Basic tips/techniques for conversions?

[Loa]

Hello,

I've been browsing through this forum and I must say that I'm seeing black&white images in a whole new light: I love them!

I've been testing out conversions in PS3, mainly using B&W, Curves and Brightness/Contrast adjustment layers. I'm failry satisfied with the results, but most of the images posted in this part of the forum are a lot better.

I'm guessing there are ways to get better B&W images, both from a change in shooting strategies and PS3 converting/editing techniques.

I've looked around but haven't found a tutorial or tips thread. Have I missed them?

Thanks,

Loa

[D.Rodgers]

Have you seen Rense's plugin for photoshop.
I can attest to the quality results from what I've seen here.
http://www.photocamel.com/forum/mode...l-members.html

[Loa]

Hello,

Thanks for the link. I already posted on that thread, but I'm a mac user and I can't get that pulg-in... :-(

Loa

[Rense]

Loa,
Post one of your color photo's and we talk you the way to B/W ...

[Loa]

Hello,

Thanks for the offer Rense.

Here's one I really like.

Thanks again!

Loa

[Rense]

well here we go:

step 1: see the light: desaturate the colors (because the colors can distract from the real lightness) and indicate where there is too much light (blue) and too little light (rose)


step 2: get the tonal range oke: apply levels: pull in black/white points a little. This image has been taken in full sun, lower the gamma somewhat


step 3: get the basis right: split channels and look for the most contrast (red and green mostly with portraits)


step 4: combine the information: I choose to add the darkest parts of the red channel to the green channel (calculations source1 =green channel, source 2=red channel, blending=multiply)


step 5: apply the light: dodge with a large soft brush the rose regions, burn the blue regions


step 6: make it work: add a little grain 5% gaussian, remove the color burn under his left eye


step 7: hold it together: burn the edges (new layer gradient fill using foreground to transparannt angle=90 another new layer this time angle = 0, merge down the gradiebnt layers, set blendmode to soft light opacity 20%)
et voila:
.

[Loa]

Hello Rense,

Thanks a lot for this tutorial!!! As a bonus I learned a few new PS things I'll have to learn to get familiar with.

Any tips when "shooting" with B&W in mind?

Thanks again,

Loa

[Rense]

No thanks needed Loa, it was a nice thing to do.

Mind you: this conversion is only one possibility. I could alter the imageimpression completely by using different techinques.

Maybe other forummembers also want to have a go at this shot.

There are quite few tricks for shooting B/W, I need some more time to write these up.

[D.Rodgers]

Originally Posted by Loa

Hello Rense

Any tips when "shooting" with B&W in mind?

Thats a tough question as it really depends on the style of your images and your B&W techniques .
Theres a few rules I follow, blown highlights can be exaggerated in a black and white also anything to do with the sky really needs clouds . Grey mid -day bright toneless sky's become very boring in b&w.
That said I blow highlights on purpose to get an old feel to my images .I like the bleed that it offers.
The other thing is colors theres three to be concerned with rgb thats it .This are you primary colors when adjusting for b&w.
I look for scenes that are heavy in red and green its gives me more tonal range in my conversions I tend to create darker images.


This is the best advice I can give.Practice and try diffrent things shoot overexposed ,underexposed and all things in between.
Take a image open it up and try oversaturate the colors before you process it and see what happens when you start converting ,its like magic flat tones disappear and it becomes more artistic etc.

Then when you have a style you've honed in on ,it's much easier to shoot for your conversions because you know what to expect.

I hope this helps Rense already covered the conversion process and he knows much more then me on that.
Good luck and looking forward to seeing some conversions.

[D.Rodgers]

styles vary so much .
Using a Nikon nx capture converter I chose a heavy red filter to darken the green in the trees to bring the subject forward

[Lee4145]

Channel mixer method. Monochrome and slider values of R = 40 G = 50 B = 10

Nothing else. No mask, no blending, nothing.

[Lee4145]

And this one is a split channel thing as Rense described. I threw away the blue channel completely.

I just stacked the Red on top of the Green and put a mask on the Red channel at 70% so some of the dark would show through. Then I used a black brush to paint in a little more of the green channel where I wanted it. Primarily on his face.

[Rense]

.. Rense already covered ..

That is really optimistic: I didn't even cover 10% of the possible ways to convert to B/W.

[Rense]

that is a nice conversion Lee4145.