I should title this post “Finding a Better Black and White”, or, more accurately, “Finding YOUR Black and White”.  Because really, black and white images are completely subjective.  I, personally, like black and white images that don’t have blocked up shadows; rather, I like to see shadow detail instead of straight black.  I also like a flatter, warmer image with a touch of grain.  I truly miss black and white fild, and I have worked hard to create and/or find actions and presets that will help me achieve the black and white look that I want.

As I mentioned a few posts down, my workflow consists of a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.  Most of my work is going to occur in Adobe Lightroom- in fact, many of my images will be processed in Lightroom and nothing else.  Keep in mind that I deliver high- anything from 750 to 1250 images per wedding and 100-250 per portrait session, so I’m only fine-tuning a handful of those in Photoshop.

My first step is to import the photographs into Lightroom.  I have three black and white presets that I have developed (one of the great things about Lightroom is the fact that it is incredibly easy to develop presets that give your raw photos the “look” that you like).  All three of the presets create a black and white with less muddy skin tones, but still a fairly flat black and white since I don’t want to lose all of that shadow detail by adding a lot of black or contrast.  The great thing about Lightroom is that you can mix your black and white to taste in the grayscale mix section of the Develop module- I like my skin tones to be a bit creamier, so I lighten my red and yellow tones (because the skin is made up of red and yellow) while darkening my blues.  My Lightroom black and white presets will give me a file that I am happy to show the client, but one that can be improved by taking it into Lightoom.

Now for the Photoshop bit- most of the time I create my own actions, but when it comes to black and whites I go with the master.  I have to admit, I’m a Photoshop Action junkie.  I’ve tried almost everything out there because I love and adore Photoshop and I get a kick out of trying new actions.  But I have to admit, IMHO Jeff Ascough (a really fabulous photographer out of the UK- if you haven’t checked out his work please do) has created the best black and white actions out there.  They really give your digital files a tactile, film-like look, and I just adore how customizable they are.  Check them out here.  Almost every black and white file I have manipulated in Photoshop has one of these actions run on it.  (Now would be an important time to mention that ANY action will give you a bad result if your file isn’t properly exposed with the appropriate white balance BEFORE running the action.  Garbage in, garbage out.)

Finally, I will occasionally run a specialty action to “season” my black and white images.  I like them to be a bit grainier, with a subtle vignette and blurred edges.  I also like a touch of a warm tone, and a more subtle contrast shift.  There are two actions that I really like when it comes to seasoning my black and white images, and both of them come from the Totally Rad Action set (one from the original, the second from the remix set).   The thing I love about these actions is that they are completely customizable.  So many action sets out there flatten your images or make the adjustments to the background layer, leaving you unable to tweak them.  The TRA set is different- the layers are left open, letting you play with the opacity of each layer to come up with a look that is your own.  My favorite is the Old Skool action (the set has several)- I run it and then lower the opacity to anywhere from 20 to 40%.  (Keep in mind that I am starting with an image that has already been adjusted with a Jeff Ascough black and white action.)  This gives my images just a touch of grain, vignette, and tone, adding a bit of a vintage look to them.  The second action that I use to season my black and white images (used less frequently) is the Homestead black and white image.  Once again, I change the tone and compression layers and then lower the opacity on the overall effect.  For me, it is important to add just a touch of these actions.  I don’t want my images to scream “TOTALLY RAD OLD SKOOL ACTION” or any action at all; rather, I want the effect to bit a bit more subtle.

The great thing about Lightroom and Photoshop is that MY black and white may not be YOUR black and white.  But these two programs (along with the actions and presets that I and others have developed) will give you endless options for coming up with your own look!

Post by Michelle Turner, Maine Portait Photographer and Maine Wedding Photographer
Tags: Maine Portrait Photography, Maine Portrait Photographer, Photoshop Actions, Lightroom Presets, Black and White Actions and Presets