Lightroom presets are everywhere, and honestly most of them are a total waste of money—so I went out and bought a bunch of the most popular preset packs online so you don’t have to. In this video I break down six big-name packs from creators like Peter McKinnon, Jared Poland (Fro), North Borders, Pierre Lambert, Seventh Era, and RNI Films. I’m not just looking at “does it look cool on one photo,” either—I’m judging these packs on versatility: can I drop them on a variety of lighting conditions and photo styles and actually get something usable? I show the kind of results you can expect and where each pack shines. Peter McKinnon V5 is one of his better ones lately, leaning more into film looks that generally work on most photos. Fro Pack 4 is punchy and colorful, decent overall, but it’s not really my style and the value per preset isn’t amazing. North Borders is a great deal per preset, but it’s heavy on night/car vibes, so it just didn’t jive with the photos I shoot. Then there are the standouts: RNI Films Pro is expensive, but it’s the most versatile for me because it’s aiming for color-accurate film emulations across a ton of film stocks. Pierre Lambert’s bundle is a solid all-rounder with lots of options, and Seventh Era surprised me in a good way for portraits and landscapes. I also talk about the whole “presets are a scam” thing—bad and overpriced exists, but it’s still subjective—and why I keep my own presets accessible.