Today portrait photographer Christina N Dickson shares tips on converting images to Black and White using Adobe Lightroom. Christina’s work can be found at www.ChristinaNicholePhotography.com.

For amateur photographers who want to wait on that $800 Photoshop software purchase, or professionals who want a user friendly photo editing interface, Adobe’s Lightroom is a fantastic $300 solution.

In Lightroom, there is a plethora of ways to sort, edit, and share photos professionally. This is also true for Lightroom’s black and white conversion process.

Black And White Conversion With Lightroom

Lightroom has several options for black and white conversion. Here are 3 awesome ways to convert your images into Black and White – and get results that are different every time.


Option 1: Grayscale Conversion

Time Involved – 30 seconds

Process – Click and Adjust Contrast

Bw 1

In the develop module, directly below the histogram, the grayscale conversion bottom is located in the “Basic” view. The grayscale option can be achieved by simply clicking “Grayscale”. Typically, this particular grayscale conversion produces a black and white image of flat mid-tones. You will want to adjust your contrast for more variation.

Option 2: Grayscale Mix

Time Involved – 2 minutes

Process – Click and Adjust Tone Channels

Bw 2

The Grayscale Mix is found below the “Basic” and “Tone Curve” views. Click the “Grayscale” button next to the “HSL” and “Color” buttons. This converts the image into grayscale tones, but allows you to adjust each color tone individually. Play around with these adjustments until the tones are most balanced and artistic.

Option 3: Split Toning

Time Involved – 5 minutes

Process – Adjust Highlights and Highlight Saturation, Adjust Shadows and Shadow Saturation, and Adjust Balance, Adjust Vibrancy and Contrast

Bw 3

Beneath the “Grayscale Mix” views is the “Split Toning” option. This type of conversion is one of the most involved. Adjust the slider to set your highlight color and saturation level, and then do the same with your shadows. From here, adjust the balance of which is more prevalent, highlights or shadows. You will find that at this point, your image is not in black and white, it is in whichever colors you have chosen as your shadows and highlights. From here, you will need to go back to the “Basic” option. Here you will adjust the vibrancy and saturation of the overall image. As you adjust these sliders, your image will become black and white with prevalent tones from your split toning.

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