Advice Wanted (black and white)

[JustAMom]

well, the selective color was an accident, but I decided to keep it. What I am really seeking advice for is how to improve my black and white photographs. My son always ends up looking so washed out when I try to enhance black and whites. (i used channel mixer to make it black and white, and adjusted the curves... im new to this so please advise me on any better techniques!)

 

[JimmyAtlantis]

How exactly are you using the channel mixer? Are you choosing monochrome and adjusting the source channels from there or do you look at your channels pallette to decide which channel you like best by itself and cancelling out the others?

 

[JustAMom]

i did monochrome 100% red

 

[coastietech]

Here's how I make my photo's B&W. Open the the photo you want to turn into B&W in Photoshop. Go to Image and select Mode and then Lab Color. Then go to channels on the bottom right and select the lightness channel. Then go back to the Image and Mode and select Gray scale. It will ask you if you want to get rid of all the other channels select yes. Then hit Ctrl + J and it will copy the background in a new layer. Then go to layer and click the box that says normal and select Multiply and then adjust Opacity until it looks like you want it to. Hope this helps. Please don't take offense to me spelling everything out to you since I don't know your skill level with the program.

 

[JimmyAtlantis]

i did monochrome 100% red

Don't just do 100% red. Play around with all 3 sliders because even though you chose monochrome the 3 color channels still matter.

 

[coastietech]

Hope you don't mind me giving it a try. Here is what it would have come out like following the steps above.

 

[JimmyAtlantis]

Hope you don't mind me giving it a try. Here is what it would have come out like following the steps above.

Using who's steps? Yours or mine? If you just copied this image from this screen you're not getting the results you would've from the original color pic being that this is about converting from color to bw and not bw to bw.

 

[coastietech]

Using who's steps? Yours or mine? If you just copied this image from this screen you're not getting the results you would've from the original color pic being that this is about converting from color to bw and not bw to bw.

I used the steps that I provided from my post above. I don't think it matters whether the picture was in color or not. Because in the first step you are isolating the lightness channel from Lab color. It is my understanding that, that channel takes only luminosity readings not color readings. I could be wrong though. But if it does take luminosity readings and not color readings then the results would be the same. Unless she has changed the exposure of the original photo.


Justamom- is there a way you could post a copy of the original color picture so I can test this theory. Thank you.

 

[miltphoto]

I think your right, coastietech. What you did gave it life, thats a great shot Justamom.

 

[JustAMom]

WOW i do see a great improvement. i am a beginner so I LOVE when people spell things out for me!! ill have to favorites this post for future reference!!!

 

[darich]

There are several ways to convert a colour digital image to b&w.
Each has its own merits and is suitable for different subjects and they all produce different results depending on the starting image.

It's a case of knowing a few methods and choosing the appropriate one.

I normally use calculations, specify which colours to adjust and then adjust the lighting. Sometimes, simply selecting "desaturate" or sliding the colour slider control to the left gives a satisfactory result.

 

[coastietech]

WOW i do see a great improvement. i am a beginner so I LOVE when people spell things out for me!! ill have to favorites this post for future reference!!!

It was a great photo to begin. Glad I could help.