Black and White Conversions

[john crossley]

Due to an overwhelming number of requests (1 actually) to write an article on how I created the Black and White image of Royd Moor Wind Farm, hear it is.

Software: Lightroom

Process: Open Lightroom and select image.
Select “Develop” and then select “Greyscale”
On the Greyscale Mix Palette drag the “Blue” slider all the way over to the left (-100) adjust other colours accordingly.
On the Regions Palette adjust “Highlights, Lights, Darks and Shadows” as required.
Fine tune all adjustments as necessary to achieve desired affect.


QZ6L5098-1b.jpg

[sassan]

I don't have Lightroom, but love to figure out the equivalent on Photoshop.

John now that you are so generous, why not to put up the original color version also to see if any other method can match your? Just a thought.

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by sassan

I don't have Lightroom, but love to figure out the equivalent on Photoshop.

John now that you are so generous, why not to put up the original color version also to see if any other method can match your? Just a thought.

I use NX so I'd be interested if that can get near.

Don

[yelvertoft]

John,
Thank you very much for this. I don't have lightroom, but I'll have a go at adapting the basic process in Capture 1 and/or Photoshop. It looks like it has real potential to give digital images a B&W film feel.

Regards,

Duncan

[greenbunion]

As I have mentioned on another thread, the b/w conversion in Photoshop CS3is the best I have seen. An RGB file remains an RGB file through the conversion and is then changed to a greyscale at the end (if you want to). You can control the way red, green, yellow, cyan, blue and magenta are all converted, so giving a huge range of experiments. Anyone who has access to CS3 should really give it a try.

[yelvertoft]

OK, I tried John's method in Photoshop CS2 and found it didn't behave as I would have liked it to. I may persevere with using the channel mixer method in the future.

I did find that Capture 1 v3.7.7 can use a series of B&W 'profiles'. I've imported these profiles (taken from an evaluation copy of C1 v3.7.7 Pro) into the copy of C1 v4 beta2 that I'm currently using. By using the B&W Yellow Filter emulation, and then tweaking the contrast/saturation to suit, I've got fairly close to the look and feel I was after. If there's any C1 users out there who've used the jfi labs B&W film emulation filters (found here http://www.jfilabs.com/), I'd be interested to know if they are any good.

If anyone is interested, the photo is a section of the Normandy coast near Port-en-Bessain looking towards "Gold Beach". The remnants of the Mullbery harbour at Arromanches can be seen on the horizon.

Duncan

[Don Hoey]

Looks pretty impressive to me Duncan.

I have been temporarily diverted from B&W conversion but I will get back to it.

Don

[sassan]

Originally Posted by yelvertoft

OK, I tried John's method in Photoshop CS2 and found it didn't behave as I would have liked it to. I may persevere with using the channel mixer method in the future.

Duncan

Duncan the key here is CS3 that is a totally different beast than its precursors.

If you have CS or CS2, you can achieve that precise degree of B&W conversion (Selective latitude on every color converted) by going through a wonderful tutorial that was put up by Stuart Little, My Photoshop Guru. If interested will find and send you the link.

BTW nice image, of course after the usual too tight, too wide thingies...

[John Hallas]

Someone posted a CS2 action on here recently to do all sorts of B/W conversions. I found that very good

[Gidders]

Originally Posted by sassan

If you have CS or CS2, you can achieve that precise degree of B&W conversion (Selective latitude on every color converted) by going through a wonderful tutorial that was put up by Stuart Little, My Photoshop Guru. If interested will find and send you the link.

Always interested in B&W conversion techniques Sassan - post away