Football Photography Preset Pack | NEW SKOOL: is this $15 stack worth it for Photography?
You’ve got a raw file from Saturday night’s game. The lighting is flat, the colors are muddy, and the grain is fighting you. You know a good preset can fix the mood, but hunting down settings for that specific “grungy midnight” vibe or a crisp, professional daylight look usually means hours of trial and error.
Football Photography Preset Pack | NEW SKOOL by Otto Arney is a $15 shortcut for exactly that. It’s a small, focused bundle designed to get you from “raw” to “posted” without rebuilding your editing workflow from scratch.
Quick answer
| Best for | Sports photographers who need fast, consistent looks for football games in Lightroom (Classic, CC, or Mobile). |
| Skip if | You use Photoshop or Capture One exclusively, or you prefer building custom edits from scratch every time. |
| Price | $15 |
| Format | 6 Lightroom Presets (DNG/XMP compatible) |
| One-line take | A compact kit of six specific looks—ranging from “Gotham B&W” to “Sunny Day”—that save you hours of dialing in curves. |
If that sounds like your bottleneck, view the Football Photography Preset Pack details to see the sample images before you buy.
What you’re actually buying
This isn’t a generic “make it pop” pack. Otto Arney has curated six distinct presets that target specific lighting scenarios common in sports photography. The core of the pack is the “Film Look” trio: “NIGHT FILM,” “VINTAGE FILM,” and “GOTHAM B&W.” These are designed to handle the low-light, high-grain reality of evening games, giving you that gritty, editorial vibe without having to manually crush blacks and add texture. Arney notes that these specific looks are staples of his own daily editing process, visible across his Instagram and TikTok feeds, so you are getting a proven aesthetic rather than an experimental filter.
For the brighter conditions, you get “BLUE SKIES” and “COLOR POP.” These are built to cut through the haze of overcast days or harsh midday sun, reducing grain and dialing in saturation so your images look sharp and professional. If you’re the type who likes a softer, more portrait-leaning approach to sports action, the pack includes “SUNNY DAY,” which stylizes the image with a warmer, more polished finish.
The entire pack is compatible with Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom Mobile, meaning you can edit on your desktop and then make quick tweaks on your phone during halftime. The download is incredibly lightweight—just 9.5 KB—so it’s an instant acquisition that won’t clutter your drive. At $15, you’re paying for the time saved in the editing bay. You can download the Football Photography Preset Pack and test these six looks on your next batch of raws to see if they fit your style.
Why it’s on our radar
This pack stands out because it doesn’t just offer “filters”; it provides specific tools for the two hardest lighting scenarios in sports photography: the murky, grainy reality of night games and the flat, overcast conditions of day games. For a shooter who needs to turn around a gallery quickly for a client or a social post, having a pre-built “Gotham B&W” or “Night Film” look is a massive time-saver compared to starting from a neutral profile. It’s a specialized kit that respects the specific aesthetic of sports—gritty, high-contrast, and dramatic—rather than forcing a generic “pretty” look onto action shots.
What actually matters
Before you commit, check these three things to ensure the pack fits your current workflow:
- Lightroom Version Compatibility: Confirm that the presets are in a format (usually .lrtemplate or .xmp) that works with your specific version of Lightroom (CC, Classic, or Mobile). The listing mentions compatibility across these platforms, but a quick check of the file type in the preview can save you a headache.
- Sample Image Review: Look closely at the before-and-after comparisons. Pay attention to how the presets handle skin tones on players. A common pitfall with aggressive sports presets is that they can make faces look unnatural or overly desaturated. If the samples look natural to you, the pack will likely serve you well.
- Your Shooting Style: These presets are designed to enhance specific moods. If you shoot mostly in controlled, bright daylight and prefer a very clean, clinical look, you might find the “Film” or “Gotham” presets too heavy. However, if you enjoy a bit of grit and editorial flair, they will elevate your work significantly.
Mid-check
If the sample images look like they match the vibe you’re going for, View on Gumroad to grab the pack before your next game.
FAQ
Do these presets work on Lightroom Mobile? Yes. The pack is designed for use in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom Mobile. You can import the presets on your desktop and sync them to your phone for quick edits on the go.
Are these presets only for football? While they are optimized for football photography, the looks (especially “Gotham B&W” and “Night Film”) can work for other sports or general low-light action photography. The key is the lighting and mood, not the specific sport.
Is there a refund policy if I don’t like them? Gumroad sellers typically have their own refund policies. It’s always best to check the specific terms on the product page or reach out to Otto Arney directly if you have questions before purchasing.
Bottom line
If you are tired of spending hours dialing in curves and highlights just to get that “film” look, the Football Photography Preset Pack is a no-brainer at $15. It gives you six distinct, ready-to-use styles that cover the most common lighting challenges in sports photography. It’s a small investment that can save you hours of editing time and help you build a consistent, professional look for your portfolio.
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