Powerful Presets from Adobe's Lightroom 3

I have been using Adobe's Lightroom (2 and 3) as the software of choice in editing raw files from my camera. It has served me for two or three years now and I have always fiddled with those sliders on the Develop tab (the one that opens on the right) to get the images that I want. You see, I am not a professional photographer, so I am not about to delve into the technical innards of photography; it is about what pleases my eyes (I hope it pleases your eyes too). I love colors, but what else is out there?

Adobe Lightroom 3 - Develop screen

Now, on the left side of the screen, I noticed these little "presets". I haven't paid much attention to them, as I love to play with the sliders. I actually used these sliders all the time, even if it takes forever to edit hundreds of raw files. But then again, I accidentally pressed one of these presets, and these are some of the results:

I'm waiting for Mickey; seriously - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

Kid rides taking a break - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

I want a shower too - Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Florida

The Lightroom built-in presets completely transformed these images; they conveyed more emotion and communicated more feelings than before. It has opened up a whole new perspective for an amateur to look beyond colors, and explore a little bit more of the usual. Check out the photos below for comparison:

Positive colors and BW~Creamtone

The left photo is the actual photo complete with all the colors and is quite bland and ordinary. Tweaking the same photo with a single click of the preset have made the shot more interesting; it now actually tells me that these kids have patiently waited  for something (or someone) to come by for quite some time now. It also tells me that they are willing to wait for as long as it takes.

I always made sure to keep my photo scheme in check, and depict them in the most natural way as possible. But I guess it won't hurt to go alternate sometimes, and these presets make it real easy. Fun part is, you can still tweak the sliders if you need to; the presets are not perfect, but they deliver most of the goods curiously-well.