Learning Black & White

[Scrumbles]

I've been dipping my toes into B&W lately, concentrating on composition, contrast, etc. I've been shooting in color and converting to B&W with DPP (Canon's software), and then tweaking it a bit with GIMP.

But I feel like I'm just guessing as to what the final shot should look like.

Can anyone recommend a book or a site that gets way down deep into the process of converting to B&W?

 

[ristretto]

I've been dipping my toes into B&W lately, concentrating on composition, contrast, etc. I've been shooting in color and converting to B&W with DPP (Canon's software), and then tweaking it a bit with GIMP.

But I feel like I'm just guessing as to what the final shot should look like.

Can anyone recommend a book or a site that gets way down deep into the process of converting to B&W?

This one.

You want to use the GIMP or Photoshop. Channel Mixer tool, Curves tool, Levels tool, Overlay, Soft Light and Screen layer modes, Dodge and Burn tools (or black and white paint brush tool in a Overlay/Soft Light layer of reduced opacity).

Post a picture thats ok to edit and I'll show you if you want.

 

[Msteelio91]

This one.

You want to use the GIMP or Photoshop. Channel Mixer tool, Curves tool, Levels tool, Overlay, Soft Light and Screen layer modes, Dodge and Burn tools (or black and white paint brush tool in a Overlay/Soft Light layer of reduced opacity).

Post a picture thats ok to edit and I'll show you if you want.

I think you forgot a hyperlink

 

[deeky]

For me it was just a matter of shoot, shoot, shoot. When you are editing, pay attention during conversion so you know how colors and shades translate. It will come easier the more you work on it. For me it really was a practice thing. I never really did a whole lot of reading specifically on how to convert.

 

[D-B-J]

While I'm sure editing it all by hand in Photoshop is the most "proper" way of learning/doing it, I've found Nik's Silver Efex Pro to be an OUTSTANDING B&W conversion software. It's robust, simple to use, and the presets make it easy to see how different "looks" look on your photo. I used to use Photoshop and Lightroom to do conversions, but I now use their software as my sole converter. And for me, just practice. Take a program, convert it, and see how changing the reds affects the image. The yellows. The blues. etc.

Jake

 

[480sparky]

The process of converting to B&W begins before you raise the camera to your eye.

 

[ann]

Find a copy of Vincent Versage "Return to Oz Oz to Kansas 2.0 He covers more information than one can image.

However, as Sparky indicates, the most important item is to learn how to see in greyscale.

 

[gsgary]

A good starting point is channel mixer and click monocrome and ad 68,24,8 and it will give you quite a nice b+w also check this out

Gorman-Holbert Conversion Method

 

[SnappingShark]

Just print to a black and white printer

 

[pdq5oh]

Learn middle grey and expose for that in your images. The blacks and whites will fall in place. Beware of too much contrast in subjects, and in post.

 

[steve23]

The desaturation method is very useful for converting image to b&w. Just open the file you want to convert and add an Adjust layer. Click on Hue/Saturation.

 

[480sparky]

The desaturation method is very useful for converting image to b&w. Just open the file you want to convert and add an Adjust layer. Click on Hue/Saturation.

Desaturation usually renders a very flat, low-contrast image. There's other methods that produce far better results. Methods, of course, that will depend on the software used.

 

[timor]

There's other methods that produce far better results.

Yes K1000 loaded with, let say, HP5.

 

[gsgary]

There's other methods that produce far better results.

Yes K1000 loaded with, let say, HP5.

Or Orwo UN54[emoji3]