How to Install Lightroom Presets: Desktop, Mobile and Camera Raw

Installing presets is genuinely simple, but the instructions differ between the versions of Lightroom, and Adobe has changed the menus more than once. Here is every route, current as of 2026, plus what to do when the presets do not show up afterwards.

Everything below applies to .xmp presets, which is the modern Adobe format used by every GeoTones pack. It all works in the free Lightroom mobile app — you do not need an Adobe subscription to install or use them.

Before you start: do not unzip the file

This trips up more people than anything else. On desktop, Lightroom can import a preset ZIP directly, and doing it that way keeps the folder structure and grouping intact. If you unzip it first and import loose files, presets can end up scattered across your panel with no group name.

Download the ZIP, leave it as a ZIP, and point Lightroom at it.

Lightroom Classic

1. Open Lightroom Classic and go to the Develop module (keyboard shortcut D).
2. Find the Presets panel on the left side.
3. Click the + icon at the top of that panel, then choose Import Presets.
4. Select the downloaded ZIP file.
5. The presets appear as a new group in the Presets panel, named after the pack.

Lightroom CC (desktop)

This is the cloud-based version, sometimes just called Lightroom, as opposed to Lightroom Classic.

1. Open Lightroom CC and select any photo so the editing panels are available.
2. Open the Presets panel on the right.
3. Click the three-dot menu at the top of the panel, then Import Presets.
4. Select the ZIP file.

Because this version is cloud-synced, the presets will sync automatically to your other devices, including your phone.

Lightroom mobile: the easy way

If you have Lightroom CC on a computer, do not install anything manually on your phone. Import the presets into Lightroom CC on desktop as above, then make sure you are signed in to the same Adobe account in the mobile app. The presets appear on your phone within a minute or two, no transfer needed.

This is by far the least frustrating route, and it keeps everything in one place.

Lightroom mobile: manual XMP import

If you do not have a computer, you can install directly on the phone. It takes a little more patience.

1. Transfer the individual .xmp files to your phone. On iPhone, unzip using the Files app and keep the .xmp files somewhere you can find them. On Android, any file manager with unzip support works.
2. Open the Lightroom mobile app and open any photo for editing.
3. Tap Presets at the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap the three-dot menu, then Import Presets.
5. Navigate to the .xmp files and select them.

Depending on your version, you may need to select the files one at a time rather than all at once.

Adobe Camera Raw (Photoshop and Bridge)

Camera Raw uses the same preset format as Lightroom, so the same files work there.

1. Open a RAW file in Camera Raw, either through Photoshop or Adobe Bridge.
2. Open the Presets panel on the right side.
3. Click the three-dot menu, then Import Profiles & Presets.
4. Select the .xmp files.

When presets do not show up

A few common causes, in order of likelihood:

You are looking in the wrong place

Imported presets are grouped, not dropped into your existing list. Scroll down the Presets panel and look for a group named after the pack. In Lightroom Classic, groups are collapsed by default.

Lightroom needs a restart

Occasionally, especially after importing a large batch, the panel does not refresh. Quit Lightroom fully and reopen it.

You imported the wrong file type

Older presets used the .lrtemplate format, which Lightroom no longer accepts in current versions. If you have very old presets from elsewhere that will not import, that is usually why. Modern packs, including all GeoTones packs, ship as .xmp.

The presets are there but do nothing visible

If a preset appears to apply but the photo barely changes, check that you have not accidentally imported profiles instead of presets, and check the preset Amount slider if your version has one. It is also worth reading why presets look different on every photo, because a preset landing on a badly exposed file often looks like it did nothing at all.

What will not work, and it is worth knowing

The .xmp preset format is Adobe's own. It works in Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC on desktop and mobile, and Adobe Camera Raw through Photoshop or Bridge.

It does not work in Capture One, Luminar, ON1, Affinity Photo, or mobile apps like VSCO and Snapseed. Those all use their own proprietary formats and cannot read Adobe preset files. Any seller claiming their Lightroom presets work across all editing software is either mistaken or being careless with the truth.

Getting the best results once they are installed

Set your exposure and white balance before applying a preset, not after. On JPEG files, start at around 80 percent strength rather than full. And if you are editing people, keep an eye on the orange channel, which is where skin tones live.

Every GeoTones pack is built and tested to work on both RAW and JPEG, and each one ships with a PDF guide covering installation and the specific quirks of that look.