A black and white photo of a couple kissing

Zen Film B&W


Zen Film B&W free Lightroom preset transforms photos into warm black and white. It lightly tints bright areas with brown tones to accentuate its monochrome look and enhance the mood of the image. It can definitely add an air of nostalgia and romance to any photograph.

Collection: Black and White Presets
Best for: Portraits, Wedding and Engagement Photos
Style: Warm Black and White, Brown Tonal Accents, Vivid, Grainy

If you are looking for an elegant and dramatic preset, this is the one to go for. It works best on images shot under natural light. It looks great on outdoor portraits, including wedding and engagement photos. You can also use this as an Instagram filter if you want to try a timeless black and white look on your feed.

Transforms Photos into Warm Monochrome

A black and white photo of a woman sitting cross-legged at the pavement

Tinted Monochrome. Before anything else, the preset first converts and switches processing to black and white mode. It then creates its signature look by adding a light layer of brown onto the highlights. This blends like a warm sepia accent.

Examine how this effect complements the preset’s softened tones. It gently underscores the bright areas of the photograph above: look at the background and the streaks of sunlight on the white pavement. Notice also how the brown tint makes the portrait look more expressive.

Softens the Intensity of Tones

A monochrome photo of a vintage car

Softened Tones. The preset begins its tonal improvements by generally darkening both blacks and whites. From here, it narrows the tonal spectrum by muting highlights and lightening shadows; the preset further refines these in the tone curve.

It begins by generally darkening both blacks and whites. From here, it narrows the tonal spectrum by muting highlights and lightening shadows; the preset further refines these in the tone curve.

A monochrome portrait of a woman sitting on the floor wearing sunglasses

Elegant Matte. As a result, photos get the distinct matte look that most analog camera films produce. Notice how the After photo exhibits nicely nuanced tones, with elegant grays and crisp blacks. See how the subdued tones accentuate the photo’s retro charm even more. It complements the warm monochrome motif so well.

Reinforces Midtones

A black and white photo of a man in a suit

Vivid Midtones. Despite its soft look, Zen Film B&W produces a great depth and detail. This is because of its midtone settings: it amplifies clarity for midtone contrast and applies dehaze for crisper tones.

Examine the man’s suit in the above example. The black and white After photo preserves much of the photo’s depth and detail: look at the shadows of the folds, the deepened dark tones, and the complex grays.

Finely Tweaks the Mix Channel

A black and white wedding photo

Finely Blended Tones. The preset converts colors into different shades of grays depending on these mix channel adjustments. Zen Film B&W amplifies the luminance of nearly all colors but in varying degrees. It only lowers that of the color green to give it a darker tone. This effect looks great outdoors, especially if you have a lot of green in the background. It makes a nice contrast for portraits.

Enhances Texture and Adds Grain

A black and white photo of a beach with palm trees

Film Grain. Zen Film B&W greatly sharpens the details of the image. Look closely at the photos above and compare the textures of the beach and the tree trunks.

As a finishing touch, and to replicate the look of old film images, the preset adds a lot of stylistic grain. After all, this gritty look is normally produced by and expected of high ISO films.

Zen Film B&W is for Lightroom Mobile, Desktop and…

Like all our presets, you can absolutely use Zen FIlm B&W 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 Lightroom Zen

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