If you’ve ever tried capturing night scenes or busy city streets, you know how tricky it can be to get that perfect long exposure shot. There’s something magical about streaks of light and motion that really makes a photo pop, but editing them to look professional can take hours. That’s where presets come in. With the right tools, you can turn a simple snapshot into a stunning image that looks like it took way more time than it really did.
In this post, we’re diving into 15+ Best Long Exposure & Light Trail Lightroom Presets. These presets are perfect for photographers who want to save time while still getting that cinematic look. They’re not just about adding brightness or contrast—they enhance colors, emphasize movement, and give your lights that dreamy, flowing effect without complicated edits.
Whether you’re shooting cars zooming by on a highway, busy city streets at night, or even fireworks, these presets will help you bring out the best in your photos. Some of them even mimic professional camera effects, so you can achieve a polished look straight out of Lightroom. Even if you’re just starting out, applying a preset can give you a strong foundation and inspire new creative ideas for your photography.
By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which presets are worth your time, how to use them, and why they work so well for long exposure photography. So let’s explore the world of light trails and motion in photos with 15+ Best Long Exposure & Light Trail Lightroom Presets.
1. 10 Lightroom Long Exposure Presets for Mobile and Desktop
Transform your night shots with the Long Exposure Lightroom Preset and make every light streak pop. With a single click, add depth, contrast, and vibrant color to your long-exposure photos—perfect for city streets, fireworks, or car light trails. This bundle includes 10 desktop (.XMP) and 10 mobile (.DNG) presets, easy setup instructions, and a handy FAQ for tips. Works on Lightroom (mobile and desktop), Photoshop, or Adobe Camera Raw, and compatible with iPhone, Android, or any camera.
2. 24 Moody Night Vibes, long exposure
3. Light Trail Lightroom Preset: Night Photography Filter
Bring your night photography to life with Light Trail, a single Lightroom preset from the Night Owl Pack. Perfect for shots from twilight to midnight, it adds depth, color, and mood to city streets, light trails, and night skies. After purchase, you get an instant download with the preset and a simple installation guide. Fully customizable in Lightroom, it works best with RAW images and serves as a starting point to create unique, eye-catching night shots.
4. Light Trails Lightroom Presets
5. 18 Urban Neon Night Presets for Lightroom
The Neon Night Preset Bundle brings 18 vibrant Lightroom filters to your photos, turning ordinary shots into glowing, cyberpunk-inspired masterpieces. Perfect for Instagram, Pinterest, or blogs, these presets work on both mobile (iOS/Android) and desktop, so you can edit quick smartphone snaps or high-quality DSLR images with just one click. Each preset comes with an easy step-by-step guide, making it beginner-friendly while still giving pros full creative control. From eye-catching neon streets to colorful night skies, these filters make your feed pop and keep your photos consistent, bold, and scroll-stopping.
6. 8 Lightroom City Lights presets – Desktop and mobile presets
Transform your night city shots with the 8 City Lights Lightroom Presets, designed to give your photos cinematic, serene blue tones and a polished urban vibe. Perfect for cityscapes, street photography, or even nighttime travel shots, these presets enhance light, color, and mood with just a few clicks. Includes desktop (.XMP) and mobile (.DNG) versions, a step-by-step user guide, and sample files. Fully customizable, they let you add your personal style while making every shot look professional and atmospheric.
7. 20 Black Light Lightroom Presets & LUTs
8. 40 SBAU | Night Photography
Take your videos to the next level with this collection of 40 vibrant LUTs. Perfect for editors of all levels, these .CUBE files instantly transform your footage, giving it cinematic color and mood without hours of tweaking. Use them in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Photoshop on Mac or Windows, whether you’re editing travel vlogs, music videos, or social media content. Each pack comes with a simple installation guide, so you can start creating eye-catching, professional-looking videos right away.
9. Carnival Glow
10. 7 Free Night Presets for Lightroom Mobile and Desktop
These free Lightroom presets are perfect for night photography, helping you bring out every detail even in low-light scenes. They enhance lighting, colors, and tones while highlighting the natural drama of nighttime shots. Use them on landscapes, urban streets, or moody portraits to create eye-catching photos with minimal effort. Compatible with both Lightroom mobile and desktop, these presets come with a simple guide to get you started quickly. Whether you’re capturing city lights, starry skies, or late-night portraits, these tools make your night shots look vibrant and professional.
11. Night Photography Lightroom Preset
12. Long Exposure Lightroom Presets
Capture the magic of long exposure photography without the extra hassle. This pack of 30 Lightroom presets is designed to make smoky waterfalls, light trails, and dreamy landscapes pop in just one click. Perfect for landscapes, waterfalls, or creative light painting, these presets boost contrast, sharpen details, and bring movement to life, helping you turn every shot into a striking visual story. Compatible with Lightroom 4, 5, 6, and Classic CC, and works with both JPG and RAW files—making your post-processing workflow faster, easier, and way more fun.
13. 40 Lightroom presets | Night photography
14. Night Photo Lightroom Presets
Elevate your photography with this 20-Preset Lightroom Pack, designed for portraits, cityscapes, street scenes, sunsets, and more. From cinematic streets and dreamy color tones to warm sunsets and clean portraits, each preset instantly enhances your photos with professional-quality edits. Works with RAW, DNG, JPG, NEF, and TIFF files, and comes with a helpful guide for easy installation. Perfect for photographers, content creators, or anyone looking to save editing time while adding a polished, creative touch to every shot.
15. 20 Ember Lightroom Presets & LUTs
Editing long exposure shots doesn’t have to be stressful or time-consuming. With the right Lightroom presets, you can take your photos from “meh” to “wow” in just a few clicks. That’s the beauty of 15+ Best Long Exposure & Light Trail Lightroom Presets—they do the heavy lifting for you so you can focus on taking more photos and having fun with your camera.
Remember, presets are tools to enhance your creativity, not limit it. Feel free to tweak the settings after applying them, experiment with different combinations, or even layer multiple presets to get unique results. What works for one photo might not work for another, and that’s totally fine. The key is using these presets as a starting point to make your editing process faster and more enjoyable.
Even if you’ve struggled with capturing light trails in the past, these presets can make your shots look professional without needing advanced skills or expensive gear. They’re also a great way to learn more about how light, exposure, and color interact in photography. So whether you’re a hobbyist or a serious photographer, adding 15+ Best Long Exposure & Light Trail Lightroom Presets to your toolkit is a simple way to elevate your night photography game.
At the end of the day, great photos are about experimenting, having fun, and finding your style. These presets are just here to make the journey easier and more exciting. You’ll be amazed at how a few clicks can transform your images and give them that cinematic, eye-catching look you’ve always wanted.
FAQs:
- Can beginners use these presets?
Yes, they’re beginner-friendly. You can apply them straight away and tweak settings as needed. - Do presets work on RAW and JPEG images?
Yes, Lightroom presets work on both RAW and JPEG files, but RAW files give more editing flexibility. - Can I adjust the presets after applying them?
Absolutely. Presets are just starting points—you can tweak exposure, contrast, colors, and more.
