Hey all, it is Monday, which is usually the day I release a new preset. However today, I wanted to show you a product I devised for X-Equals that I feel would be of great interest to LifeInDigitalFilm readers. You may have already seen and used this collection of presets, but if you have not, I would like to ask you to give it a spin.

The X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit is a collection of 27 specialized presets that emulate generic film and filter effects as well as a selection of variable contrast paper simulation presets and a selection of basic toning presets. Combined, these presets allow for over 546 different image alterations, and when you find a combination that really appeals to you, you can save it as a new preset for your ongoing use. The X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit is part of the X-Equals & LIDF – Creative Production Presets collection, available at X-Equals.

Now that I have briefly covered what the X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit is, let me dig a bit deeper, so you can see how this toolkit can aide you in your black and white endeavors as well as how you can integrate parts of this toolkit with my LifeInDigitalFilm presets to create new spins on my emulations.

Step 1: Film Selection

The first step of action when using the X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit is to select the type of film you would like to emulate in your conversion. First is the selection of x=film presets, which emulate generic styles of black and white film.

• x=film+infra-red: Creates an image that simulates the response of Infra-Red films.
• x=film+ortho: Creates an image simulating Orthochromatic film which is sensitive to only green and blue light, also the first style of black and white film to be mass produced.
• x=film+pan: Creates an effect much like that of most modern B&W films.  Panchromatic films are sensitive to the entire visible light spectrum.
• x=film+ortho-pan: Simulates Orthopanchromatic film. Much like Pan film, but less sensitivity to the reds in an image.
• x=film+pan-super: Simulates Superpanchromatic films that have an extended red response.

Next is a selection of presets that simulate different colored filters on normal Panchromatic film stock. The x=filter presets unfortunately cannot be utilized in unison with the x=film or LIDF presets due to current limitations in the Lightroom preset system. To this extent, we have to treat filters as if they were films in and of themselves. The name of the preset indicates what color filter was used.

• x=filter+aqua
• x=filter+blue
• x=filter+green
• x=filter+magenta
• x=filter+orange
• x=filter+purple
• x=filter+red
• x=filter+yellow

The x=filter presets are basic emulations of the effect of colored filters on film. They are not scientific duplications of effect and are based on general observation of filter effects. In the future I will expand on this by researching in-depth the effect of different filters and their respective response to films. For now though, they are useful creative tools.

Click through the different presets available to you until you find the one that fits your image. A third option is to utilize an existing LIDF black and white film emulation. If you choose to go this route, I recommend that you utilize the Curve version of the preset of your choice, as it is the least intrusive of the differing versions of my film presets and will work best with the Toolkit.

You can utilize Existing LIDF black and white presets with the X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit, just be sure to use the “Curve” version of the preset you desire to use.

Once you find the film preset that best fits your image, you are ready to choose your paper simulation.

Step 2: Paper Selection

Now you will want to explore the paper simulation options the toolkit makes available to you. I simulated the characteristics of both Variable Contrast paper and Lithography paper in this toolkit. As before, these are basic emulations, and I have yet to do in-depth analysis of these papers for proper emulation. That will come in the future.

First is the single Lithography paper preset. This simulates the printing of a continuous tone monochrome image on Lith paper. It does not simulate the whole Lith process, only the look of images printed on said paper.

• x=print+lith:- Simulates look of continuous tone images on generic Lithography paper.

Next is a selection of 7 grades of Variable Contrast paper. VC paper is a single sheet of paper that can be filtered at time of exposure to create differing grades of contrast and in turn, sharpness. From low contrast VC grade-00 to high contrast VC grade-5, you have 7 graduations of contrast to play with.

• x=paper+VC-00: Creates a very low contrast image that is very soft
• x=paper+VC-0: Another very low contrast setting and is less soft than 00
• x=paper+VC-1: Low contrast and soft
• x=paper+VC-2: Creates a balanced image with medium contrast and tone
• x=paper+VC-3: Create a higher contrast image that is slightly sharp
• x=paper+VC-4: Creates a high contrast image that is sharp
• x=paper+VC-5:  Creates a very high-contrast image that is extremely sharp

These presets adjust the contrast and Clarity of your image to simulate the effect of the paper. Unfortunately we cannot simulate paper texture in Lightroom. The absence of texture is not a big deal if you are planning on printing your image to paper down the road as you will inherit what ever texture is present on your output paper.

Once you have chosen your paper you are ready to choose you toning in the next step, if you choose to do so.

Step 3: Toning Selection

The Toolkit also provides a few Toning presets, allowing you to add a splash of traditional color to your images. These presets are created through simple, balanced Split-Toning. Nothing fancy here, just classic finishes for traditionally styled images.

