Digital Darkroom Assignment #19

cletus

Back to Basics - Color to Black & White

I thought for this assignment we would revisit one of our most popular topics: Color to black and white conversions. It is my hope that some of the folks who participated in this assignment before will participate again and share any new tricks that they have learned. It is also my hope that some of the folks that may not have been around before will participate this time around. So here we go!

Use the photo editing software of your choice to convert a color image to black and white. The point of this challenge is to find a method of going from color to black and white that you feel comfortable with and gets you consistent results. If you already have a favorite method for converting to black and white, try to discover a new method!

You are encouraged to post not only your final image, but also your original color image and a description of your color to black and white conversion method.

Advanced Spin: Feel free to add toning or other special effects to your image. The only requirement is that the entire image must be monochromatic. No mixing color and black and white in the final image... We'll save that for another day!

Hints/Tips:

Be sure to check out the first color to black and white assignment for ideas!

cletus

This one was done with the ol' Channel mixer. +60% Red, +60% Green, -20% Blue

Original:


B&W:

wxwax

Excellent.

I usually try the Channel Mixer first. But I find it works better on landscapes than it does portraits. For portraits I've tried the Zero-Zero method. But I often find it doesn't get that sharp feeling I like. This morning I did a B&W portrait using a third method, but I can't remember the photographer's web site where I found it!

Basically, he converts the image to LAB/grayscale/gray channel/select highlights/inverse/toning/curves/high pass filter. Worked like a charm.

I'll post a before and after, and a link, when I get home tonight.

wxwax

OK, here's the before picture.



And here are two versions of an "after" picture. The major differences are how the Curves were done, and the duotone color.





The B&W technique is Greg Gorman's - be aware that that's a link to a PDF.

wxwax

Slight changes and a crop.

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

The B&W technique is Greg Gorman's - be aware that that's a link to a PDF.

I love that technique. Of course duotone isn't monochrome, but you can use his technique for either.

wxwax

DavidTO wrote:

I love that technique. Of course duotone isn't monochrome, but you can use his technique for either.

Yeah, you're right, good point.

wxwax

I keep fiddling because I don't like my B&W and am not sure what to change. Here's another version - the differences are too subtle, perhaps.

cletus

Original:


Zero-Zero Method:


Channel Mixer (R 50, G 10, B 40)


For these conversions I wanted to darken up the grass to help the subject stand out.

DavidTO

wxwax wrote:

I keep fiddling because I don't like my B&W and am not sure what to change. Here's another version - the differences are too subtle, perhaps.

I like this last one. I think her skin does best when it's a bit lighter like this, the grayer versions don't pop as much, and I think this image is all about impact of her face and eyes.

wxwax

DavidTO wrote:

I like this last one. I think her skin does best when it's a bit lighter like this, the grayer versions don't pop as much, and I think this image is all about impact of her face and eyes.

Thank you David, for spotting exactly what had troubled me about the shot! Yes, I was trying to make her face moe contrasty. I've since added a very slight blur to remove skin imperfections.

wxwax

cletus wrote:

Original:

For these conversions I wanted to darken up the grass to help the subject stand out.

I like the second because it's.... more contrasty!

Actually, upon further review, it looks like you used two different methods to achieve an almost identical result.

cletus

An oldie
Original:


B&W (Chanel Mixer - R 100%, G 0%, B 0%):


After a little dodge & burn / Levels Adjustment:

wxwax

Yes, definitely the second, the clouds have more shape, much more intriguing.

I'm surprised that more folks aren't interested in playing along to this challenge. It's a basic skill and we could all learn something. For example, I never, ever drop my Green to 10% the way you did - and yet it worked.

Rohirrim

I'm not a big fan of B&W but I wanted to play anyway. I found these old style buildings at a park this weekend and thought they would look more natural as B&W. I'd like to know what you think. Too boring? More contrast?

Tried a method for B&W described here http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/DigitalDarkroom/LearningGalleries/B&WFineArt/B&WFineArt.htm

Before:



After cropping, initial edge sharpening, cloning out the cement and Grayscale conversion and final sharpen.



Regards,
Steve

cletus

Rohirrim wrote:

Too boring? More contrast?

Looks great

wxwax

Rohirrim wrote:

I'm not a big fan of B&W but I wanted to play anyway. I found these old style buildings at a park this weekend and thought they would look more natural as B&W. I'd like to know what you think. Too boring? More contrast?

Tried a method for B&W described here http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/DigitalDarkroom/LearningGalleries/B&WFineArt/B&WFineArt.htm

Before:



After cropping, initial edge sharpening, cloning out the cement and Grayscale conversion and final sharpen.



Regards,
Steve

Nice work and a cool link. I'm gonna try this method this evening.

cletus

A completely different approach!
This technique is probably pointless on it's own, but it could be a starting point for some interesting stuff.

