How To Develop Black and White Flower Photos In Lightroom Classic

Today I’d like to show you how I developed one of my black and white flower photos in Lightroom Classic. The idea is to show you my streamlined Develop module workflow, where I focus on what I need to do and ignore the other sliders. It’s also to encourage you to experiment with converting your own photos to black and white.

This is my workflow when I convert photos to black and white:

1. I develop the photo in color first. This makes the black and white conversion easier as most of the work has already been done. 

2. I make a Virtual Copy, and convert that to black and white.

3. I pick my favorite images and send the color versions to a plugin like DxO FilmPack, Exposure X or Topaz B&W Effects 2 to experiment with.

Learn more: How to Make Beautiful Black and White Flower Photos

Developing in color: Profile and White Balance

Now for the example. First I’ll show you how I developed it in color, and then how I converted it to black and white.

Below you can see how it looked out of the camera (left) and after I’d developed the color version (right).

Before I start developing a photo I think about the effect I want to achieve. In this case, I could go for a light, airy image, or one with darker tones and a darker feel. 

Once the decision is made I can then figure out how to achieve it.

It’s a good idea to do the same with your photos. Think about building bodies of work. Aim to develop photos in a similar style so they look as if they belong together. 

In my case, I decided to go for a dark, moody look, and apply it across the entire project. Here’s how I did it.

First I set Profile and White Balance. These determine the overall color and tonality.

I set the Profile to Camera Velvia/Vivid, a profile that’s unique to my Fujifilm cameras, for the deep saturated colors. I set the White Balance to give a warm toned photo.

Developing in color: masks

For the next step I needed masks to get the desired dark and moody effect. Lightroom Classic’s AI masking tools make this easy.

1. I used Select Subject to mask the flowers. You can see the mask in the screenshot below, with a red overlay.

I increased Clarity to +71 to bring out the textures in the flowers. I adjusted the Tone sliders to brighten them.

2. I used Duplicate and Invert Mask to create a second, inverted mask that selected the background. 

I used the Tone sliders to make the background darker. Next, my secret weapon – I went to the Tint slider (under Color) and moved it to -40. This made the background greener without affecting the flowers.

3. There were a few bright spots in the background, so I decided to darken them. I created three more masks for this, using the Linear and Radial Gradients. 

4. Then I decided to add more Clarity to the main flower. I used Select Objects to select the center part, the bit that’s in sharp focus. 

Here’s a before and after comparison that shows the difference made by my masking adjustments.

Learn more: Three Ways To Use Lightroom Classic Masks

Developing in color: final adjustments

After that I returned to Edit and made some adjustments to the Whites and Blacks sliders to darken the image. I also went to the Effects panel and added a subtle vignette. You can see the settings below.

And the results of these final adjustments in the comparison photos below.

The three panel challenge

This photo is interesting for a demo because it shows how you can develop photos using minimal tools. This works when you decide in advance what effect you want and don’t get sidetracked exploring unneeded settings.

In this case I made no adjustments at all in the Tone Curve, Color Mixer, Color Grading, Detail, Lens Corrections, Transform, Lens Blur and Calibration panels. I only used three of the available eleven panels – the Basic, Masks and Effects panels. 

This is a great learning exercise for you to try. How many photos of yours can you develop with these three panels? 

Adjust this challenge to suit your developing style. For example, if you like to color grade your photos then don’t stop doing it – make it a four panel challenge instead.

Black and white in Lightroom Classic

Next I made a Virtual Copy ready for the black and white conversion. I did it in three steps.

1. The decision about developing style was easy. I wanted to double down on the dark and moody look.

2. Next, I set the Profile. This is the most important setting as it determines the overall look, tonality and contrast. I explored the B&W Profiles in the Profile Browser, but settled on the default Adobe Monochrome profile.

2. Lastly I tweaked the settings. I went back to the Masks panel and adjusted sliders to add Clarity to the flower and darken the background. 

And that was it – finished. There wasn’t much to do because most of the work was done when I made the color version. I had no intention of complicating things by experimenting with different looks. I just leaned into the themes (darker background, added Clarity to the sharp parts of the photo) established earlier and strengthened them as that’s what works well in black and white. Again, there was no need to over-complicate things.

This screenshot shows the color and black and white versions of this photo together.

Black and white in Exposure X

Finally, time to experiment. I sent the color version of the photo to Exposure X. I worked my way through the presets and decided to go for a lith emulation.

Lith printing is a darkroom technique popular thirty years ago. The lith presets in Exposure X make it easy to replicate the unique look of this printing process. The screenshot below shows the Lith – Textured Paper preset.

I wanted to retain the dark look of the earlier versions of the photo, so I went to the right-hand panels, darkened the photo and reduced the strength of the texture overlay. Here’s the result.

Again, it was all about keeping the process simple and knowing what I wanted in advance. I let the preset do most of the work and finished the photo off by tweaking the settings.  

This screenshot compares the black and white version of the photo made in Lightroom Classic (left) with the one made in Exposure X (right).

Mastering Masks

Lightroom’s masking tools have changed the way photographers develop photos forever. My ebook Mastering Masks teaches you how to create stunning photos using masks and local adjustments. It covers all the latest tools and techniques covered, plus there are fourteen Case Studies for you to follow along with. 

Click here to learn more or buy