Black and White Pics

[linpelk]

Could someone tell me what kind of adjustments one would make in PP to make a B&W picture more vivid (is that the right word??). When I change my pictures to B&W (or Sepia for that matter) they always look so flat. Any advice? Thanks

 

[Dagwood56]

Try increasing the contrast. Black and white usually looks good with higher contrast.

 

[linpelk]

AHHH, I just went back and increased the contrast on one and it instantly looks MUCH, MUCH better. Thanks!

 

[dcclark]

Try using the Channel Mixer (in Photoshop or Gimp) with the "Monochrome" box checked. That lets you change how much the red, green, and blue channels contribute to the black and white image. If you image has a lot of red, for example, you can use that to make the red parts really stick out more.