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B&W conversions

DanielBDanielB Registered Users Posts: 2,362 Major grins
edited December 14, 2005 in Technique
i am an absolute sucker for B&W. but everytime i try to convert an image, i end up either way to high contrast, or way to little contrast. there is never an
in-between for me. so i was thinking. we could make this into a thread where we all post our special methods of getting that B&W conversion just right. After all, we can never stop learning in a program like Photoshop.:thumb
Daniel Bauer
smugmug: www.StandOutphoto.smugmug.com

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    wholenewlightwholenewlight Registered Users Posts: 1,529 Major grins
    edited December 13, 2005
    I've been using Greg Gorman's B&W conversion method for awhile. It has you do a lab conversion and you end up using a duotone-like step. It's a few extra steps but I like the results - very controlable for me.

    http://www.gormanphotography.com/bw_conversion.pdf

    poke around in his website while you're there - interesting place.

    a couple of my B&W's

    38638945-M.jpg
    my 2 year-old grandaughter, Katelyn . . .

    21899532-M.jpg
    Harrisburg PA Star Barn
    john w
    http://cspics.smugmug.com/

    I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
    Edward Steichen

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    flysacessnaflysacessna Registered Users Posts: 7 Beginner grinner
    edited December 13, 2005
    Dodge Burn and Sharpen
    I use a liberal amount of selective dodge and burn then I run two sharpening settings... some think it's a little harse but I really like it.47393047-L.jpg
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    binghottbinghott Registered Users Posts: 1,075 Major grins
    edited December 14, 2005
    once i'm done editing the picture i use optikverve labs' virtual photographer photoshop filter to convert to black and white. it has so many options and things to play with, you're bound to get a good black and white conversion. this is the answer you're looking for danielb. oh, and it's completely free.
    binghott.com
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    wholenewlightwholenewlight Registered Users Posts: 1,529 Major grins
    edited December 14, 2005
    binghott wrote:
    once i'm done editing the picture i use optikverve labs' virtual photographer photoshop filter to convert to black and white. it has so many options and things to play with, you're bound to get a good black and white conversion. this is the answer you're looking for danielb. oh, and it's completely free.
    And Xero Graphics makes a nice plug-in action for PS to do B&W Conversions. Actually there are two plug-ins - one called grayscaler and one called graytinter - I like grayscaller better.

    Here's the link:
    http://www.xero-graphics.co.uk/freeware.htm

    It also is totally free. They have a bunch of free actions. Another neat one is Porcelain.
    john w
    http://cspics.smugmug.com/

    I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
    Edward Steichen

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    ruttrutt Registered Users Posts: 6,511 Major grins
    edited December 14, 2005
    If you really want to get good at B&W conversions and, more importantly, understand what's actually going on, there is no substitute for reading the chapter called Friend and Foe in Black and White in Dan Margulis' book Professional Photoshop. If you don't understand what's going deep down, you can learn some rote workflow, buy this or that plugin or action, whatever, but you will encounter situations where it doesn't work. Learn the underlying theory and you will always be able to get good results.
    If not now, when?
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