Beautiful Contrast in Black and White with Tonality

Update August 7, 2018 – Macphun’s Creative Kit (Tonality Pro) is now considered legacy software and is no longer available for purchase. However, most of the Creative Kit technology has been integrated into Luminar – available for both Mac and Windows. Make sure you use coupon code ANGANDRIEUX to save $10 on your purchase!

Beautiful Contrast

Some photographs are meant to be displayed in black and white. There are times when color detracts and the stark contrast of monochrome makes the photo come alive.

That is how I feel about this photo of the Morro Strand State Beach. I was flipping through some unedited photos and found this one from August of 2013. The color version was alright, but as a black and white it takes me back to the day I captured it. I can almost feel the mist of the fog and the breeze that was trying to blow it out to sea. Patches of blue sky were trying to peek out, but Morro Rock was still shrouded in fog.

I processed this photo with Macphun’s Tonality Pro. It was probably one of the easiest B&W conversions I’ve done. I clicked the preset “Andes Dream” and loved it. I messed around with a few of the sliders, but kept coming back to that preset. It added the perfect amount of contrast in the sand while maintaining the dreamy fog around the rock.

Tonality Pro

Macphun’s Tonality Pro is a relatively new addition to the list of B&W conversion tools on the market. I find it to be a standout option. It has become my go-to tool for creating monochrome images. (Read my full review of Tonality Pro here) The results are beautiful. If you have a Mac, and haven’t tried Tonality, I invite you to give it a try. I think you’ll fall in love with it. The interface is simple and it can work as a stand-alone or as a plugin to Lightroom or Photoshop.