EmulLab
Manual · 04

Black and white
negatives.

Convert a B&W negative to a neutral positive and set its tone.

Convert a B&W negative

  1. Open the frame in Edit and set Film Type to B&W.
  2. Check that Film Base says Sampled from border.
  3. In Tone, click Auto for a starting point, then set Exposure and Contrast.
  4. For a print-like contrast, open Curves and pick a Contrast preset: Less, Medium, More or Strong Contrast, or Faded.
  5. To tint the picture, use Toning.
What changes for B&W

A B&W negative has no orange mask and no colors, so it’s measured as one channel. The Color and HSL sections are hidden: there are no colors to adjust. Color Grading is called Toning: it tints the shadows, midtones and highlights.

Dark frames stay dark

For B&W, Auto Exposure under Conversion › Advanced starts at 0, so a low-key frame keeps its own exposure. Raise it to move each frame’s brightness toward a middle gray. Tone › Auto brightens a B&W frame at most half a stop, so dark frames stay dark with it too.

Exporting B&W

B&W frames export as RGB files for now. A grayscale export is on the roadmap.

Applies to EmulLab 0.9.1 (Public Beta). Updated October 9, 2026.