Nothing compares with the classic monochrome look. We can instantly associate the black and white aesthetic to vintage cameras and professional film photography. It is not a surprise that it is timeless; it is used widely even until now by professional photographers.
In the absence of color, monochrome makes scenes and portraits look compelling using intricate tones. The style draws attention to other compositional elements. Not to mention how it makes the photo more dramatic, nostalgic, and even photojournalistic.
Here are the best Lightroom presets that we compiled for you, guaranteed to produce stunning results. Our photo examples should give you ideas on how and when to use the monochrome film look in photography.
If you need help with the presets, you can check out our guide on how to add presets to Lightroom on both mobile and desktop.
Black and White Film Presets for Lightroom
These are the free black and white Adobe Lightroom presets that emulate monochrome films. Some are focused on analog filter effects, while some replicate the iconic looks of specific brands. These are the must-haves in this preset collection.
B&W Orange Filter
Best for: Outdoor, Landscapes, Cityscapes, Urban Spaces, Street Photography
Style: Brilliant, Wide Tonal Range
B&W Orange Filter is the free preset you should use if you want to have the orange filter effect without having to invest in any gear. It converts colored images to high-contrast black and white as it recreates the look of photos shot through an orange filter.
B&W Infrared
Best for: Outdoor Scenes, Detailed Photos, Landscapes
Style: Deeply Toned, Brilliant
B&W Infrared preset is a free simulation of black and white infrared photography. It produces monochromatic images that are bright and deeply toned, the exact look that you get when shooting with an infrared filter.
Fujifilm Neopan
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Deep Browns or Sepia, Rich Tones, Analog Film
Fujifilm Neopan copies the iconic tones of the Fujifilm Neopan film. You will notice it for its deep chocolate browns and defined midtones. Its versatile and professional aesthetic looks great on portraits, landscapes, and other types of photography.
Neopan 200
Best for: Bright Images, Natural Light
Style: Black and White Film
Neopan 200 preset replicates the look of a photo shot using a black and white film with an ISO of 200. You get a light monochrome look with balanced lighting. This will also help produce complex grays that enhance definition and texture.
Neopan 400
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Soft Black and White, Rich Grays
Neopan 400 is a classic Lightroom preset inspired by the Fuji Neopan professional film, with ISO 400. It produces the classic black and white look with balanced tones and optimized lighting. Go for this preset if you want to have a timeless look.
Neopan 800
Best for: Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Bright, Fine Grains, Light Tones, Textured
Neopan 800 is another professional black and white film preset, this time emulating the Neopan film with a high ISO of 800. This produces a brighter, softer, and grainier look. The fine grains it adds gives photos an authentic analog film aesthetic.
Legacy Pro 800
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: High Contrast, Vivid, Clear
Legacy Pro 800 film preset produces clear and high-contrast black and white photos. It has a professional, vivid, polish to it as it tries to replicate the look of high-quality monochromatic films in ISO 800.
Legacy Pro 1600
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Bright, Light Tones, Grayscale, Matte
Legacy Pro 1600 produces another professional black and white style, but this time with a soft matte look. It copies the look of discontinued high ISO slide films especially with its noticeable fine grains. If you want an unmistakable analog film look, then this is an authentic preset to use.
Black and White Lightroom Presets for Portraits
These black and white presets are optimized for portraits. They focus on enhancing expressions, adding drama, improving skin tones, and moderating harsh light or shadows. You get professional results each time.
Black & White OX
Best for: Portraits, Natural Lighting, Outdoor
Style: Brilliant, Bold Dark Regions, Matte, Textured
This monochrome presets has elegantly crisp tones. Black & White OX has soft light regions that you can easily notice. This effect creates a subdued matte glow and a dreamy feel. It looks captivating on portraits.
B&W Berkeley
Best for: Portraits, Natural Lighting, Landscapes
Style: Vintage, Sepia Tones
B&W Berkeley applies a retro film aesthetic to digital photos. It replicates the charm of old film but without the unnecessary and intrusive grain. It has soft and rich tones that make shots expressive even without color.
Documentary
Best for: Photojournalism, Street Photography, Headshots
Style: Balanced Tones, Warm Grays, High Contrast
Documentary is the best preset to use if you want to cover news, take compelling portraits, or anything photojournalistic. We designed this preset to be as compelling as possible, both in look and feel.
Barn B&W
Best for: Portraits, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Soft Brown Accents, Rich Tones
Barn B&W can easily be a favorite monochrome preset because of its rich tones and elegant soft brown accents. The effect is always vivid, dramatic, and captivating. Even if it is inspired by a vintage style, nothing looks faded or washed out.
