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Note: These questions about black and white photography in Lightroom Classic are excerpts from my latest ebook Lightroom Classic Q&A II: More Readers’ Questions Answered.
Q: If I develop a Raw file, convert it to black and white and add it to a Collection … say “City B&Ws” … and go back to the original and re-develop it in color, will my black and white photo remain in the Collection or will it reflect the changes to the original?
One of the fun things about Lightroom Classic is generating multiple looks from a single Raw file. But can they all be saved in different Collections? If not, is there another solution?
A: In the situation you described there’s only one copy of the photo, so yes, your black and white version will change to color because it’s the one you’re developing.
The easiest way to make two different versions is to use Virtual Copies. In your case, you could create the black and white version first, add it to the B&W Collection, then make a Virtual Copy (Photo > Create Virtual Copy). You can then convert the Virtual Copy to color and add it to another Collection.
Above: When you create a Virtual Copy Lightroom puts it in the same Collection as the original photo. You can then move it by adding it to another Collection and removing it from the current one.
Virtual Copies are a great way of making multiple versions of the same photo. Best of all they take up virtually no hard drive space as Lightroom only needs to add a few lines of text to the Catalog to create a Virtual Copy.
Q: I want to print some images as cyanotypes, so I need a digital negative that I can print on to a plastic sheet which will act as the image to go on top of the cyanotype paper.
Can I invert a normal black and white image to create a negative that I can print on to a plastic sheet? I can’t see an obvious option in the Develop module.
A: You can do it in both Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. It’s easier in Photoshop because all you have to is go to Image > Adjustments > Invert.
There’s a way to do it in Lightroom Classic, but it only works if you haven’t made any Tone Curve adjustments. The instructions are below.
Above: This technique only works if you haven’t made any Tone Curve adjustments. In that case, your Tone Curve looks like the one in this screenshot.
Above: To invert the photo, click and drag the two black circles at either end of the white line so it looks like the Tone Curve in this screenshot. This turns all the white tones in your photo black, and the black ones white.
Above: Here’s an example, using the photo above.
Above: This is what it looks like after making the Tone Curve adjustment describe here.
You can make further adjustments to the photo’s tones with the Basic panel sliders. They don’t behave the way you’re used to with an inverted photo.
Move the Exposure slider right to see what I mean – it makes the photo darker rather than lighter. You need to get used to moving the sliders the opposite way.
Q: How do I create multiple versions of the same photo? For example, when I want a black and white version and a color version?
A: Use Snapshots or Virtual Copies. Virtual Copies are better if you want to compare one version with another in the Library module, as you can’t do that with Snapshots.
The disadvantage of Virtual Copies is that it’s easy to lose track of how many you’ve made, especially if they’re scattered across several folders or Collections.
Snapshots are better in this respect because they can’t get lost. Every Snapshot you make is always in the Snapshots panel, for the master photo and all Virtual Copies.
I’ve started combining the two. I start with a Virtual Copy, then make a Snapshot. If the Virtual Copy gets lost I’ve got the Snapshot to refer to.
Above: When you use Virtual Copies you can see the different versions of your photos next to each other in Grid View. You can also select them and go to Survey View to see them bigger (see the screenshot below).
Above: When you make a Snapshot it appears in the Snapshots panel when you develop any version of the photo, whether the original (also known as the master photo) or a Virtual Copy.
Q: If a person wants to capture the most dynamic black and white photos with a Leica Monochrome camera do you recommend Capture One Pro or Nik Silver Efex?
A: I’m curious about your use of the word dynamic as it’s a subjective measure. Whatever your definition of dynamic, your skill in using the software you choose matters far more than the software itself. Don’t forget your photography skills either – good black and white photography starts with the camera. No software can compensate if your photos are badly composed, poorly lit or your subject doesn’t work in black and white.
You’re also comparing two different types of app. Capture One Pro, like Lightroom Classic, is designed as a complete workflow solution. If you already use Lightroom Classic you need a great reason to switch to Capture One Pro.
Silver Efex is a plugin that integrates with Lightroom Classic. It has some interesting tools but its method of making selections is outdated. Lightroom Classic’s masking tools are much better than the Nik Collections control points. Silver Efex’s presets look dated compared to those in Exposure X and DxO FilmPack.
As ever, the best thing you can do is download the trials, test out the apps and make up your own mind.
You can also look at Exposure X, DxO FilmPack and Dehancer.
This is an excerpt from my ebook Lightroom Classic Q&A II : 101 More Readers’ Questions Answered.
The book features 101 genuine questions from readers about Lightroom Classic. The answers are expanded, illustrated and fully updated for Lightroom Classic 14.2 (the February 2025 release).
Click here to learn more or buy
