IMPROVE YOUR MONOCHROMES
5 The best use for the presets is as a starting point for your
own adjustments. For this image we’ll start with the B&W
Contrast High preset but then increase the lightness of the over-
dark shadow areas by moving the Black, White and Shadows
sliders slightly to the right. Pay attention to the histogram while
making your adjustments.
6
Photographers shooting in monochrome use coloured
filters over the lens to alter the relative brightness of tones
in the final image. For instance, an orange filter will darken a
blue sky. We can produce the same effect by using the sliders
in the B&W section of the HSL/Color/B&W tab or by using the
presets in the B&W Filter Presets tab.
9
Also in the Presets panel you’ll find B&W Toned
Presets. These replicate the effects of different
traditional processing and toning methods used in darkroom
photography. They work by adding subtle colours to the
highlights and shadows in different ratios and can produce
some beautiful effects. Sepia toning is the best known.7 Before adjusting the colour filters, turn on the before-
and-after spilt-screen view so that you can see which
colours are where. For our example shot, reducing the level of
blue by moving the slider left makes the sky look darker and
more dramatic, while decreasing purple and magenta darkens
the foreground rocks, making for a more balanced shot.
10 You can see the effect of the Tone presets if you open the
Split Toning panel in the right-hand sidebar. You’ll see that
the sliders have moved from their defaults. For example, sepia
toning applies a light yellow-brown colour to the image, with
different saturations for the highlights and shadows. We’ll take a
closer look at Split Toning elsewhere.8 In the upper left corner of the HSL/Color/B&W panel
you’ll see a small circular icon. This is an immensely useful
tool for adjusting monochrome filtering. It lets you directly
adjust the tonal balance by clicking and dragging on areas of
the image. Click on it, move it over to the sky and move it up
and down to see the effect.http://www.bdmpublications.com 71