Pictorial B&W
Best for: Portraits, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Vivid, Clear Tones, High Contrast
Pictorial B&W gives portraits a vivid black and white look. We especially love how it processes skin tones along with its high contrast aesthetic. The entire look is very professional. It is even versatile enough for all types of photography.
Pinhole
Best for: Portraits, Diffused Lighting
Style: Soft Matte, Moderate Contrast
Pinhole preset creates a soft black and white look that looks great on portraits. Its moderate contrast defines depth and detail without making tones look harsh. Its softness is also moderate, keeping details clear and well defined.
Old BlacknWhite
Best for: Portraits, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: High Contrast, Vivid Tones
Old BlacknWhite is a classic black and white preset that’s suitable for portraits. Its tones are enhanced to make shots more expressive, and to bring out as much definition as possible. It adds a bold look without overdoing it.
Bright Black and White Presets
These are stunningly bright black and white presets. You can consider them as the the monochromatic counterparts of the popular light and airy presets. Images look captivatingly brilliant, plus the dark tones become punchy without drowning out textures.
Silverscreen
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor, Portraits, Fashion
Style: Brilliant, Bright Whites, Silver, Metallic, Vibrant
Silverscreen creates a brilliant monochrome look that’s simply so lustrous. Its grays are so bright that they look gorgeously like silver. This is the closest you can get to the light and airy aesthetic in monochrome.
Camaieu
Best for: Portraits, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Bright, Vivid, High Contrast
Camaieu is one of our professional black and white presets that produces balanced yet brilliant tones. You will love its high-luminance aesthetic that just produces such a glowing look in portraits.
High Fashion B&W
Best for: Outdoor Photography
Style: Bright Whites, High Contrast, Textured
High Fashion B&W free black and white preset converts colored images to vivid black and white. Its bright monochrome look has gorgeous high-contrast tones and detailed textures. You will love the deep blacks set on brilliant whites.
Sparkling
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Bright Whites, Vivid, High Contrast
Sparkling is a high-contrast black and white preset that produces brilliant — Sparkling — whites and highlights. It also has punchy blacks that help create a bold aesthetic. It is generally a bright preset so you wouldn’t have to worry much about photos with dim lighting.
B&W Highlights
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor, Portraits
Style: Brilliant, High Contrast, Vivid
B&W Highlights is a monochrome preset with dramatic tonal contrasts. It maximizes the brilliance of highlights and deepens dark regions for a dramatic effect. This preset looks great on all types of photography, especially portraits.
Mono Hope
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Bright Whites, High Contrast, Vivid, Inky Blacks
Mono Hope preset has custom luminance settings that maximize the brilliance of greyed-out colors. This, as a result, produces a brilliant photo that’s balanced out by equally intense blacks and shadows. This high-contrast look is versatile for all types of photography.
Black and White Landscape Presets
These are the black and white Lightroom presets that you should use if you photograph landscapes a lot. These give primacy to tones, depth, and textures — the elements that every landscape photo should accentuate. You can expect deep tones and crisp details.
B&W HDR
Best for: Landscapes
Style: Matte, Crisply Textured
B&W HDR converts images to high-definition monochrome. It produces a broad range of grays and crisp textures. It has broad tones and sharp details that are all perfect for landscapes and various sceneries.
B&W Landscape
Best for: Landscapes, Detailed Scenes
Style: Bright, Strong Midtones, Soft Highlights
We designed B&W Landscape specifically for landscapes and outdoor shots. To draw out the details, we amplify the midtones and optimize light regions. The combination of these tones creates a majestic and dramatic atmosphere.
Sharp B&W
Best for: Landscapes, Versatile (Indoor and Outdoor)
Style: Bright and Detailed
Sharp B&W produces detailed black and white photos. You get beautifully textured portraits and landscapes as it draws out every detail. The result would always look more alive, even with its shades of gray.
Black and White Vintage Lightroom Presets
Nothing beats the charm of vintage black and white presets. They produce a nostalgic look and feel that’s just timeless and artistic. The presets can easily make any shot look so dramatic.
Vintage BW
Best for: Portraits, Documentaries, Photojournalism
Style: Bright, Balanced Tones, Brown Accents
Vintage BW preset makes new photos look old again by converting colored images to monochrome and adding brown tints. The browns not only create a vintage aesthetic but also create a rich and expressive look.
Rich Mono
Best for: Portraits, Moderate Lighting
Style: Brilliant, Rich Earthy Tones
Rich Mono turns colorful images into complexly tinted black and white. This preset adds not only black and white tones but also a rich sepia accent that adds a vintage look and feel.
