My Custom Black + White Preset Collection for Lightroom
A good black + white image freezes emotion, evokes a mood, and helps tell a story. They are beautiful, ethereal, and timeless.
The presets I’ve purchased in the past have fallen short….fallen flat. They were too muddy, too gray, too dull. They didn’t capture the essence I thought a captivating black + white should. I usually provide black + white images in all of my client galleries, and I wanted a preset that spoke to me and brought ease to my editing. So what did I do? I set out to make my own.
I started from scratch. After TWO YEARS of tweaking and testing, I am proud to say I have developed THREE black + white presets I am so proud of, named very simply - CLEAN, GRAIN, and MATTE.
It’s not without a wide range of (very happy) emotions that I announce my custom black + white presets are now available for purchase in my website shop.
Get to know the presets…
CLEAN B+W PRESET
Why I love this CLEAN Preset: It has punch. The whites are crisp and beautiful and the darks are strong and enchanting. It visually enhances each image with its bold contrast and depth. This is the most versatile preset in the collection. It does well with both outdoor AND indoor lighting scenarios. I turn to this preset the most in artificial lighting situations, such as inside a church or dimly lit reception. This CLEAN preset also compliments portraits that are romantic and emotive.
GRAIN b+W preset
Why I love this GRAIN preset: To me, grain represents realness & rawness. A grainy black + white image evokes an ethereal timelessness that helps tell a story. That’s what we are. Storytellers for our clients. There is something so classic…so REAL and RAW that only grain depicts. It’s film-like. Enchanting. I turn to this preset with images in specific lighting scenarios. I find it performs best when light is of the bounty. Think outdoor portraits mid-day or before sundown, or well lit ballrooms with tall windows and intricate architecture. This preset is a MOOD with luminous skin tones and a soft finish.
I’ve developed this preset to include contrast and a stronger dark point than most grain presets I’ve run across.
MATTE B+W Preset
Why I love this MATTE preset: When it comes to black + white images, I fell hard for the matte style. The muted, matte shadows and skin tones really speak to me. I feel this preset is the perfect mix of modern & classic, flawlessly capturing emotion and movement. I love using this for lifestyle sessions, seniors, and couple portraits at dusk. However, this preset is quite versatile, and will work well in indoor artificial lighting scenarios, and with detail shots too!
Before and Afters
My presets are compatible with LR, and designed to help ease the editing process. Although “one click” edits are possible, I typically need to make minimal adjustments to exposure, highlights, and the like, to reach my desired outcome. If you need assistance or help with your preset(s), I am just a message away! Happy editing!
T E S T I M O N I A L S
“I love the depth and contrast. I compared them side by side to some of my previous black and whites and I love how much pop yours gives. They are pretty much one click on most with some slight adjustments to exposure and blacks. I love that there are three of them, but aren’t radically different that if you switch between them, it won’t look like three different photographers did the editing. Very well done.” - Mandy W.
“ I LOVE what MATTE does to blacks. It has such an artistic effect. For a girl who loves the appearance of hand processed film (wet-plate process specifically) it really hit home with a look I’ve always wanted to achieve but haven’t been able to without shooting film. I. LOVE. THIS. PRESET.” - Nicole D.
