Render Preset Manager

User Guide

Version: v2.5.0 (Compatible with Blender 4.5+ / 5.0) Author: Zekeriya AYAN

1.  Installation and Updating

The add-on is installed from a ZIP package. In Blender, go to Edit ® Preferences ® Add-ons ®

Install…, select the ZIP, then enable the add-on in the list.

If you already have an older version installed, installing the new ZIP is usually sufficient. If you use Blender 5.0’s Extensions directory, removing the previous folder before installing can help avoid conflicts.

2.  Panel Location and UI Overview

Panel name: Render Presets (.blend). The interface is organized into four practical areas:

3.  Preset Folder Logic

Preset files are stored as .blend files in the folder you choose. The default folder is:

//render_presets                                                              

In Blender, the // prefix means “relative to the current .blend file location”. Therefore, if your project file is not saved yet, the default folder cannot be resolved to an absolute path and some actions (especially Open) are intentionally disabled.

You can define the folder in two ways:

•  Save your project and keep the default //render_presets (it will be created next to the .blend).

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4.  What Is a Preset File? What Does It Save?

Each preset is a .blend file containing a Scene. The add-on writes only render-related settings into that scene and reads them back on demand.

Main groups typically included:

•  Render: resolution, frame range, output path, film/transparency, sampling, etc.

•  Image Settings: format, color depth, compression, etc.

•  Color Management: View Transform, Look, Exposure, Gamma, Display Device, etc.

•  Engine: Cycles/Eevee selection and engine-specific options (optional, controlled by Apply Options).

When applying a preset, the add-on appends the preset’s scene temporarily, copies settings into your current scene according to the selected Apply Options, then cleans up the temporary data.

5.  Recommended Daily Workflow

For fast and safe use, this workflow is recommended:

Step 1: Define your preset folder. If the project is not saved, save it first or choose an absolute folder. Step 2: Set your render settings (engine, resolution, output, color management).

Step 3: Use Quick Export to Folder to save the current setup as a preset. Step 4: Later, select any preset in the list and click Apply to restore it.

6.  Preset List and Management Tools

Each row in the list represents a preset file. The action buttons on the right manage the file on disk:

7.  Apply Options: What Gets Applied?

Before applying a preset, you can control the scope:

Switch Engine: Transfers the preset’s engine selection (Cycles/Eevee) to the current scene. If disabled, the engine is not changed.

Engine-specific: Applies engine-specific details (Cycles or Eevee panels) for the active engine.

Render + Output: Applies render and output settings (Render + Image Settings).

Color Mgmt: Applies color management (View Transform, Look, Exposure, Gamma, Display Device, etc.).

8.  Export and Auto-Name Template

Quick Export to Folder saves the current scene settings as a new preset. The filename is built from an auto-name template.

Supported tokens:

{date} (YYYYMMDD), {scene}, {engine}, {w}, {h}, {fps}                           

Example template:

{date}_{scene}_{engine}_{w}x{h}_{fps}fps                                        

Example output:

20260109_Scene_CYCLES_1920x1080_24fps.blend                                     

If a file with the same name already exists, the add-on automatically appends _1, _2, … to prevent collisions.

9.  Common Usage Scenarios

Cycles Final + Eevee Preview: Save two presets in the same scene - one optimized for fast Eevee preview, another for Cycles final. With Apply Options you can switch only the engine or only the output settings when needed.

Multiple deliverable formats: Create dedicated presets for 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, etc. and switch resolution/output settings instantly.

Color management profiles: Manage View Transform/Look (e.g., Filmic vs Standard/ACES pipelines) as presets and swap the render look quickly.

10.  Troubleshooting

Open button shows an error / folder does not open

This typically happens when the folder path cannot be resolved. Save your project or choose an absolute folder path. When the required conditions are not met, Open stays disabled and shows a helpful message instead of raising an error.

The preset list is empty

Verify the selected folder and click Refresh. If there are no .blend files in the folder, the list will remain empty.

Some settings did not change after Apply

Check Apply Options. For example, if Color Mgmt is off, View Transform/Exposure will not change.

Permission / access issues

On Windows, you may not have write permission in system folders. Choose a preset folder under your user directory (e.g., Documents).

11.  Best Practices

If you want presets to travel with the project, the default //render_presets approach is ideal because the folder lives next to the .blend file.

For teams, use consistent naming conventions (e.g., FINAL_Cycles_4K, PREVIEW_Eevee_HD) and use Re-Write only for intentional updates.