Chocolate Shadows is a free Lightroom preset that transforms your photographs into rich monochrome with metallic brown tones. It resembles the vintage sepia look, but in dark and more complex tones.
Collection: Black and White Presets
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor, Portraits, Landscapes
Style: Dark Sepia, Grainy Film, Textured
Use this preset if you want your image to have that unmistakable retro look, or to draw attention to its emotion or mood. With this filter, you can easily make your digital photos seem like they were taken decades ago using an analog camera. Its distinct style will not only infuse an air of nostalgia, but also add a layer of timeless drama. It is perfect for both prints and day-to-day Instagram uploads.
Transforms Colored Photographs into Dark Sepia
Dark Vintage. The preset’s brown tones are subtle and act more like a soft tint over a black and white image. Notice, however, that it is not merely a flat color overlay; to create this defining look, Chocolate Shadows directly adds brown tones to the shadows.
The preset further decreases some exposure to complement its dark aesthetic. It also increases contrast a bit to deepen some tones.
Applies Intricate Adjustments in Tone
Rich Monochrome. In the absence of colors, tones become the defining factor in monochrome pictures. This has everything to do with light; in this case, it is how the Chocolate Shadows preset processes lighting in various areas of the picture. As a result of its toning adjustments, you will always end up having a rich mono image.
To create the deep and dark motif that you can see in the example above, the preset mutes highlights and deepens shadows. With this is also the softening of both blacks and whites.
With light and dark areas moderated, Chocolate Shadows then amplifies midtones with an increase in clarity.
Adds Luminance to Midtones for Stunning Portraits
Vivid Portraits. We must still consider skin tones even in black and white or sepia images. Even without colors, we can, after all, still perceive them. Good monochrome photos should give you a semblance of color.
To add some brilliance or glow, Chocolate Shadows increases the luminance of purple and some magenta tones in the black and white mix channels. This primarily affects skin tones and textures in portraits. You can easily notice the effect in the After image above.
Also notice how the focus shifted to amplify the emotions portrayed by the subjects.
Creates Vibrant Urban Scenes in Monochrome
Classic Urban. The After photo above is simply stunning. It looks unmistakably vintage yet it has that modern polish. The brown tones are elegant and nuanced.
To give us this layered complexity, Chocolate Shadows decreases the luminance of select colors in varying degrees. You can examine this in the After photo above: the wall in aqua colors looks darker while the warm orange-toned one is more brilliant. This effect is specially noticeable in colorful urban settings and street photography.
Textures Images Like Film
Film Finish. The preset finally applies its finishing touches in texture. First, it sharpens the image further; you can notice this easily on the mountain landscape above.
As with film, Chocolate Shadows also exhibit some grain and vignetting. This adds to, and completes, the classic vintage feel.
Chocolate Shadows preset is for Lightroom Mobile, Desktop and…
Like all our presets, you can absolutely use Chocolate Shadows preset as is, right out of the box. With any preset, you might need to make adjustments to accommodate your specific camera, settings, lighting, and subject matter.
- Entirely Adjustable
- Compatible with Lightroom 4, 5, 6 and CC
- Performs with both PC, Mac, and Mobile
- Applicable to both RAW and JPG images
- 100% Free
Free Lightroom Preset by Rachael Towne
