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Photography F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2025 Feb 03 6:38 am)
Subject: How Do You Convert to BW? Your favorite method.
Here's a few different methods..all in one handy page
http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=43
I lke the Channel Mixer method
www.bclaytonphoto.com
bclaytonphoto
on Facebook
gradient mapping - although i think that is obvious from Tom's post... tonal control is insane! (plus you dont have to stretch things after using curves to get the right contrasts). I dont think it is on that tutorial either...
Just play around with the sliders with the preview button selected and see what happens (oh and remember you can add more sliders in there to get more control and the hollow diamond is the midway point marker - move that around and... well you will see)
edit - i realise that this method doesnt allow for changes in specific colour based tonal ranges but just click off the monotone check box on your final choice in the channel mixer window and see if the image you just created is actually "real"... chances are it is a completely weird mix of colours. That is why i think the channel mixer - which works on mapping the colour to it's "equivalent" greyscale value is more "real" for the eye to accept and thus makes for a nicer B&W... just my opinion tho :)
"In every colour, there's the light.
In every stone sleeps a crystal.
Remember the Shaman, when he used to say:
Man is the dream of the Dolphin"
Rich Meadows Photography
Indeed, I as well see that as the most pristene option tho all would have their place in a tool box...anyone know what a Photo Filter is, is it a feature of CS2?...using 7 myself, or a plugin?...Thanx for that link Bruce.. ...
Once
in a while I look around,
I see
a sound
and
try to write it down
Sometimes
they come out very soft
Tinkling light sound
The Sun comes up again
I have yet to try gradient mapping but will have to give it a go. Is there a tute for that somewhere? I like channel mixer, but find in certain situations that using Photoshop's Hue/Saturation dialog can give you some nice control over the outcome. In the dialog, desaturate the image completely, then go to the different color channels and try sliding the Lightness adjustment left or right to see how it effects the image.
Kort Kramer - Kramer Kreations
i just found a rather nice way of doing it... i think i am in love:
http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=146508
"In every colour, there's the light.
In every stone sleeps a crystal.
Remember the Shaman, when he used to say:
Man is the dream of the Dolphin"
Rich Meadows Photography
oh - and kort - just have a play around, it is easy to pick up - left click on the actual gradient when it comes up to bring up the controls i talked about. The sliders on the top are opacity (as far as i remember- needless to say i never use them) and the ones on the bottom control what colour the gradient is and where it is on the gradient, the hollow diamond is the midpoint as i said earlier. The additional boxes below are faily self explanatory.
"In every colour, there's the light.
In every stone sleeps a crystal.
Remember the Shaman, when he used to say:
Man is the dream of the Dolphin"
Rich Meadows Photography
Attached Link: links
**Well here's a couple of good links I found on [www.twingine.com](http://www.twingine.com).. ...**
Once
in a while I look around,
I see
a sound
and
try to write it down
Sometimes
they come out very soft
Tinkling light sound
The Sun comes up again
Attached Link: http://www.amphian.com/edit/tipsbwphotos.php
and the other
Once
in a while I look around,
I see
a sound
and
try to write it down
Sometimes
they come out very soft
Tinkling light sound
The Sun comes up again
Attached Link: Greg Gorman Tutorial.
The method being referred to here as gradient mapping is the way originally put forward by Greg Gorman for converting digital images to black & white. (A few slight variations have crept in along the way).For a PDF on how to set up a PS action for this method see the link above from Greg Gorman's site.
Photo Filter is something they added in CS2 - you are not missing out on anything though. It is merely a colour overlay with an opacity control, you can do this in PS7.
And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies
live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to
sea in a Sieve.
Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html
Thanks Bobby. I guess I could have googled it too. ;'] EDIT: And thank YOU Sir Richard!