Starting with the color image:


Add a solid color fill layer. When the color picker pops up for you to select the color of your fill layer, set the saturation to zero:


When you leave the color picker, Photoshop replaces your color image with a some-shade-of-gray fill. Now go to the layers palette and change the blending mode of the fill layer to Saturation:


Setting a layer's blending mode to saturation causes Photoshop to take the pixels of the layer and apply their saturation to the layers below. Because our solid fill layer has zero saturation it effectively strips all the color out of the layers below it... turning the color image into B&W:

XO-Studios

wxwax wrote:

Excellent.

I usually try the Channel Mixer first. But I find it works better on landscapes than it does portraits. For portraits I've tried the Zero-Zero method. But I often find it doesn't get that sharp feeling I like. This morning I did a B&W portrait using a third method, but I can't remember the photographer's web site where I found it!

Basically, he converts the image to LAB/grayscale/gray channel/select highlights/inverse/toning/curves/high pass filter. Worked like a charm.

I'll post a before and after, and a link, when I get home tonight.

On top of the ZERO ZERO trick which uses two adjustment layers (both hue/saturation), I personally really like using two adjustment layers, first one hue/saturation (and for fun colorize can be on or off play with it) and then a channel mixer adjustment layer on top set to monochrome.

FWIW,

XO,

4labs

I use www.imagefactory.com BW conversion3. I find it to be extremely easy to use, with many options for toning and contrast and even exposure adjusments.

Here is an oldie but one of my favorites...

Before


After

wholenewlight

cletus wrote:

This technique is probably pointless on it's own, but it could be a starting point for some interesting stuff.

Starting with the color image:


Add a solid color fill layer. When the color picker pops up for you to select the color of your fill layer, set the saturation to zero:


When you leave the color picker, Photoshop replaces your color image with a some-shade-of-gray fill. Now go to the layers palette and change the blending mode of the fill layer to Saturation:


Setting a layer's blending mode to saturation causes Photoshop to take the pixels of the layer and apply their saturation to the layers below. Because our solid fill layer has zero saturation it effectively strips all the color out of the layers below it... turning the color image into B&W:

Cool, it works!

But why wouldn't I just want to make a duplicate layer and then choose the "desaturate" command? They both look the same to me.

wxwax

Because you have more more control doing it other ways.

wholenewlight

Real simple. Levels and curves adjustments and "desaturate" command. A little but of "burn" on the clouds.






I also have 2 cool little plug-ins from xero called "greytinter" and "greyscaler" that work well for B&W conversions. And they're freeware to download and use! I did not use either on on this shot, though.

wxwax

That looks very nice.

Lots and lots of ways to skin this cat.

ginger_55

I have been using channel mixer with green predominant for a few months, just have never been happy with it.

I was in a hurry for a Game photo and used my old way of just taking the color out in the saturation thing, zip tint, and zip saturation.

I like it, so I used it in my thanksgiving shots which I did not want to spend a lot of time on. I know it is not "the pro's way", but I am happy with it for the moment.

I am adding a bit of black in selective colors, ala Andy's constantly saying he does that.

Also, I do work up the color to my best satisfaction first. I have not been crazy about the color from this trip. I am preferring the black and white amateur's version.

Before:



OK, here I am going to have to wipe Ian's nose, glad I caught it, his parents probably wouldn't have.


That is with a straight on flash. What I am not happy about for the most part is that after I make the skin the proper yellow tint, I hate it. Really should have an assistant do this stuff, or shoulda studied Marguilis. But for these, which I still have not finished, I do not want to spend much time at all, so here is my "finished" black and white.




That is to show off to the parents (They are my grandchildren "by" my youngest son and his wife)

This is what I would show you all (different strokes for diff folks)




I don't know when this thread was, but this was Thanksgiving 2005, and I worked it up 12/03/2005

ginger

wxwax

I've been playing with a method I read about in the magazine Digital Photo Pro.

Open your image. Make a duplicate. Make the duplicate Grayscale.

Go back to your original color version. Go to Channels. Copy and paste each color channel, one at a time, to your grayscale image.

On the Grayscale, click alt-mask icon (at the bottom of the layers palette) on each new color channel layer to mask them out. Use your paintbrush (set to white) to bring back whatever portion you like.

Flatten, make RGB. Do a Hue/Sat layer to give it some toning. Do a Color Balance layer to tweak. Then play with Curves as needed.

rutt

Sid, this is very similar to something that I've been doing for the last year. I start just like you do, with a layer for each RGB channel. Then I play with the blending options and opacity to get a conversion. For example, often the blue channel is pretty good for landscape foregrounds, but the red channel is better for the sky. So I might layer the red channel on top of the blue channel and use "Darken" blend mode. For portraits, often the green channel is best everywhere but eyes, which can be lighter in the blue. So use blue on top of green with "lighten" mode. At a minimum, using opacity for the three channel layers give all the power of the channel blender.

wxwax

Good tips, Rutt. For my low-light concert shots, the blue is so noisy as to be unusable, unfortunately.