Rich Mono is a free Lightroom preset that turns colorful images into black and white. This monochromatic preset adds not only black and white tones but also a sepia tint which makes photos look vintage.
Collection: Black and White Presets
Best for: Portraits, Moderate Lighting
Style: Brilliant, Rich Earthy Tones
This blend ensures that your photos retain their visual depth by keeping highlights and shadows well defined. It is designed for a wide range of photography, whether shot indoors or outdoors, and can be used for portraits, landscapes, and more.
Transforms Images to Classic Monochrome
Classic Film. Rich Mono preset focuses on the look of various alternative film processes as seen in this Ferris wheel image. All colors are switched to black and white. Notice how the textures appear sharper as the preset boosts clarity. To enhance the effect further, contrast, whites, and shadows are increased. These tweaks will constantly give you an image that is well-defined, never flat. You can still easily see various shades of gray, which indicates that the highlights are not overblown.
Tints Photos with an Elegant Brown Hue
Warm Brown. In the After photo above, the Rich Mono preset subtly gives a charming matte effect by adding brown hues in both highlights and shadows. This adds an elegant tinge of sepia. You can now also observe how the depth in the photo is enhanced by tweaking both the high and low spectrums. This effect is especially useful in outdoor photography, when you want to bring out the warmth of the captured moment and add a classic look and feel. So even with the black and white treatment, your resulting image will never appear flat. Mood is even enhanced when applying this special monochrome preset.
Enhances Various Visual Elements
Depth and Detail. Rich Mono further enhances these tweaks with a generous increase in contrast and sharpening. Even with the retro look, your shots will consistently appear clear and rich in visual elements. To balance these, too, highlights and blacks are decreased. Note that no detail is lost throughout these improvements. As can be observed in the example above, this monochrome filter is also ideal for portraiture. This does not have to be only for formal shots; this effect can even be casually applied to profile images in various online accounts, or even social media like Facebook and Instagram.
Adds Drama and Enhances Overall Look and Feel
Enhance Mood. The above cityscape image demonstrates the finishing touches that Rich Mono applies to complete its unique classic look. Noise is reduced and some vignetting is added to frame the photographed scene. You can particularly see the difference by comparing the skies in the Before and After images.
This Rich Mono preset will always give you a compelling photograph. All these improvements come together as mood is enhanced: there is now greater drama, visual and emotional depth, and a timeless motif.
Rich Mono is for Lightroom Mobile, Desktop and…
As with all our presets, you can absolutely use Rich Mono 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.
If you want more presets like this, check out our collection of Lightroom black and white presets.
- 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 Loaded Landscapes
