How do I batch-convert a set of Lightroom photos to black and white, including virtual copies if needed?
Asked 10/22/2015
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2 answers
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I’ve moved from Aperture to Lightroom and want to create black-and-white versions of a group of wedding photos without editing each one individually. In Aperture I would duplicate the images and then batch process them. What’s the best way in Lightroom to apply a black-and-white treatment to many images at once, and how can I handle it if I want separate color and black-and-white versions?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
I find the easiest way to 'batch process' in Lightroom is to choose an example image that has similar settings to other images and copy those edits to other images:
- Edit the photo to your liking.
- Then right click on the image, choose "Settings>Copy Settings"
- Check all the boxes that apply.
- Navigate to Library, then select all the images that you wish to include in your 'batch'. (be sure they are in similar settings/light so that these edits will work well)
- Once you have chosen your images, right click and choose 'Develop Settings> Paste Settings"
- Batch job done!
If you have different settings, simply repeat this process for each new setting. Collections can help you organize them.
Edit: if you need a duplicate set of each but in Black and White, add a step 4a: before applying changes, choose "Create Virtual copies". The 'originals' will be selected, you can change them to Black and White. or reselect those with a '2'.
Originally by user4880. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4880
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In Lightroom, edit one representative photo first, then apply those settings to the rest.
Two common ways:
- Copy/Paste Settings: right-click the edited photo, choose Settings > Copy Settings, select the adjustments you want, then select the target photos and use Develop Settings > Paste Settings.
- Sync: select the edited photo plus the other images, then click Sync in the Develop module and choose which adjustments to synchronize.
For black and white, make the first photo black and white, then sync or paste those settings to the selected images.
If you want both color and black-and-white versions, create duplicates first using Lightroom’s virtual copies, then apply the black-and-white settings to those copies in a batch. Afterward, review individual images and fine-tune as needed, since batch edits work best on photos with similar lighting and exposure.
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