6 Replies Latest reply: Jan 11, 2011 10:42 PM by SaturnV RSS

    Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color

    KulorDS Community Member

      Ive got probably a very simple question. I've been using LR for a few years now and have never encountered this problem before--probably because Ive never shot off the camera in B&W mode. I was loving the pictures in preview, but as soon as I switch to the develop module it changes them to color. How do I avoid this?! Thanks!

        • 1. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
          KulorDS Community Member

          So I answered my own question--basically, LR is only quickly displaying the raw preview before switching back to RAW. Is there any way to load from the settings that are on the 5Dmk2 Monochromatic mode? Converting to B/W in LR just doesnt provide as beautiful results.

          • 2. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
            Lee Jay-ZyZk56 Community Member

            KulorDS wrote:


            Is there any way to load from the settings that are on the 5Dmk2 Monochromatic mode?

             

            No, but you could use the camera matching profiles.

            • 3. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
              MadManChan2000 Adobe Employee

              At present we do not have camera matching profiles for monochrome mode.

               

              I suggest using the LR B&W controls, with your own tweaks to contrast, gray mix, etc. I believe you can come up with even better results, which you can then save as a preset to use for future images.

              • 4. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
                SaturnV CommunityMVP

                MadManChan2000 wrote:

                 

                ...which you can then save as a preset to use for future images.

                And if you choose your custom B&W preset in the Import dialog box, all images in that shoot will import as B&W from the start.

                 

                While it may seem like an extra step, I always double-check the current import preset anyway. And while this won't work as desired if you shot some color and some B&W in the same shoot, at least you have one way to import as B&W.

                • 5. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
                  bogiesan-gyyClL Community Member

                  Butting in. I'd never shoot in monochrome mode at the camera nor would I import with a filter that is destructive. Bring in your raw images and manipulate them to achieve the monochrome look you want. In most situations, the green channel provides more contrast than red or blue and is a good place to start building monochrome versions of color images. If you impose a mono filter, you must find a wauy to undo that effect if you someday want to see the color image.

                  bogiesan

                  • 6. Re: Photos taken in B&W but LR switches them to color
                    SaturnV CommunityMVP

                    bogiesan wrote:

                     

                    I'd never shoot in monochrome mode at the camera nor would I import with a filter that is destructive. Bring in your raw images...If you impose a mono filter, you must find a wauy to undo that effect

                    That's not a problem at all if the camera is set to monochrome mode and raw mode, precisely because of the original poster's issue--raw files shot in B&W camera mode come in as color. That means when you shoot raw it's perfectly safe to use the B&W mode of the camera, because you get the best of all worlds: You can use the camera LCD for great B&W feedback as you shoot, since the raw's in-camera JPEG preview is processed using the B&W mode. Yet since the camera's saving raw files behind the scenes, these files come into Lightroom still containing every last bit of original color information, and you still have all the nondestructive B&W conversion control you need.

                     

                    It's even easier to visualize and shoot B&W this way than in a film camera, which gives you no way to see in B&W short of putting colored filters in front of your face and using a little imagination.

                     

                    What you're saying is true if the camera is set to JPEG, though.