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🎛️ DVLOP – Sam Hurd Gainstage (Balanced Color & Skin Tones)

Sam Hurd began his career in Washington, DC as a political news and celebrity portrait photographer after turning down a job offer from a NASA contractor. Eventually, he was drawn into wedding photography, where he could apply inventive, experimental techniques to transform challenging environments into unique creative opportunities. Sam is known for pushing boundaries and finding originality in every frame.

✨ The Gainstage Preset

Gainstage is an evolutionary preset developed from the 3D LUT created for Sam’s popular Signal Flow. It targets the golden zone of color, balancing rich saturation, flattering skin tones, and versatile tonal control. This is the starting point Sam uses for every photo on every camera.

🎯 Key Benefits

Balanced, rich color saturation without overpowering tones
Consistently flattering skin tone rendering
Versatile across different cameras and lighting environments
Streamlined workflow—ideal as a base preset for all edits

💻 Compatibility

Adobe Lightroom (Classic & CC)
Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)
Supports RAW & JPEG files

🚀 Perfect For

Photographers who want a reliable, cinematic base preset that adapts across multiple styles. Ideal for weddings, portraits, and editorial work where skin tones and color balance are essential.