How to Sell Lightroom Presets for Free in 2026

Last updated: March 31, 2026

Most photographers, filmmakers, video editors and content creators are familiar with presets in Adobe’s Lightroom and how it makes it possible to save time and create a consistent look. But did you know that you can make some additional income from selling Lightroom presets? In this article, we’ll cover…

• Why should you sell Lightroom presets?
• Can you make money from selling Lightroom presets?
• How to sell Lightroom presets with NO BUDGET
  • Create your Lightroom presets
  • Get your presets ready for sale
  • Price your Lightroom presets
  • Choose a platform to sell your Lightroom presets
  • Create and customize your online store
  • Promote your presets to get more sales!

We’ve also caught up with Bria Celest and Andy Gray to get some on-the-ground reporting on what works — and what doesn’t when it comes to selling Lightroom presets. Ready to make some extra cash? Let’s dive right into it.

Why Should You Sell Lightroom Presets?

There are several reasons why photographers and creators choose to sell Lightroom presets as digital products:

1. Passive Income

Once presets are created and marketed, they can generate passive income. Presets can be sold continuously without requiring additional effort, allowing photographers to earn revenue even when they are not actively working on client projects.

2. Reach a Broader Audience

Selling presets enables photographers to reach a larger audience beyond their local or client base. Presets can be sold online, allowing photographers to connect with customers worldwide who appreciate their editing style.

3. Growing Market Demand

There is a significant demand for Lightroom presets among photographers, photography enthusiasts, and social media influencers. Presets offer time-saving convenience and help maintain consistency in editing styles. The influence of social media and the desire to achieve the aesthetics of popular photographers and influencers further drives demand for presets.

4. Upsell Opportunities

Selling presets can be a gateway to upselling other products or services. Once customers are satisfied with a photographer’s presets and editing style, they may be more inclined to explore additional offerings such as workshops, tutorials, mentoring, or even personalized editing services.

5. Share Creativity

Presets allow photographers to share their creative vision and unique editing approaches with others. Creating and selling presets can be fun and rewarding for photographers who want to flex their Lightroom skills with others.

Can You Make Money From Selling Lightroom Presets?

Yes, you can absolutely make money from selling Lightroom presets. The market for Lightroom presets has experienced significant growth in recent years due to the rise of digital photography and expected growth of social media users to a whopping 5.85 billion by 2027. Your Lightroom presets could be these social media users’ gateway to being able to build stunning social media feeds! In other words, there is a huge market — so let’s find out how you can create and sell your own Lightroom presets (with little-to-no budget).  The term “Lightroom presets” has over 62,000 monthly searches and low competition, making selling Lightroom presets a good opportunity for sellers looking for buyers.

What Makes a Preset Actually Sell

1. Designed for a specific niche

Lightroom presets centered around a specific niche will sell better. Avoid bundling niches within a single bundle. Every bundle should be part of its own niche. For example, Lightroom presets for wedding photography, Lightroom presets for car photography, and Lightroom presets for concert photography will all be for different target audiences. Thus, they will all need to have a distinct look or feel.

2. Works well on different skin tones and lighting

The best presets for customers to buy are those that require minimal editing. If your presets suit all skin tones, you’ll reach a larger audience, as people can use them in more situations. Before selling your presets, be sure to check different skin tones, lighting, and other elements to ensure your customers can use them in any instance. 

3. Has a consistent brand aesthetic

Your presets should all have a consistent brand aesthetic so buyers can create a consistent look for their photos. Your target audience of buyers will likely be photographers or content creators looking to build a brand aesthetic on social media. Be sure to stay updated on the latest aesthetics people are using in their photos, so you can deliver presets they actually want to buy. 

4. Solves a problem

If your presets solve a problem, you’ll likely get more sales. For example, your presets can solve problems, such as adjusting exposure, contrast, or even color saturation. Presets that enhance colors, add customized looks, such as a cinematic aesthetic, and improve workflow can also be great additions to create and sell.

How to Sell Lightroom Presets in 6 Simple Steps

Selling Lightroom presets on your own website offers several advantages compared to third-party marketplaces. By selling presets directly on your website, you can retain the entire profit without sharing it with others. Additionally, you have full control over pricing, store design, and the checkout process. Getting started is also simple, as you can create your own eCommerce website for free in just minutes using platforms like Payhip. Here’s a guide on how to begin.