• x=toning+copper: Creates a rich orange toning
• x=toning+cyanotype: Creates a light blue toning
• x=toning+palladium: Creates a slight metallic toning trending toward brown
• x=toning+selenium: Creates a metallic toning trending toward blue
• x=toning+sepia: Creates a subtle brown toning, but you probably knew that
• x=toning+uranium: Creates a light reddish-brown toning

Using these preset in unison gives you a strong suite of tools to forge you monochrome images with a minimum of manual intervention. However, always tweak your images as needed, there are no one-click solutions for fantastic images. There is always some work to be done after the presets are applied.

Tips For Use:

As you experiment with the tools provided to you in the X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit, you can hop back and forth in the steps as needed. If you are sticking to the presets included in the Toolkit, there is no overlap in adjustments made and the presets are completely stackable. Theoretically the presets can be applied in any order, but the order presented to here seem to work best for my design flow.

If you do utilize LifeInDigitalFilm presets with the Toolkit, you may want to reapply your Paper and Toning selections after you change you film simulation choice. My LIDF presets were not originally designed with this process in mind, but the Curve presets should work well for your experimentation.

Why Am I Discussing This?

I decided to revisit this creation of mine for two reasons. First, you may have not seen the X-Equals Monochrome Toolkit before or was unaware that it was a LifeInDigitalFilm creation. Secondly, this represents a new direction I am taking in preset development. I no longer feel that my emulations allow enough flexibility when it comes to reproducing traditional photographic techniques in Lightroom or ACR. Sure they give you the look of the actual film, as if it were scanned in to print, but neglects some of the nuance that is introduced in the wet printing process. The Toolkit approach allows me to provide tuned, complimentary presets to my film emulations allowing you to create more creative applications of my emulations.

This is a new venture I am delving into, designed for dedicated preset toolkits that I will sell that will compliment my emulations. The X-Equals Toolkit takes a generic approach to my new development methods and was a working proof for me to test this new methodology. In the future I will be making available toolkits such as this, tailored to specific film emulations. I hope to provide a greater variety of alterations, from different developers and filters to papers and special processing tailored to each film stock. These efforts require a bigger investment of time and resources than my normal film emulations, therefore Ii will have to sell these toolkits individually. As I prepare to release these, I will update you with more specific information.

But don’t fear, I will still continue to produce my normal LIDF presets as I have been doing for the past year. Cold Storage Collection Vol. 2 is complete and I am finishing up the manual currently. I am hoping these specialized toolkits for my more popular emulations will add additional value to my presets and expand the scope of film emulation beyond just getting reasonably close to the look of film.

I’ll speak more on my theories regarding presets and the use and design thereof in my next post. I want to challenge both end-users and preset designers to think about presets from a different view. Less like Photoshop actions, where you click a preset looking for a final result and more like building blocks, where you combine and stack individual tools to create specialized effects. But I’ll pour gasoline on that fire later.

Until Next Time,

Michael

Okay, so as you can tell, I enjoy my black and white photography. The majority of my presets were B&W at first. To that extent I have spent quite some time making monochrome images in Lightroom. So now I will share what I have learned. This is not a step-by-step tutorial and I will be assuming you are familiar with all you develop tools in Lightroom (or ACR…the tools are pretty much the same).

1] Color Mixer

To me, the most important tool in a monochrome conversion is the Grayscale Mixer. In this panel you adjust the intensity of each color channel represented in the black and white image. A slider to the far left renders the color channel very dark, all the way to the right, very bright. You want to manipulate these sliders to get the right look for your image.

Of particular interest for photos with people in them are the Red, Orange and Yellow channels. These three color channels control the skin tone of people, regardless of skin color. The orange channel wields the most control over skin tone, adjusting the overall tone. Red comes in second most influential, effecting blushing and blemishes. Yellow really only effects highlights. Balance these three to get the desired skin tone.

As far as the other colors are concerned, simply adjust them as needed to complete the look. Always adjust slowly and incrementally, allowing yourself time to view the changes. Avoid over adjusting, as it will lead to unbalanced image tone and possible artifacts in the image.

If you are using my film presets, try to avoid adjusting any color slider more than absolutely needed, as any alterations to the color mixer change the tone and therefore change the effect. I recommend only altering the orange channel to save skin tone whenever possible. You shouldn’t have to adjust much as I spend extra time making sure skin tones look good.

2] Tone Curve and Contrast

Contrast is of the utmost importance in monochrome images. Too much and the picture gets muddied up, too little and the image gets too thin. You are looking for a happy medium with both dark blacks, bright whites in the image and smooth transitions between them. You have two tools at your disposal for this, the Contrast slider and the Tone Curve.

The Contrast slider adjusts the contrast in the image globally, and is the easiest method by which to adjust contrast. However it is a bit simplistic, not allowing for fine control over the image.

