Create a washed-out look in a black-and-white photo

Saturday 23 December 2023, 22:22 by Nando Harmsen | 3,071 views | 5 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

You have probably seen a black-and-white photo with a washed-out look. The darkest black is not black but dark grey, and white is light grey. This effect is very easy to create, but make sure you do not lose the contrast.

A washed-out black-and-white photo looks like a somewhat older photo that has faded. As if time has made the black fade, and made the white less white. It is a black-and-white style that gives the photo a distinctive look.

Are you looking for this look? Then you need to be careful not to lose the contrast in your photo. It may seem that you can achieve this by lowering the contrast. However, this is not the way to create this effect.

It is important to start with a well-edited black-and-white photo. In other words, edit your photo in such a way that you get a nice, strong contrast. You can have pure black and pure white in your photo.

A black-and-white photo with nice contrast. There is pure white and pure black in the photo, and that is not a problem.
Once you have a good black-and-white photo, you can apply the washed-out black-and-white effect. You do this by adjusting the curve. In Lightroom, this is called the Tone Curve. The curve is a diagonal line across the box. You make this diagonal line flatter.

On the horizontal axis, you see the brightness levels, just as in the histogram. On the vertical axis, you see the output of that brightness. By moving the point that represents pure black upwards, you change the black to a tone that is less black.

Raise the black point and lower the white point. If desired, add an S-curve to retain the contrast.
Do the same for pure white. Move the curve downwards so that everything that is white becomes less white. This changes the contrast in the photo to some extent. You can bring this contrast back by creating an S-shape in the same curve. Dark becomes darker, light becomes lighter.

The finishing touch, a little grain to give the photo the right look.
Would you like to complete the mood? Then add a little grain to the photo at the end. This makes the photo look a little rougher. Whether you add grain, and how much, depends on your personal preference. Just play around with it.

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