Create Stunning B&W Photos In Lightroom

1: Clarity

Adding clarity to an image will instantly turn any dull looking black and white image into a great image (if you’re lucky). Try playing with the clarity slider, I usually find around 70-80 is a good range, and not too over the top.

2: Contrast

Increase the contrast to make the blacks darker and the whites whiter. This is one of the secrets to making amazing black and white photos. A great black and white photo will have a full range of greys, from black to white, and this will give you a dramatic picture. Don’t overdo it though, you don’t want a photo that is simply two shades of black and white, you do need to preserve the greys.

3: Black & White Mix

This is one of the most useful editing tools for black and white photography. Play around with the black and white mix setting, this allows you to change the lightness/darkness of individual colours in your photo. For a dark, moody looking sky you can turn the blue setting down to -100 (if it is clear blue sky), and you can change the greens and yellows for foliage.

4: Black and White Slider

To finish the photo, play with the black and white sliders to make the blacks darker and white lighter if needed. This tool is also very useful for creating a dramatic range of tones in black and white.

Any great black and white photo probably didn’t come straight off the camera and onto the print, it will have been edited, this is probably done more often than colour photos are. This is because black and white photos rely so heavily on contrasting shades of grey, which you will need to change settings to achieve unless the conditions are perfect. You could obviously leave your photos unedited, but even small changes can make a difference to your photos.

Buy Lightroom 5