[Leica] Monochrom and Lightroom, my workflow

[Jay Burleson]

My take on processing images taken with a Leica Monochrom using Lightroom.

First off, a caution. This is currently how I work with Monochrom files 
and Adobe Lightroom 5.6.
It works for me.
Your mileage may vary, void where prohibited, contents may settle in 
shipping.

I start with the camera. Shortly after I rec’d it, I did some testing 
with a color checker card under controlled conditions. I wanted to see 
what the tonal response of the sensor was in comparison to the 4x5 films 
I had been most familiar with back in the day.
I found that the use of a light yellow filter, a #8 Wratten, gave a 
tonal response that matched extremely close to Ilford FP4+ sheet film 
developed in my favorite developer.
So I started using a #8 yellow filter on my lenses all the time. 
Indoors, outdoors, nighttime; it never comes off, unless I use a darker 
one or a different color.
I also have had a habit, with Leica cameras, of metering on something 
equivalent to Zone V (middle) gray, setting the shutter value, and 
recomposing, rather than relying on the meter to know what I want.
The Monochrom is sensitive to highlight clipping; and there is no 
getting any detail back if it happens. So I am very sensitive of the 
highlights but I didn’t want to be looking at the lcd and histogram 
after every shot hoping that I didn’t overexpose.
My recent solution to that?
Simple. I set the camera to always underexpose by 2/3 stop.
This works because you can raise the shadows as much as you need in post 
processing without any degradation (that I can see, anyway), and gives 
you very detailed highlights, within the limits of the contrast levels 
in the scene of course.

Lightroom.
I like Lightroom. I’d probably like other programs just as well but it 
was what I had and is very intuitive to me since I’d been using 
Photoshop for so many years.

I use it backwards, though. ;-)
Contrary to accepted books and tutorials, here is my standard post 
processing workflow:

When I import an image I let Lightroom apply the standard +25 import 
sharpening but do no other import adjustments. The main reason for this 
is that I want to see what every adjustment does to the image; not guess 
that blanket settings will work with this particular image. A little 
more work but then I’m not dealing with thousands of images a week.

In the Develop module I start in Lens Corrections and apply the lens 
profile and then do any manual distortion corrections and rotation I 
feel is necessary.

Then to Detail where I will raise the default sharpening to between 35 
and 50, and apply any noise reduction if a high iso has been used.

Then up to Tone Curve and change the Point Curve to Medium Contrast.

Then I will use the Spot Remover with Clone / Heal as necessary to 
remove dust or other distracting elements I deem unnecessary.

Now to the Basic panel, when I first apply +25 to Clarity. Then I hit 
the Auto and see what Lightroom thinks my photo should look like. The 
vast majority of the time it is wrong.
So I’ll start adjusting everything to where I want.
*A note here regarding my – 2/3 exposure compensation: One can raise the 
blacks and shadows of a Monochrom image by 2 or 3 full stops without 
harm. Try it.


After that, it is onto the Graduated and Radial Filters and / or the 
Adjustment Brush for any local burning, dodging, sharpness, etc. necessary.

Next is cropping, if desired.

Finally I may add a little vignette using the Effects panel.

Export.

At that time, I will usually live with the image for a week or so, 
looking at it several times a day or making a copy my desktop 
background. After that the image is rejected, reworked in Lightroom, or 
posted to the web gallery, whichever is appropriate.

Comments are welcome.