Antique Bronze
Best for: Versatile, All Lighting Conditions
Style: Sepia, Vivid Tones
Antique Bronze takes the sepia look to the next level with its rich tones. The result is never dull or washed out. It has stunning tonal adjustments that retain definition and a lot of texture. The overall effect just looks stunning in bronze.
Chocolate Shadows
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor, Portraits, Landscapes
Style: Dark Sepia, Grainy Film, Textured
Chocolate Shadows is a dark sepia monochrome preset that can instantly give photos a dramatic vintage aesthetic. We love its timeless dark brown tones, classic film grains, and bold vignetting. It is a go-to preset for a nostalgic look and feel.
Instant B&W
Best for: Bright Images, Outdoors, Detailed Images, Portraits
Style: Crisp, Bright, Matte, Moody
Instant B&W preset recreates the black and white monochrome look of some instant films. You get the unmistakable matte texture, bright yet light tones, and crisp details. The resulting aesthetic also looks great on portraits.
Golden Shadows
Best for: Portraits and Landscapes
Style: Warm Monochrome, Clear, High Contrast
Golden Shadows warm black and white preset looks so expressive on portraits and landscapes. Its unique blend of tonal intensity and warm accents creates a sophisticated style. It also makes the most of details to further add drama to the shot.
Moody Black and White Presets
Here are the bold black and white presets that give off a strong vibe with their high-contrast settings. If you’re into deep and true blacks in images, these are the presets that you should download. You will also love how these accentuate details so well even with such dark regions.
Dark Contrast
Best for: Portraits, Urban Photos, Landscapes
Style: Vivid, Bold Tones, Modern
Dark Contrast transforms colored photos to high-contrast black and white. It has intensely vivid tones that complement its converted blue and green tones. If you want a bold monochrome look, you should try this black and white preset.
B&W Nights
Best for: Urban Night Scenes
Style: Bold Tones, High-Contrast, Vibrant
B&W Nights black and white preset is specially designed for night photography. Its tones range from true blacks and brilliant whites, so you get a deep contrast. It works best on nighttime urban scenes with accent lighting, like street lamps or headlights.
Cinema Stock 3
Best for: Portraits, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Softened Tones, Clear, Sharp
Cinematic Stock 3 creates a vivid monochrome look without overdoing the highlights. In fact, even with its high-contrast aesthetic, it actually lightens dark regions. It refines tonal adjustments to create the stunningly vibrant aesthetic that you can see above. We highlight recommend this free black and white preset if you want a bold yet classic style.
Dalan B&W
Best for: Portraits, Wedding and Engagement
Style: Dramatic, Moody, High Contrast
Dalan B&W free black and white Lightroom preset that produces high-contrast and vivid tones. Its polished monochrome aesthetic simply works well on portraits and wedding photography. It brightens up any scene and draws out true blacks for a dark and moody style.
Black and White Wedding Lightroom Presets
These black and white presets work very well on wedding and engagement photos because of their expressive tones and subtle elegant tints. You can also count on these for portraits and romantic scenery. Best of all, their unique takes on the monochrome aesthetic give a professional look that can easily unify multiple images.
Warm All Over
Best for: Portraits, Wedding and Engagement Photos
Style: Warm, Monochrome, Rich Tones, Classic
Warm All Over is one of our most expressive black and white presets available. It has a rich look enhanced by elegant warm tones. It works well on portraits and special event photos like weddings.
B&W Romance
Best for: Indoor and Outdoor, Wedding and Engagement (Portraits and Venues)
Style: Violet Tonal Accents, Vivid, Clear, Cinematic
B&W Romance preset’s elegant violet tints stylishly blend with the photograph’s highlights and shadows. It also complexly adjusts lighting and tone to complete the romantic aesthetic. This preset is ideal for portraits and various urban scenes.
Subject
Best for: Versatile, Wedding and Engagement
Style: Balanced Tones, Professional, Wide Tonal Range
Subject is a black and white preset with a professional approach. It does not overdo contrasts or intensify tones so much just to achieve a dramatic look. It instead balances them out so that you get complex grays to help define the image. Even in the absence of colors, this preset will help you draw out as much definition as possible.
Zen Film B&W
Best for: Portraits, Wedding and Engagement Photos
Style: Warm Black and White, Brown Tonal Accents, Vivid, Grainy
Zen Film B&W produces a warm and elegant black and white look. It lightly tints bright areas with brown tones to accentuate its monochrome look and enhance the overall feel of the image.
Matte Black and White Presets
If you are going for something light, elegant, and understated, you have to try these matte black and white Lightroom presets. They are great if you want to produce photos that are lighthearted, relaxed, and cozy. Their subdued tones can easily create a calm atmosphere.
