Converting B&W iPhone image to colour.

[JEB]

Lightroom Version Number

8.2

Cloud vs. Local

Cloud Sync

Operating System

1. Windows 11

Hi,

I wonder if someone can help me, please?
I am using Lightroom (Cloud – NOT Classic) and I also have Photoshop.
My camera is an iPhone 15 ProMax.
It is my understanding that if an image is captured in B&W (presumably it doesn’t matter with what digital camera) the colour data is also captured, so theoretically, that B&W image can be subsequently converted to colour in LR or PS – but how?
Just to be clear, the image is captured in B&W using a digital “filter” option. Not converted in camera after capture.
Thank you in anticipation.

John

 

[Jim Wilde]

It depends on the file type....if you captured a Raw image, then yes you should be able to revert to the original colour image (click/tap on the B&W icon at the top of the Edit panel in LrDesktop).

But if you captured Jpeg, then the B&W treatment is burned in and cannot be reversed.

EDIT: I stand corrected....I just tested and a Jpeg image captured with the LrMobile camera using the High-Contrast B&W filter does contain the colour image, so can be reversed.

I don't know what other cameras do of course. My Canon R5 works as I expected.....a raw file captured in Monochrome mode shows B&W if I use the Camera Settings preset, otherwise it appears in colour. A Jpeg captured in Monochrome mode is resolutely B&W.

 

[JEB]

THank you Jim,
I am going to do a bit of experimenting later today and will replay later with my results.
John

 

[JEB]

Hi Jim,
I have done a little research and have come up with the following results which may be of interest to you or others.
Firstly, let me make clear that I favour the iPhone native camera over the LR camera (I think perhaps we have discussed this in the past, though perhaps it is time for me to reassess this again). I like to use the iPhone Photos App to quickly review/discard Photos/Videos.

CAPTURE CAMERA	PHOTOS APP	LR – Mobile	LR - Desktop	Can be converted
NATIVE – RAW/Noir	B&W	Colour	Colour	YES
NATIVE – Jpg/Noir	B&W	B&W	B&W	NO
LR Camera – RAW/B&W	Not available	B&W	B&W	YES
LR Camera – Jpg/B&W	Not available	B&W	B&W	YES

The above may only be of interest to anyone using the iPhone native camera or who wants to make use of the iPhone Photos App in the way I do. I also use the native camera for recording video.
Thanks for your input.

John