Black and White conversions

[Ernicus]

I see in threads a lot "nice b&w conversion". I wanted to search and lookup detailed info for such things. Search results are not great and I'd rather get opinions from some of you here than out on Google.

Does anyone have a great reference they used to learn they can link?

Is the cameras "monochrome" function not good to use? Ideally we want to work with our raw files of our pics we like and are keepers would be my assumption. I just don't know when to add or remove a certain color. I know to slide the sliders and see what I like best, but I'd actually like to learn why.

Thanks in advance.

 

[The_Pearl_Poet]

Although I am not very experienced, I recently had the same question and did a little research. I believe the channel mixer mimics the effects that colored filters have when used with black and white film. By using a certain color filter, some colors are enhanced in the black and white image, but I defer to someone more experienced in this matter.

 

[480sparky]

 

[KmH]

In Camera Raw/Lightroom you can use the HSL/Grayscale panel which gives you 8 sliders for altering the density of each slider color, but in grayscale mode.

Channel Mixer in Photoshop only has 3 channels, but a B&W adjustment layer gives you 6 sliders for doing a B&W conversion. Additionally, Photoshop has better dodge/burn tools and options than the simplistic dodge/burn function in Camera Raw/Lightroom does.

If you want to learn how to use Camera Raw/Lightroom's develope module (both are ACR) get - Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5

 

[KenC]

I increase or decrease the amount of a certain color when I want to lighten or darken something in the image which is close to that color. Often two colors of similar brightness don't separate well in a BW image, so you have to change their relative brightness.

 

[Ernicus]

Thanks for the vid and link. Time to read.

I use Adobe Photoshop CS6, which uses Camera Raw 7.0, guess I coulda included that part earlier, lol. Just assumed we all use the latest n greatest.

 

[Ernicus]

Thanks for that vid sparky, excellent stuff. I'd recommend a sticky somewhere of such tutorials and or writeups you folks to for us, so as to have them all in one spot. I really want to learn the "why" of things and can't afford school yet...so anything instructive is great.

 

[Ernicus]

I like the way the nx2 software functioned and looked in your video better than the controls I have in Camera Raw. Seemed to have easier control of the spectrum, so I'm downloading that now and will start learning to use it.

 

[MTVision]

I like the way the nx2 software functioned and looked in your video better than the controls I have in Camera Raw. Seemed to have easier control of the spectrum, so I'm downloading that now and will start learning to use it.

Camera raw isn't the only way to convert to b/w. There is also the b/w adjustment layer in photoshop, gradient map, channel mixer and I'm sure I'm mixing a couple more.

 

[Ernicus]

I like the way the nx2 software functioned and looked in your video better than the controls I have in Camera Raw. Seemed to have easier control of the spectrum, so I'm downloading that now and will start learning to use it.

Camera raw isn't the only way to convert to b/w. There is also the b/w adjustment layer in photoshop, gradient map, channel mixer and I'm sure I'm mixing a couple more.

Photoshop uses Camera Raw for raw files (It's built in). Those you mentioned are the regular adjustments from regular files, not raw files.

I am looking to process the raw files into good quality b&w, then use photoshop to further finalize the picture.

 

[KmH]

I'd recommend a sticky somewhere of such tutorials ....

Uh, there already is one. It's one of 4 stickies at the top of the Beginner's forum - http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum/123160-tutorial-thread.html