In this special step-by-step tutorial, image-editing guru Mark Galer shows you how to create dramatic, tonally rich, black-and-white images in Lightroom.
SOFTWARE: Lightroom 4
RATING: Intermediate
Click here to go to the image download page.
01 LIGHT AND DARK
In this image I want to draw viewers’ attention to the abandoned huts in the middle distance. The overly bright sky and foreground however are drawing our eyes away from these areas.
My goal in this project is to redistribute the tonal values of the image to put more emphasis on the huts and reshape the way viewers see and interact with the image.
02 DOWNLOAD
Before we start, download the free project image at www.australianphotography.com. From the home page go to how to > tutorial images. Download the start image, taking note of where it’s saved on your hard drive.
03 IMPORT IMAGE
Open Lightroom and in the main menu go to File > Import Photos and Video. (Note: You need to be in the Library module to import images.) Find the project image, make sure it’s ticked, and click the Import button. (If there are other images in the same location that you don’t want to import, first click the Uncheck All button then tick the box above the project image.)
04 DEVELOP
Click the Develop link at the top of the page to leave the Library module and begin editing the image. To convert the image to black and white, click the Black & White option at the top of the Basic panel.
05 COLOUR CHANNELS
Scroll down the panel on the right until you get to the HSL/Color/B&W sliders. I often use these controls to selectively lighten and darken different hues in the image. Normally, dragging the Blue and Aqua sliders to the left is a great way to darken the sky in a landscape. Unfortunately, in this case, it also darkens the distant mountains which reduces the impact of the image somewhat. For now, set all of these sliders to zero.
06 EXPOSURE AND HIGHLIGHTS
Scroll up the panel on the right to the Basic section. Make the following changes: Exposure -0.5, Contrast +100, Highlights -55, Shadows +20, Blacks +10. I usually make these corrections by feel, while keeping an eye on the Histogram to make sure the graph is spread out on the horizontal axis but not so close to the edges that detail is lost in the shadows or highlights. The tonal range is better now, though the sky is too light and the huts are too dark. We’ll correct that in the next steps.
how to Master B&W Conversions
07 GRADUATED FILTER ONE
Let’s use a Graduated Filter to darken the sky. Click on the Graduated Filter icon (it’s just below the histogram) and click-and-drag a vertical line from a position just above the mountain (in the centre of the image) down to the base of the mountain. If you hold the Shift key as you drag the gradient will be constrained to vertical. In the Graduated Filter settings set the Exposure to -1.00 and Highlights to -100. To protect the tonal values of the mountains and huts, raise the Shadows slider to +50. Raise the Contrast and Clarity sliders to +50 to add some drama to the clouds. 
08 GRADUATED FILTER TWO
We can add additional graduated filters to make the effect even stronger. Click-and-drag from a point above the cloud in the centre of the image down to a point level with the top of the larger of the two huts. Use the same settings as the previous gradient (Exposure -1, Contrast 50, Highlights -100, Clarity 50), though this time leave the Shadows slider at zero (the positioning of this graduated filter does not affect the huts). Note: If you want to change the settings of either Graduated Filter click the ‘pin’ of the graduated filter you want to change and adjust the settings accordingly. 
09 GRADUATED FILTER THREE
For an even darker sky create a third Graduated Filter above the previous two (see adjacent illustration). This time move the sliders to: Exposure -0.5, Contrast 50 and Highlights -100.
10 GRADUATED FILTER FOUR
Let’s apply a Graduated Filter to darken the bottom of the image. Click and drag a Graduated Filter (as shown, right). With all sliders zeroed, drag the Exposure slider to -1.40. To exit the panel, click the Graduated Filter icon.
11 ADJUSTMENT BRUSH ONE
The image is certainly more dramatic now, though some areas are too dark (the buildings and the mountains on the right) and some are too light (the clouds on the left). We can correct this with the Adjustment Brush. Click the Adjustment Brush icon (next to the Graduated Filter) and set Exposure +1, Contrast +25 and Clarity +25. Paint over the buildings and mountains to lighten these areas. You can adjust the size and softness of the brush using the controls at the bottom of the panel. If you make a mistake simply hold the Alt (PC) or Option (Mac) key as you paint over the offending area. To see the mask you are painting click the Show Selected Mask Overlay checkbox under the image (press T on your keyboard if it’s not visible).
12 ADJUSTMENT BRUSH TWO
Let’s create another localised adjustment to reduce the exposure of the mountains on the left so they are closer in tone to the mountains on the right. Click the New link to create a new mask. Paint over the mountains on the left and reduce the Exposure to -0.7 and increase the and Clarity to +70.
13 ADJUSTMENT BRUSH THREE
Create another new mask (click the New link again) and this time set the Exposure to -0.5. Paint over the areas of the image that are too bright: the foreground bushes, the clouds on the left and the bright highlights on the roof of the larger of the two huts. Dodging and burning is not an exact science – generally the goal is to brighten the areas you want to highlight, and darken the areas that are distracting. The choices you make are inevitably personal, determined by your response to the scene and the message you are trying to convey. how to Master B&W Conversions
14 SHARPEN
Click the Adjustment Brush icon to return to the normal editing panels. One of the last steps in any project is to sharpen the image. The settings you use will depend on how you intend to use the image (printed images need more sharpening than those that are displayed on screen) and personal taste. In this project I increased the Amount slider to +80 and the Masking slider to +60, but you should experiment to find the settings that work best for you. (To best see the effects of any sharpening changes zoom in to a 1:1 view.)
15 WHITE POINT
In any project where I make major changes with graduated filters and adjustment brushes my final step is to fine-tune the black and white points. Go to the Basic panel. Raise the Whites slider to the right until the clipping warning (the triangle above the histogram) lights up and then drag it back a little (I used a setting of +70). No adjustment is required to the Blacks in this project image. You may need to fine-tune the Exposure slider if you make significant changes to these sliders. Save a new preset to mark the end of the project and hit Ctrl-S (PC) or Command-S (Mac) to save the metadata changes back to the Raw file.
The before shot
The finished result.