Where you really tweak the contrast is the Tone Curve. Before making alterations to the curve itself, look below it for the Point Curve. It will be set to one of the following; Linear, Medium Contrast or Strong Contrast. Select between the three setting looking for the one tht gets you closest to what you are looking for. It won’t be dead on normally, but one of the three will give you a good starting point.

After adjusting the Point Curve, start manipulating the curve itself. You have two options here, to adjust the region sliders or to drag the curve to where you like it. The region sliders refer to different areas of the tone curve graph. Across the bottom of the graph you see a bar with three adjustment points with four sections varying in shade. The far left is the shadow ( darkest parts of the image), middle-left is the darks, middle right is the lights and far right is the highlights (brightest parts of the image). If the highlights are too bright or blown out, you can drag the highlight slider to the left or click & hold on the tone curve line on the right side of the graph and drag it slowly down. If you move the line you will notice the slider automatically moving; I much prefer dragging the curve myself as opposed to manipulating the sliders, but move it the way you like.

Tweak the tone curve until it fits. You will notice when dragging the line Lightroom imposes some limits on how far you can move it. Try to avoid laying right on Lightroom imposed boundaries, it crates bad images in my opinion. You can lay the shadow and brightness to that edge to get absolute black and absolute whites when needed.

When using my film presets, I do not recommend adjusting the Tone Curve any further that altering the Point Curve setting. Doing so changes the desired response for the film being emulated. Changing the Point Curve is fine as it changes the size of the curve, not the basic shape. Feel free to use the Contrast slider with my presets as it will allow contrast changes whilst staying inside the confines of the simulated film’ tone curve.

3] Local Adjustments (Brushes and Gradients)

Bring back some of the old darkroom magic with local adjustments in Lightroom. Dodging and Burning are time honored techniques in the darkroom and are easily simulated in Lightroom. Say the image is too dark in parts leading to loss of focus on the subject. This was the case in the photo at the top of the post. My son’s shadow merged with his pants after I applied my Neopan Acros preset. So I simply clicked on the adjustment brush, selected the shadow and increased its exposure, lightening the shadow to differentiate it from his pants.

You can bright and darken by this method. You can locally adjust contrast and brightness. Most importantly to me you can locally adjust clarity. Most of my film presets crank up clarity to get the sharp look of film, however this may not be desirable in photos of people. If this is the case, locally select the face and drag the clarity down. This will reduce the detail level in the face, allowing you to soften their look to make it more appealing. You can even bring clarity down into the negative range to create a soft focus effect, blurring out fine detail whilst retaining normal detail. In other words, fade away wrinkles, freckles and so forth…plus negative clarity makes skin glow, and you can make it look almost surreal.

Local adjustments with the adjustment brush allow you to really fine tune your monochrome image, but do not forget to use graduated filters when you need them. Drop a grad filter across a bright sky and bring the exposure down a bit to bring out detail and balance your image. Play around with you local tools, as they let you bring back the old darkroom techniques that were used to create prints. As any old school B&W photog will tell you, making the picture on film is only part of the process, putting it on paper is the rest. Dodging and burning to bring added depth to a print, sometime even from a flat negative.

4] Image Details (Sharpness, NR and Vignettes)

Don’t forget about sharpening and noise reduction either. It is often easy to forget to do so when working in monochrome. Sharpen you image for you desired output, be it screen or print. Sharpening ca also be used to accentuate noise in the image, which is desirable if you are emulating a high-speed film such as Neopan 1600. Work the noise reduction sliders to either smooth out the image or allow more grain to shine through. These tools allow you to give your image that classic film look about as good as you can in Lightroom. Hopefully one day they add a grain control also.

Although I am not big into vignettes, the look great in monochrome. Play around with getting those corners darker, sometimes it unlocks a feeling in an image that you do not get otherwise.

5] Toning

Finally if you want to tone your monochrome image, play with split toning. You can choose either the highlight or shadow split tone and give it an orangish-red to create a sepia image. You can even set the highlight and shadow to different hues and saturation levels and adjust the balance slider to get a nicely balance duo-tone image. Play around, try sepia, blue and green tints. Toning is another way to really kick up an image.

Obviously these are just a few of the tools at you disposal to create beautiful monochrome images, however these are the area I work the most with and I figure I would share it with everyone. Sorry there were no screen shots, but this is a fairly long post and I wanted to get it up before I went to sleep. If you are familiar with Lightroom you get what I was saying. In the same right these tools are also in Adobe Camera Raw, so those of you with just Photoshop are not left out either.

These steps work if you are making a monochrome from scratch or utilizing my presets or those of others. Just take some time and explore each of these areas in Lightroom deeper and you will be making great black and white images in no time.

Oh, a new preset up tomorrow!

Until then,

Michael