Black-and-White Photo Conversion in Lightroom

An Example of How to Use Adobe’s RAW Image Software

Aug 28, 2008 Paul Lightfoot

A worked example demonstrates Adobe Lightroom's tools for a simple, step-by-step conversion from colour to a monochrome image.

Despite the many advances of digital photography, good black-and-white photographs retain a timeless appeal. Getting them right is still a good test of any photographer’s skill, and a fine monochrome print remains a badge of honour.

Fortunately, the tools available in modern photography software allow ever more precise control over the colour-to-monochrome conversion process.

Selecting Images for Conversion

A black and white conversion will not improve all photographs, but with a suitable original the conversion process can add strength and elegance to a composition while providing valuable lessons in basic photography.

Images that work best usually include strong shapes, interesting textures and good contrast. Any day’s shooting is likely to throw up a few images that fit the bill, if only by chance. But it is always worth keeping an eye open for promising monochrome shots while still out in the field, and composing them with a black-and-white result in mind.

Even then, recording a black-and-white image in the camera would limit the possibilities for working on it later, so it is best to take a colour shot, upload it and then convert it with appropriate software.

An Example Conversion

Figure 1 shows the original, colour version of an image that includes the strong shapes of a line of fence posts joined by a rope. Shot with an aperture of f4.0, the narrow depth of field has blurred the background, making the foreground shapes more prominent. But the background is still a bit distracting, with the dark brown vertical line of a tree on the left, the lighter brown area of a pathway on the right and small patches of sky visible among the leaves above.

All editing in Adobe Lightroom is non-destructive, so there is no need to worry that the original image will be lost. But for a radical change like a black-and-white conversion it is wise to make a “virtual copy” and work on it side by side with the original. That way, it is always possible to monitor progress and compare the original and final versions of the picture.

Steps for a Black and White Conversion

Clicking on the Grayscale tab in the Develop module gives a first approximation of the monochrome image (figure 2). The nearest fence post and the texture of the rope are now highlighted better, and the background shapes are less distracting. But the contrast is not yet as punchy as it could be and a little more tweaking can improve things.

Working on the contrast control and the histogram can go some way towards getting the image into its final shape, but these tools do not provide the most effective or precise approach.

Lightroom’s Colour Sliders

Greens and yellows dominate the original image, so in this case, of the eight colours available the green and yellow sliders are the ones to work with. Moving the green slider to the left darkens much of the background. Moving the yellow slider to the right lightens the fence post and rope, creating greater contrast between the main elements of the picture.

As a bonus, the white flower in the lower left corner has come up nicely against the darker background and adds an additional point of interest, counterbalancing the light, blurred section of the rope as it rises towards the second fence post on the right (figure 3).

Once the overall contrast is acceptable, the vignetting control adds the final touch. It can be used to slightly darken (or lighten) the edges of the picture, to give it a more finished appearance and draw attention towards the central area (figure 4). With the conversion complete the resulting image can be printed directly from Lightroom, included in a slide show, sent to a web page or exported as a jpeg or tiff.

While the example image is a simple one, the same steps can be used to convert any suitable RAW image. If the end result does not win a prize or earn some money, at least producing it will have taught a useful lesson.

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