It’s no secret that I love colour (just look at my Instagram grid), but today I'm highlighting something truly magical:

BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

There's something really special about photos in black and white. It's how photography first started, and it still remains the best way to highlight texture, light and detail. It’s where tonal nuances get the spotlight and it's incredibly mesmerizing to study these photos.

Today I have a special treat for you - I’m giving out one of my favourite black and white Lightroom presets that I created last year. It’s crisp, high contrast, but with a vintage touch and a bit of grain to mimic that old-timey film look.

I think you’re going to love it!

DOWNLOAD THE PRESET FILE HERE:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAVING THE PRESET IN LIGHTROOM:

1. After you download the DNG preset file, save it to your phone. (On an iPhone, it will automatically be saved to your FILES, not your PHOTOS app.)

2. Open the Lightroom app.

3. Click on the import image button. When it says “Add photos from”, select “Files”. Select my preset DNG file, then click “Open”.

4. Click on the preset image in Lightroom to see it in full view. Click on the white circle with 3 dots in the top right corner.

3. Click on “Create preset”

4. Name the preset: Gabrielle’s B&W Vintage. (Make sure “Preset group” has “User Presets” selected.)

5. Click on the checkmark in the top right corner.

Congratulations, you now have my preset saved!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THIS PRESET:

1. Import a photo into Lightroom (or select an existing one). Go to full view of the photo.

2. Click on “Presets”, and go to “User Presets” (under “Yours” tab)

3. Select the preset “Gabrielle’s B&W Vintage” that you just saved.

4. Click on the checkmark in the bottom right corner.

Voilà! You now have my preset applied to your photo.

You will likely need to tweak the editing a bit to custom-adjust your photo. Presets always need a few of your own tweaks to make it look its best, according to your preferences.

Don’t worry about this - it doesn’t mean the preset it bad, it’s just the nature of editing. No two photos are ever the same, so it’s normal to tweak a preset after first applying it to a photo.

Enjoy the preset!

And remember to tag me (@todrawlight) when you post your black & white photo to Instagram - I would love to see what my preset looks like on your photos!

-Gabrielle