Detailed Matte
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Soft Matte, Light Tones
Detailed Matte is a classic monochrome look that produces soft tones and crisp details. This is a standard all-around preset to have if you are into black and white photography.
Mono Fade
Best for: Outdoor Photography, Portraits, Landscapes, Cityscapes
Style: Soft Tones, Crisp Details
Mono Fade has a unique film aesthetic that reminds us of newsprint. Even with the fade effect, the preset keeps details crisp and clear. It only softens the tones to produce a convincing analog film look.
No Contrast B&W
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Soft Matte, Light, Low Contrast
No Contrast B&W transforms images to low-contrast black and white. It has a soft and bright monochrome look that can be used across all types of photography. We love how its tonal adjustments produces a cozy atmosphere every time.
Silver Screen
Best for: Outdoor, Natural Light
Style: Muted, Matte, Grainy
Silver Screen transforms your images into grainy black and white. The preset creates a vintage film look by incorporating a Neopan 400 tone curve and adding fine grain effects. The aesthetic it produces reminds us of newsprint photos and other pictures in old publications.
Grey Gray
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Soft Matte, Grayscale, Light
Grey Gray creates a stylish soft monochrome aesthetic. The preset replaces color with complex grays. This approach to black and white gives images a nostalgic, even dreamy, feel.
Tinted Black and White Monochrome Presets
So if you still want a tinge of color in your black and white images, here is an artistic collection for you to consider. These monochrome presets have tints that help make portraits and scenes look more expressive in the absence of their natural color. Try to experiment on these varied aesthetics to see which one works best for your image.
Metallic Scape
Best for: Outdoor, Natural Light
Style: Clear, Polished, Light Cool Tint
Metallic Scape is a beautiful monochrome preset that adds a touch of elegance to the black and white aesthetic using light cool tints. As a result, it does produce a captivating metallic look. Its tones are also so balanced that you can use it on most types of photography.
Grey and White
Best for: Outdoor, Natural Light
Style: Soft Matte, Soft Blue Tint, Light Tones, Vintage
Grey and White preset produces a beautiful film look by blending classic monochrome and a soft blue tint. Its desaturated look also gives it a classic vintage appeal.
Rouge Mono
Best for: Versatile, Indoor and Outdoor
Style: Light Magenta Tint, Bright, Rich Tones
Rouge Mono preset is great to use when you want the vintage film style on your photos, without making it look too traditional. We love how the monochromatic magenta tones add some drama to the portrait or scene.
Purple Haze
Best for: Portraits, Landscapes, Diffused Light, Outdoor
Style: Bright, Purple Tint, Balanced Tones
Purple Haze is an elegant monochrome preset that makes images more dramatic with a purple tint. It also optimizes tones so they appear clear and well-balanced. It is versatile enough to be used on all types of photography but will do best on images with enough light.
Red Dawn I
Best for: Urban Scenes, Landscapes, Cityscape, Night Photography
Style: Red Tones, Vivid, Moody, Modern, Futuristic
Red Dawn I monochrome preset adds a rich coat of vivid reds to your photos. What you get is essentially a monochrome look with a stunningly dramatic and moody aesthetic. We love using this preset on photos with a lot of light sources! Just look at that stunning example above. Click the button below to see more of it.
Feeling Blue
Best for: Diffused Lighting, Bright Images
Style: Soft Blue Tint, Bright, Light Tones
Feeling Blue is a unique monochrome film preset that’s tinted with soft blue hues. It is a bright and light style that looks best on outdoor photos, or any shot with ample diffused lighting. Its tones resemble those of old prints, occasionally tinted for added feel.
Rosé
Best for: Indoor and Outdoor, All Lighting Conditions
Style: Dark Pink Tones, Vivid
Rosé is one of the most dramatic and moody monochrome presets that we have in this collection. Its distinct shades of dark pink simply set an incredible look. It gives the desired analog aesthetic, but with beautifully dramatic tones. The effect will always be clear and vivid.
Matriculated
Best for: Versatile, Urban, All Photos
Style: Cinematic Green Tones, Modern, Vivid
Matriculated applies a futuristic aesthetic with its green vivid tones. The tint and its name can easily remind you of the Matrix. If you want a cool and edgy style for your images, this is the one to use.
Get More Free Presets
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How to Install Lightroom Presets
Transforming your photos into black and white monochrome is just a few clicks away. See our guide to learn how to use Lightroom presets. We’ll show you how to use DNG preset formats on the Lightroom mobile app, and XMP on Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic deskop apps.