A recent thread was about converting an image to b/w. There are lots of different methods: Greg Gorman's method or channel mixer were discussed and there are others. The problem with channel mixer is: that PS Elements does not have it. I have discovered another method which is useful for people with PS Elements and gives as good a result in my opinion. Here it is: Open an image. Add an adjustment layer for: Hue/Saturation. Reduce saturation to -100. Now people are saying 'huh' that doesn't work because it converts to b/w giving equal weight to all colours which is not how the human eye sees. It has converted yellows with the same brightness as blues, to all the same shade of grey. But wait.... Go to the 'Layers Pallette'. Change the 'Blend Mode' of your 'Adjustment Layer' to: 'Color' There you are a 'perceptual' conversion to b/w giving different weightings to different colours so the image is more as your eyes saw the original scene. The bottom four blend options(Hue/Saturation/Color/Luminosity) on the list in PS are Perceptual blends they blend weighted for how the human eye sees ie. more sensitive to Green than Blue etc. Now do any tweaks in: levels or curves on another adjustment layer and you will have a finished image.

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