Kort Kramer - Kramer Kreations
I have used the Robert Carr method and it works well. Another place to check for downloadable "photoshop actions" is The Lights Right Studio. There is in the middle bottom of the page a window to click for photoshop actions, including bw conversions. I have one action from this site and it works quite well, within the parameters of my own fiddling around.
http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/digital-darkroom.htm
One good thing about Photoshop and PSP is that in PS actions ease the workload and can be as easy or complicated as you wish. Easy enough to record the methods as a action in PS or with slightly different approaches as a "script" in PSP.
The main reason I posted this thread was twofold, duotone if you will: I need to do better with bw conversions and lots of folks who might read the thread will find a new and effective means with them still at the helm of the result.
All the posted replies are greatly appreciated. Keep it up,folks. Thanks. Tom.
Since the Channel Mixer has been mentioned and illustrated in links (what a hottie in the first example - hubba hubba!), I will dive into the other 2 methods mentioned Hue/Saturation and Gradient Map.
Here's #1 - the Gradient Map - when you create a Gradient Map by default it will be black and white. As Inshaala mentioned, you can move the sliders around to adjust contrast. Here's another tidbit - make a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer between the Gradient and background image. Adjust individual colors to alter certain areas/objects. You're not limited in any way to just ONE Adjustment Layer, and it comes with a Mask (the white box to the right in the Layer Palette). So mask off what you don't want it affecting, and make another one just for new areas to affect.
In this image, it is the same as before, but with a new layer in Soft Light Mode. Get a paint brush - hard edged, soft edged, 100% to 10% opacity - whatever the image calls for - and paint with either black and white to dodge and burn - work much better than the actual Doge and Burn Tools and you have more control. You can also add Soft Light Layers and stack their affects on the image.
If you know you only want to dodge a LITTLE and will be making several strokes, don't use solid black or white. If you're using a lower opacity, as you paint another stroke, it will add up in density, so try this:
Figure out what percentage you want your painting in THAT area to be, and do it with a version of GRAY (at 100% opacity). Anything above 128 will lighten the image, anything below 128 will darken the image. If you only want a 50% darkened effect, use a value of 64 gray (R, G, and B set to 64 at the bottom right of the color picker).
As you change individual colors, you'll notice it's a bit muddy - you're changing the density of specific colors for whatever effect you're going for. This is why I usually make ANOTHER Levels Adjustment Layer below the first one and only adjust the main RGB setting - black, white, and middle gray. This will give it more punch.
And just like the previous example, I made a Soft Light Layer between the Adjustment Layers and the original image. Paint to dodge and burn to your heart's content.
As with everything in Photoshop, there are about 20 different ways to do anything - play and have fun! Figure out which methods you like because what matters is the final print.
Good luck, and I hope that helps-
-Lew ;-)
Yes, this was a great thread and thanks May for sharing your process.
Kort Kramer - Kramer Kreations
I guess it's all synchronicity, the perfect question with the perfect people reading and a desire to share...pretty magical even to an old fart like me.. ...
Once
in a while I look around,
I see
a sound
and
try to write it down
Sometimes
they come out very soft
Tinkling light sound
The Sun comes up again
I work in RAW converter in CS2.
Create one image for shadows, one for highlights and one for midtones. then blend them after that apply dodging and burning. Mix channels and sats on the very odd occassion.
Althou I wouldn't listen to myself - I think most of my stuff turns out inconclusive...
Rights Come With Responsibilities VAMP'hotography Website VAMP'hotography Blog
Attached Link: The Russel Brown Show
Russel Brown has collected a lot of these techniques in his movies. In his usual interesting style :biggrin: In particular the "Black and White Variations" movie along with the accompanying action.regards
prixat
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There are various methods of converting a color image to bw or monotone. The least effective in results appears to be the one click "convert to grayscale" in software like PS pr PSP.
An alternative method, for example: In the new Critique thread, Rich mentioned using "gradient map conversion"..something I have not used for conversion to monotone.
If you have a favorite method or plug or action for bw conversion, please share with the rest of us, perhaps with a quick run through of how you do it. There is little doubt that fine bw is not so simple as one click. Thanks. TomDart.