New Monotone Tools
Posted: 12 Mar 2021 21:24
I wrote an earlier article about getting different grey levels from colors. There is a new and faster process for tuning monochrome images that does need that much color information.
Previously we had shadows, highlight, and dehaze to tune the grey levels in monotone images. And of course curves which because they are curved do not really separate close grey levels very well. The same with contrast and clarity, they tune the while image, not the different grey levels. The old way was to use luminosity masks in Photoshop. Which may still be the absolute best way. But, it is slow. You adjust one level at a time and so cannot see what the result is until you are done. Then you go back through the levels and fine tune them. All in Photoshop with multiple layers.
Now you can do it all in Lightroom. I used just Lightroom (well actually ACR which is the same thing I just prefer it) for the last B&W I did for Rob's stream. It easily separated grey levels and brought out details I could not bring out in the color image (in the amount of time I spent on it).
What Lightroom has done is add 3 more tunable grey level adjustments. Once you have done the B&W conversion with the colors for the look you want, you can use these. They are actually called Color Grading. When you go the Color Grading, do not touch the color adjustments. Instead go to the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights individually and adjust the luminance of each. You also have a balance and blending slider to refine these. This is used in combination with the shadows, highlight, dehaze, to fine tune your monotone image. For the high contrast look, the old adjustments worked pretty well. Although you can enhance that look with these new tools. But, if you want to work the midtones either to bring out more detail or to smooth them, the new tools in Color Grading can make a big difference. I personally use them to get a balanced detailed monotone or dynamic monotone. Then go to the basic panel and use the adjustments there. I then go back and forth between them to get the look I want. You may want to start with the basic panel.
I also use them with color images first thing to flatten the image. Along with the exposure, shadow and highlight, I tend to get a image with a mostly flat histogram tapered at the ends and not quite reaching the black or white level. Once I have that with everything the image has to offer, I can then process it knowing I will not be blowing out highlights or shadows with contrast adjustments until I want to. This is similar to having a high dynamic range photo that you then add pop to. I find having the full information to start with gives me more processing option
Since Adobe did not really mention this, I thought I would share this use of the newer Lightroom tool.
The image is the one I did for Rob's stream. If you view it full sized, you can see the details this method brought out without adding halos and some of the smoothness of the grey levels.
BTW, if you want the best relatively easy way to work monotone images on a single layer Darktable is excellent for this. Although there is a learning curve. It is free. This method is using tools many have and are familiar with. And do the limited dynamic range of video displays the differences may not show up. For the absolute best for print, I would use layers in Photoshop or Darktable. For most of my monotones, I will use the Lightroom tools as described above.
Previously we had shadows, highlight, and dehaze to tune the grey levels in monotone images. And of course curves which because they are curved do not really separate close grey levels very well. The same with contrast and clarity, they tune the while image, not the different grey levels. The old way was to use luminosity masks in Photoshop. Which may still be the absolute best way. But, it is slow. You adjust one level at a time and so cannot see what the result is until you are done. Then you go back through the levels and fine tune them. All in Photoshop with multiple layers.
Now you can do it all in Lightroom. I used just Lightroom (well actually ACR which is the same thing I just prefer it) for the last B&W I did for Rob's stream. It easily separated grey levels and brought out details I could not bring out in the color image (in the amount of time I spent on it).
What Lightroom has done is add 3 more tunable grey level adjustments. Once you have done the B&W conversion with the colors for the look you want, you can use these. They are actually called Color Grading. When you go the Color Grading, do not touch the color adjustments. Instead go to the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights individually and adjust the luminance of each. You also have a balance and blending slider to refine these. This is used in combination with the shadows, highlight, dehaze, to fine tune your monotone image. For the high contrast look, the old adjustments worked pretty well. Although you can enhance that look with these new tools. But, if you want to work the midtones either to bring out more detail or to smooth them, the new tools in Color Grading can make a big difference. I personally use them to get a balanced detailed monotone or dynamic monotone. Then go to the basic panel and use the adjustments there. I then go back and forth between them to get the look I want. You may want to start with the basic panel.
I also use them with color images first thing to flatten the image. Along with the exposure, shadow and highlight, I tend to get a image with a mostly flat histogram tapered at the ends and not quite reaching the black or white level. Once I have that with everything the image has to offer, I can then process it knowing I will not be blowing out highlights or shadows with contrast adjustments until I want to. This is similar to having a high dynamic range photo that you then add pop to. I find having the full information to start with gives me more processing option
Since Adobe did not really mention this, I thought I would share this use of the newer Lightroom tool.
The image is the one I did for Rob's stream. If you view it full sized, you can see the details this method brought out without adding halos and some of the smoothness of the grey levels.
BTW, if you want the best relatively easy way to work monotone images on a single layer Darktable is excellent for this. Although there is a learning curve. It is free. This method is using tools many have and are familiar with. And do the limited dynamic range of video displays the differences may not show up. For the absolute best for print, I would use layers in Photoshop or Darktable. For most of my monotones, I will use the Lightroom tools as described above.