1. How to Create Presets and Export Them to Sell

We’ll assume that you’re already somewhat familiar with Lightroom and have added a few photos to your library. You can make preset packs for any kind of photos, including nature photos, portrait photos, and more! Here’s how to make Lightroom presets to sell:

1. Select a photo and click ‘Edit’ to access the controls
2. Adjust the controls until you get the desired look on your photo
3. Select ‘Create Preset’, name it, and click ‘Save’
4. Go to ‘User Presets’ to access all your presets
5. Right-click on one of them and choose ‘Export’
6. Choose a location, name the preset, and click ‘Save’

Unfortunately, Lightroom doesn’t allow you to export multiple presets at once. To do that, locate the preset folder on your hard drive, select it, and copy it to the new location. Need visuals? Check out this video tutorial on how to create Lightroom presets to sell: So what about creating the preset names? There aren’t really any hard and fast rules or tips about naming your preset, but you’ll do yourself and your customers a disservice if you pick random names for your presets and make them really hard to find. Here are three golden rules of thumb:

• Branded: If you have an overarching preset theme for your online shop or style of edits, then your preset product names should be in line with your brand as a preset artist and seller
• Memorable: Your potential customers will browse through many preset products, and eventually the names will blend together, so make sure preset product titles are creative, unique, and memorable
• Descriptive: The preset name should give the user an idea of what to expect when they apply it to their images, so make sure it does what it says on the tin

2. How to Get Your Presets Ready for Sale

Buying a bunch of single presets is both tiresome and time-consuming. To save your customers from having to do that, it’s a good idea to organize your presets into themed preset bundles. These preset bundles could, for example, have a summer holiday theme. Once you’ve organized the presets, simply create a zip file to bundle these presets up. Wondering how to sell Lightroom mobile presets? No problem. Just note that mobile presets require a different format, so make sure you select ‘Export to DNG’ when you export your preset. Now you just need the final touches to your presets… Whether you package your presets for mobile or desktop, it’s important to have great example photos as your product listing images. “People are very visual and tend to be attracted to good photos,” Bria Celest says. Finally, review your preset settings and ensure each preset works flawlessly. As Andy Gray says, it’s important you “don’t miss out on quality control when creating high-quality presets. Be rigorous, and check and re-check each preset.” As a bonus tip, you may also want to create a PDF guide or policy outlining how your customers should download and enjoy your preset. This includes whether they are allowed to use your preset for commercial purposes, make substantial creative edits to it, post their photos with your preset on specific websites, etc.

3. How to Price Your Lightroom Presets

We browsed the web for Lightroom presets for sale to check their preset prices, and found that they are selling with a price range from as little as a few dollars for a single preset to as much as several hundred dollars for a preset bundle. It’s worth bearing in mind that some preset Lightroom sellers are more niche or more established than others, which can affect the price. Newcomers might want to consider an introductory offer. In the words of Payhip seller Bria Celest: “People love a good sale.” That said, it’s also important that you “don’t undervalue your presets,” according to Andy Gray. Finally, another factor that’ll affect price is where you sell the presets.

4. Selling Presets Direct vs. Using Marketplaces

You’ve made your presets, bundled them, and set a reasonable price. So far so good. The next question is, where do you actually sell these presets online? You have two options: a website or a marketplace. The main benefit of selling presets from your own site is that you can brand it however you like and control the point of sale. The downside, of course, is that you’ll have to buy a domain and hosting, design the site, maintain it, promote it, and pay for all the overhead. However, there are free website builders that give you a domain and hosting without any fees. Marketplaces, such as Payhip Marketplace, Etsy, or Adobe Addons, can handle all the extra work in exchange for a commission on your sales. They’ll handle the branding, marketing, and maintenance while you focus on making money. The downside here is that their terms can change on short notice. Marketplaces like Etsy also have sellers with various other products, making it difficult for you to target a very specific audience who wants to purchase a Lightroom preset. Not to mention, these platforms often take a hefty chunk of the revenues that you make. It makes sense to join a marketplace and build an online store to capitalize on reaching a large audience when you’re just starting out. 

