It’s stating the obvious to say that colors look different in black and white, but do you know exactly what they’ll look like? We’re used to seeing the world in color, so it’s hard to imagine what green looks like in black and white. Although I could add more punch with further editing in Lightroom. So, even with side lighting for contrast, this photo is not ideal for a striking black and white conversion. In color this is a striking photograph, but when converted to black and white the yellow and orange is too similar to the pale blue sky in the background. To make the most of contrast in black and white photography, you need to process your image in Lightroom, or a similar program.įurther reading: Black and white photography tips for beginners So, an image that is quite “contrasty” will more than likely be great in black and white.įactors that increase contrast in an image: Contrast is more important to black and white photography than it is to color photography. Without contrast you have a very dull black and white photo. Other compositional elements such as shapes, framing and lines are also important.
Texture becomes more obvious in black and white photos too, so the light and light direction has a bigger impact in black and white than in color photos. So, when editing black and white photos, it helps to define these lines further, which is why taking the photo is only half way to creating a great black and white photo. By removing the distraction of color, leading lines are often more obvious in photos. They pull the viewer into the photo and direct their gaze to the focal point. The strongest of these composition elements is leading lines. When you strip color from a photo your composition becomes more important. I use Lightroom Classic – that’s the Lightroom version for computers, although Lightroom (for mobile) is also great at converting color photos to black and white.īefore we get into the exact steps of editing black and white photos, here are general principles you need to know about black and white photography.Ĭomposition for black and white photography Some, especially the paid ones, are better than others. All photo editing programs are able to convert images from color to black and white. The other is when processing your photos on the computer if you’re shooting in RAW.One, is in camera if you’re photographing in Jpeg.There are two ways to make a photo black and white: Just because you took a photo in color, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way – it’s one of the great things about digital photography. That said, any photo can be converted to black and white, but some will work better than others. It also helps to start with a photo that has great black and white potential. When editing black and white photos if all you’re doing is desaturating the image to remove all color, you’re missing out on so much that could make your photo more dynamic! Converting to grayscale is a start, but the image will be a bit dull without these black and white editing techniques.