X Archive 04 Cool Urban | Dramatic B&W Preset for Lightroom Mobile & Desktop

X4 is for street, architectural, and urban documentary photographers whose work references the contemporary cold visual language of city photography — where warm B&W would feel nostalgic and mismatched with the environment.

For photographers who find X1 and X2 slightly too warm for their urban aesthetic and want the X Archive's dramatic quality in a cooler, more precise register that matches the temperature of city environments.

For fashion photographers whose black and white editorial direction is cool and contemporary — where the angular precision of X4 suits the visual language of modern fashion photography.

The cool quality is contemporary and precise. X4's slight cool undertone creates the specific quality of contemporary urban photography — less nostalgic than warm B&W, more immediate and documentary.

It suits city environments specifically. Glass, concrete, steel, grey skies, urban geometry — X4's cool character references and complements these environments directly. The preset and the subject work together.

The contrast is angular, not soft. X4's tonal contrast has a harder, more precise quality that suits graphic urban environments and architectural subjects where structural clarity is the compositional goal.

It pairs with X1 for comprehensive B&W coverage. Warm, expressive documentary gets X1. Cold, precise urban content gets X4. The same archive, right temperature for each direction.

1 × X4 Cool Urban DNG file — for Lightroom Mobile on iPhone and Android
1 × X4 Cool Urban XMP file — for Lightroom Classic on Mac and Windows
Step-by-step installation guide for Mobile and Desktop
Lifetime access — download again anytime

X4 is inspired by Sepia-toned darkroom prints and early Calotype photography. It captures the look of silver prints that have been treated with sulfide to stabilize the image, resulting in that iconic, warm-brown palette. By emulating the softened structural detail and the rich, earthy glow of 19th-century archives, X4 ensures your work feels like a rare, heirloom discovery. It transforms digital clarity into a poetic, historical narrative.

Step 1 — White balance for cool quality. Keep white balance at natural neutral — 5,000-5,600K. Do not warm before applying. X4's cool character works best on a neutral to cool starting point.

Step 2 — Apply X4 Cool Urban. Open any photo in Lightroom. Apply X4 Cool Urban. The cool B&W conversion and strong angular contrast apply simultaneously.

Step 3 — Fine-tune. For architectural photography: apply at full 85-88% strength. X4's precision suits architectural subjects at full strength.

On phone photos: 82-84% strength.

What is the difference between X4 and X1 Dramatic Base? X1 is warm and versatile — the foundational dramatic B&W for varied subjects. X4 is cool and precise — specifically suited to urban and contemporary subjects where warm B&W reads as nostalgic rather than appropriate. X1 for expressive documentary photography, X4 for cold urban precision and contemporary fashion editorial.

Does X4 work in the free version of Lightroom Mobile? Yes. Preset installation and use is completely free in Lightroom Mobile.