5. How to Set Up a Store or Sales Page on Payhip

Payhip is a free website builder that includes a marketplace, so you can both sell independently and through a marketplace from one platform. You can head over to Payhip, enter your email address, and click ‘Get started’ to create an account in a matter of seconds. Here’s how to add your preset bundles to your new store:

1. Click ‘Add your first product’ and choose ‘Add Digital Product’
2. Click ‘Upload product file’ and locate your preset bundle
3. Fill out the title, price, description, and add a cover image
4. Finish by clicking on ‘Add Product’ at the bottom of the page

And here’s how to accept payments for your sales:

1. Click ‘Setup checkout’ and link your PayPal or Stripe account
2. Choose which currency you’d like to be paid in
3. Enter a description for your customers’ bank statements
4. Hit ‘Save settings’ and you’re ready to roll

That’s it! You’re now ready to sell your Lightroom presets. As promised, everything is automated. That means the customer automatically receives the preset bundle and you automatically get paid via your preferred payment option.

6. How to Market Your Lightroom Presets

Haven’t made any sales yet? That’s because we need to cover one last thing: marketing your presets. It’s difficult to sell presets when no one knows where to find your presets and buy them. Here are a few tips to help you market Lighroom presets and drive traffic to your new Payhip store:

• Add your store link to your social media profiles and bio sections
• Before and after images that use your presets to show what they can do
• Offer limited-time coupon codes for first-time visitors
• Run a social media contest and offer the winner a free preset
• Build a mailing list and sell your presets with a nurturing campaign
• Create a blog and share valuable photography tips and tricks as blog post to attract more organic traffic to your website

Bria Celest advises you to “use before and after pictures and have people test them out on their photos so you can use that as a way to show the versatility of your preset” and Andy Gray says you should “show your presets in action so customers know you use them yourself.” There are many more ways you can promote your presets on Payhip, but these tips are a great way to get started.

How to Sell Lightroom Presets for Free

Here are a few free ideas on how to sell Lightroom presets without a budget.

1. Choose a free website builder

Choose Payhip as your website builder to host your presets on your very own website. This platform offers a free plan with transaction fees of only 5% once you’ve made a sale. 

2. Generate free sales through social media

Get traffic organically through TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube. You can create reels about your process for creating presets; you’ll naturally find people who want to buy yours who find the process too complicated to make themselves. You can also share direct links to your product pages on Pinterest.  

3. Drive organic traffic to your website 

Write blog posts on your website about presets. For example, you could write a blog post on Best Presets for Travel Photos. You also want to use keyword optimization when choosing your product titles and including those keywords in your product descriptions. A free tool for keyword research is Google Keyword Planner. 

4. Access free stock photos 

Use free stock photo sites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Canva. 

5. Use free tools for seamless organization

Organize your processes or workflows using free resources in Google Drive. You can host all your original preset files in Google Drive so you can access them if you accidentally delete them from your website. You can also use Google Docs to write instructions for installing presets. 

6. Send email newsletters 

Building an email newsletter on your website is easy with Payhip. You can create a lead magnet to get people to sign up to your email list via your email opt-in form. Once you’ve gotten a few email signups, you can start sending newsletters to get free sales.

FAQ on Selling Presets Online

Can you make money selling presets?

Yes, it is possible to make money selling Lightroom presets, especially given the rising pressure to produce high-quality content on social media. Avid social media users tend to purchase high-quality Lightroom presets to apply to their photos and achieve their desired look and style.

Can I sell my preset files through my own website?

Yes, you can sell preset files as digital downloads through your own website for free using Payhip. Payhip will also automatically send your preset files to your customers as soon as they complete their purchases.

How can I earn money with Adobe Lightroom?

You can create and sell Lightroom presets through your own website or through online marketplaces such as Etsy and Creative Market. If you have advanced Adobe Lightroom skills, you can also teach others how to use the software or how to create Lightroom presets by selling online courses. Payhip provides an online course platform for free!

Final Thoughts – Sell Lightroom Presets as Your Income Source

Hopefully, you now have a good understanding of how to sell your Lightroom preset. As you can see, it’s not complicated, and the rewards can more than make up for the little bit of extra work you’ll put in. Ready to get started? Head over to Payhip and create a free account in a matter of seconds.