is using other people's presets legit?

Ive been using Lightroom 3 presets for a while now. They are very convenient when you want to get a specific look or color things a certain. I know there are other people who slave hours with photos to make them look just right. I dont think Im in the stage where I can sit down and learn how everything works. I would need some time to understand how to use curves, cross-processing and so forth.

I wanted this thread to be more of an exchange on opinions of using presets, instead of editing each photo individually.

I know there have been/still are threads in which people think that PP is "cheating" but it really isn't. Anyway, I want to hear what you folks have to say

I've never actually used other people's presets as I have no idea how to use them.

However I would have to say if the preset is what works for your picture than go for it. Each photographer wants their pictures to look a certain way based on either how they saw it, or how they want to make it their own. Yes doing each picture individually takes a long time but that way you know you got exactly what you wanted after you figure out and practice things.

EDIT: Also, if you use alot of people's presets, look at the sliders and figure out what sliders adjust certain aspects of the picture. That way you can make up your own style later on.

I'm not sure what you are asking -- are you wondering if using presets is "acceptable" in regards to "photographic integrety"?

Consider the fact that all images get some kind of "preset" applied just to make it something you would call a photograph, either in the camera or in a Raw processor like Lightroom. Where you go from there is up to you and your creative process.

I myself a not so inclined to apply "packaged" presets when processing to produce an "effect", other than the occasional greyscale conversion, but that's just me. If you find an effect you like, use it! If you prefer something similar but different, you can make your own preset.

Presets in Lightroom are not like actions or scripts in Photoshop where one might have to put in a whole lot of time working over things.

I don't see any problem with it. When i get stumped looking for a certain look/color i will scroll through them to help me find a starting point. If a person came up with presets that would work for there outdoor,indoor,beach,l​andscape,wedding shots i don't see anything wrong with that myself either. I look at a bunch of photos all the time from different people and there are some that have a certain style,look.Guess i trying to say there trademark look and there beautiful shots. My guessing is that some would almost have to have some type of preset on shots to get them where they want there photos to be. Or there really fast at going through hundreds and hundreds of photos. Tony if you shared a preset with me that was yours. That you always used for on camera flash shots. I used it and tweaked a slider or 2 in LR with it. Do you see anything wrong with that ?

With Lightroom presets I don't imagine people having a problem with sharing that kind of stuff -- after all, tweaking Lightroom sliders is not some great matter of "intellectual property" -- in fact, we share that stuff all the time in our RAW Conversion Thread!

Now it's a different matter when it comes to, say, Photoshop work that a person has developed over years in the form of an action or a script. Things of a fair amount of complexity can in fact fall into the "intellectual property" category and I could imagine someone wanting to safequard their stuff because it has become a "trademark" to them. This is why some people can sell actions/plug-ins for Photoshop -- they have labored to create something useful, and if you would like to use it yourself, they have every right to get paid for their labor!