Expression through visual means has become an integral aspect of modern living. People use images to advertise their business, promote their personal brand as an influencer, express their creativity on social media, and so much more. While there are plenty of ways to edit an image, the most common way to do so is through the use of filters and presets.

But how do you know which one to choose? We'll break it down for you.

What Is a Filter?

A filter can be thought of as an effect that is applied to your picture to modify or filter the visual elements. Filters can change the exposure, brightness, saturation, tint, and more with just one simple click.

The Pros of Using a Filter

Perhaps the best reason for using a filter is accessibility. There are countless apps available across all smart devices that offer a number of filter options. Additionally, most social media platforms come with built-in filters for you to easily and quickly adjust the aesthetic of your images.

Filters are also a great option if you do not want to do a lot of labor, because it typically only requires one click and minimal adjusting. Have a look at the before and after pictures below using the PicsArt BRNZ1 filter.

Man wearing beanie walking the streets of London

The Cons of Using a Filter

The downside to using a filter is that you cannot customize the individual settings. You can typically adjust how much of the filter you want to be applied to your picture, but this changes all the settings at once, and you are often left with elements of the image that you are not entirely satisfied with.

Since you cannot modify specific aspects, the same filter will have a different effect on different images, and you end up with an overall visual that is somewhat messy and inconsistent (at least when editing multiple pictures).

For example, in the filtered picture in the section above, we wanted to emphasize the yellow and other warmer tones, while completely filtering out the cool tones. However, there is still some blue peeping through, and the yellow looks dull and diminished due to poor luminance.

What Is a Preset?

Similarly to a filter, a preset adjusts the visual elements of your image. However, presets are a lot more in-depth and do more than simply filtering the picture.

The Pros of Using a Preset

The best thing about using a preset is that it's entirely customizable, so if you're working with images that are quite different from each other, you can adjust individual settings for a more consistent visual. For example, if you have two images with different coloring, or if the exposure is different on each image, you can easily modify them to a similar state.

You could essentially do this to a degree without a preset as well, using the built-in settings on your smart device. But presets are great guidelines, and it can be difficult and time-consuming to edit each image from scratch.

Additionally, presets offer significantly more editing options. Compare the filtered image on the left with the one using a preset on the right; the preset highlights the yellow much better, and the overall image is far more eye-catching. If you want to try using presets, have a look at these free preset options in Adobe Lightroom.

comparing the filter and preset of man with beanie walking in the streets of London

The Cons of Using a Preset

Where presets fall short for many people is their inaccessibility. Unlike filters, which you can typically find built-in to your smartphone and social media platforms, presets are limited to a few apps and software, such as Adobe Lightroom.

Most presets also need to be downloaded or bought, because changing an image's setting can be particularly difficult for those who are unfamiliar with photo-editing. But if you're willing to give it try, here are some of the best Lightroom presets you can find.

Should You Use a Filter or a Preset?

Deciding whether to use a filter or a preset really depends on the purpose of your images and what you're hoping to achieve with them. If you're posting on your private social media pages, then filters are absolutely fine.

If, however, you're hoping to create a brand for yourself or your business through your images, then presets are the way to go; they offer more consistency and a more professional finish, and the extra effort might just make all the difference.