Lightroom Preset (Free)

Did you know that matte photos can be in black and white? Of course, they can. That’s exactly what this preset does: it transforms color photos into matte black and white stills.

Matte Color (Free)

This wedding-focused matte preset captures your special day by softening unwanted details in your photos. It also adapts well as a versatile matte preset for any portrait image.

Autumn Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Do you want warm, retro photos that look like they’re from the 1960s? Even without a camera, you’re in luck. This matte Lightroom preset adds a vintage, grungy look to any photo in your portfolio.

Pastel Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Matte Lightroom presets draw attention to the subjects. This preset applies pastel tones, making it an excellent choice for portraits.

Urban Soot Lightroom Preset (Free)

Urban Soot is a gritty matte preset for street photography. It produces soft, almost sci-fi visuals.

3rd Dimension Lightroom Presets (Free)

Remember that matte photos can also be colorful! The free 3rd Dimension preset gives both landscapes and portraits a colorful matter effect.

Matte Color Cream Wash Lightroom Presets (Free)

This is another matte Lightroom preset for portraits. It washes away bright colors, merging subjects into their background for a softer visual look.

Darken Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

This free Lightroom preset will add a feeling of warmth to your photos. It’s a great choice if you want a moody look for an outdoor portrait or landscape shot.

Matte Fade Lightroom Preset (Free)

Matte Fade is a general-use outdoor matte preset for Lightroom. It’s a candidate for vintage-inspired beach scenes and more.

Matte Blue Lightroom Preset (Free)

This powerful Lightroom preset will add a matte effect to your photos with a blue aesthetic. Most of the tones are flattened, with blue shades bolstered.

Matte Black Lightroom Preset (Free)

It’s easy to overlook black and white styles as an option for matte photos. Yet, they let you add eye-catching effects in just two tones. This preset for Lightroom allows you to add them with just a few clicks.

Skyfall Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Skyfall takes on a very vintage aesthetic. It’s a solid preset choice if you need retro shades applied to photos. Versatile, it will work on landscape and portrait photos alike.

Morning Stroll Lightroom Preset (Free)

Morning Stroll adds a matte look to outdoor photos, especially cityscapes. Brown shades grow warmer, giving your modern digital photos a vintage film feel.

Matteroom Lightroom Preset (Free)

Think of Matteroom as a way to create matte yet sun-kissed landscapes. It adds warmth, making your landscape photos resemble film stills. Shades of brown and blue are the most noticeable.

Woodsy Matte Lightroom Preset (Free)

Are you looking for a fairytale natural landscape? Matte presets like Woodsy are created for forest photography. You’ll notice earth tones blend in vintage warmth and softness.

How to Install & Use Lightroom Presets

How to Install a Lightroom Preset:

Download the Preset: Download the Lightroom preset file you want to use. Preset files come in the format .lrtemplate or .xmp.
Locate the Preset Folder: For Lightroom Classic, open the Develop module, and go to the Presets panel on the left side. For Lightroom CC, go to the Edit panel on the right side.
Import the Preset: For Lightroom Classic, right-click on Presets and select Import. Then, locate and select the downloaded preset file. For Lightroom CC, click the three dots ... in the Presets panel and choose Import Presets. Locate and select the preset file.
Install the Preset: Once you’ve selected the preset file, click the Import button. The preset will now be added to your preset list.

How to Use a Lightroom Preset:

Select Your Photo: Open the photo you want to edit in the Lightroom module.
Apply the Preset: In the Develop module of Lightroom Classic or the Edit panel in Lightroom CC, scroll through your preset list. Click on the preset you want to use. Lightroom will apply the preset’s editing settings to your photo.
Adjust Settings (if Required): Presets are not one-size-fits-all, and your photo may require additional edits to achieve the desired look.
Save Your Edited Photo: Save your edited photo once you are happy with the changes. Click File and then Export to choose your export settings and save the final image.

Matte Lightroom Preset FAQs

How Do Matte Presets Improve Photos

They give your photos a unique, artistic flair with muted colors and soft tones, making them stand out with a distinctive aesthetic.
Are Matte Effect Presets Suitable for All Types of Photos?

While matte effect presets are versatile, they work best with photos where a moody, vintage, or artistic feel is needed, such as portraits, landscapes, and urban shots.
Can Beginners Use These Matte Effect Presets?

Absolutely! These presets are user-friendly and can help beginners achieve a professional look with minimal effort.
Do I Need to Adjust My Photos After Applying the Preset?

Sometimes adjustments might be needed to fine-tune the image to your taste, such as altering exposure or contrast to fit your photo’s specific lighting and composition.
Will Using Matte Presets Affect the Quality of My Images?

Using presets doesn’t degrade the quality of your images. They alter the aesthetic while maintaining your photos’ original resolution and clarity.
How Do I Choose the Right Matte Preset for My Photo?

Consider the mood you want. Experiment with different presets to find the one that complements the colors and lighting in your photo.
Can These Presets Be Adjusted for Different Lighting Conditions?

Yes, most matte effect presets can be adjusted to suit various lighting conditions, ensuring the matte look is consistent across different environments.

Conclusion

We’ve just explored the top free Lightroom matte presets. These single-click transformations can instantly improve your photos, creating something new and magical.

Why wait? Select stunning presets from the collection and start using them in your edits.

They will all make things quick and easy, allowing you to apply consistent matte effects across all your photos. This is the true advantage of Lightroom presets!