black and white photos

[Azylum]

how do you guys get such great b/w photos? the only way i can do it is to use photoshop and play with contrast/brightness. is that how everybody does it?

[Skid]

I didn't take these photos, but they were sent to me as color images. I desaturated them and played around with some of the filters, like the sepia. It is the best way I have found, but I can barely find my way around photoshop.


http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322819238_kAPZA-M.jpg
http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322819359_GCYyt-M.jpg
http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322819238_kAPZA-M.jpg

http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322953877_ERQuZ-M.jpg
http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322954522_rhSHk-M.jpg
http://delusionalone.smugmug.com/photos/322955056_Bg6Ny-M.jpg

[Azylum]

ya ive filtered out colors with PS before:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/newbackgrouind.jpg

but im wondering if these guys with these awesome b/w photos are using photoshop to do so or is there a trick with teh camera.:mrgreen:

[Skid]

Ahhh, got it! :thumb:

[Tracker]

KenRockwell.com b&w tips (http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/photoshop/b-w.htm)

[Azylum]

ah ok so it is done with photoshop. im pretty familiar with PS. thanks! :mrgreen:

[ctoons]

For those of us who don't have Photoshop, there's always Photobucket.

original:

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss23/ctoons/Pie%20Run%20III%20New%20Ulm%2009/Reflection.jpg

B&W:

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss23/ctoons/Pie%20Run%20III%20New%20Ulm%2009/Reflection-1.jpg

[Tracker]

or paint.net (free) or irfanview (free) or even MS Office Picture Manager (drop the saturation to zero)

visitor to Plano from the panhandle yesterday
(processed in paint.net and resized in office pic mgr)
http://www.twtex.com/photopost/data/574/tumbleweedB-W.jpg

[Azylum]

thing about those is you cant play with the contrast, which really sets off the pics. here ill show you:

heres an original of my bike

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/32009177.jpg

here it is again with just straight b/w done to it:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/bike.jpg

heres the same pic photochopped with contrast and lighting adjustment:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/32009177-1.jpg

im basically just copying how i see alot of b/w pics and it seems to work. ill play around with it a bit more tho.:mrgreen:

[Azylum]

For those of us who don't have Photoshop, there's always Photobucket.

original:

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss23/ctoons/Pie%20Run%20III%20New%20Ulm%2009/Reflection.jpg

B&W:

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss23/ctoons/Pie%20Run%20III%20New%20Ulm%2009/Reflection-1.jpg

heres your swamp pic with a little lighting/contrast work done to it to give a bit more depth
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/swamp.jpg

not really sure if you like that sort of thing but i was using your pic as an example. hope you dont mind. :sun:

[Azylum]

and the tumbleweed pic:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/tumbleweedB-W.jpg

[Tracker]

cool, thanks. I see what you mean.

I think paint.net comes closest to being a photoshop knock-off. Just for fun, I'll play with it more and see if I can replicate what you're doing

[ctoons]

heres your swamp pic with a little lighting/contrast work done to it to give a bit more depth
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/my%20photos/swamp.jpg

not really sure if you like that sort of thing but i was using your pic as an example. hope you dont mind. :sun:

That looks really cool!

[Janet]

B&W:

http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss23/ctoons/Pie%20Run%20III%20New%20Ulm%2009/Reflection-1.jpg


:clap::clap:

[Thunderchild]

how do you guys get such great b/w photos? the only way i can do it is to use photoshop and play with contrast/brightness. is that how everybody does it?

Another way to get a little more control is to use Image > Adjust > Channel Mixer in Photoshop. (I'm still using the old PS 6 btw.)

Check the monochrome button in the mixer window, then use the RGB sliders to get the filter effect that you want. Just don't go over 100% for all the channels added together if you want to keep the same brightness/contrast as the original.

This is roughly the equivalent of using different color filters when shooting B/W film. Such as a red filter to darken blue skies, or a green filter for landscapes to create contrast between different shades of green.

You can use the dodge and burn brushes once you get the tonal quality that you're looking for to punch things out or darken them.

There's other ways to do it, but this is quick and easy.

[Brotha J]

ya ive filtered out colors with PS before:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m81/zcarninja/newbackgrouind.jpg

but im wondering if these guys with these awesome b/w photos are using photoshop to do so or is there a trick with teh camera.:mrgreen:

How does one do that?

I have PS Elements but I cannot figure out how to do that effect. :help:

[drroccostein]

For those that don't want to pay for Adobe programs there is a free alternative out there from the sourceforge world.

Name of the program is GIMP (GNU image manipulation program)

found at www.gimp.org it has a PS feel just a lot lighter on the wallet, down side is it only supports 8bit at this time. I actuall use it for personal and professional use.

[poser]

if you have a Mac, iPhoto lets you crop, do B&W, and adjust brightness, contrast and saturation

I don't have a recent version of PS, I use Firework, I need to see if it has the color filter thing, those look really good.

[Skillet]

Another way to get a little more control is to use Image > Adjust > Channel Mixer in Photoshop. (I'm still using the old PS 6 btw.)

Check the monochrome button in the mixer window, then use the RGB sliders to get the filter effect that you want. Just don't go over 100% for all the channels added together if you want to keep the same brightness/contrast as the original.

This is roughly the equivalent of using different color filters when shooting B/W film. Such as a red filter to darken blue skies, or a green filter for landscapes to create contrast between different shades of green.

You can use the dodge and burn brushes once you get the tonal quality that you're looking for to punch things out or darken them.

There's other ways to do it, but this is quick and easy.

That's a great technique!! Thanks for the tip.

El Cap with a simulated red filter ...
http://billit.smugmug.com/photos/508233366_2DmV7-M.jpg

Cheers,

Ben

[Thunderchild]

Skillet, Thanks for the comment.

That technique really works well on that photo!

I'm still trying to get the same end results with digital methods that I get using my old Nikon FM with Tri-X, and D76.

I'm going to have to break down and get a nice DSLR one of these days.

[Azylum]

Another way to get a little more control is to use Image > Adjust > Channel Mixer in Photoshop. (I'm still using the old PS 6 btw.)

Check the monochrome button in the mixer window, then use the RGB sliders to get the filter effect that you want. Just don't go over 100% for all the channels added together if you want to keep the same brightness/contrast as the original.

This is roughly the equivalent of using different color filters when shooting B/W film. Such as a red filter to darken blue skies, or a green filter for landscapes to create contrast between different shades of green.

You can use the dodge and burn brushes once you get the tonal quality that you're looking for to punch things out or darken them.

There's other ways to do it, but this is quick and easy.

ya i use the image adjuster but never really messed with the channel mixer. ill give that a try.

How does one do that?

I have PS Elements but I cannot figure out how to do that effect. :help:

just cutting out layers of the parts i want to keep color and when im done ill set the background to black and white. OR theres an alternative. just copy the back ground as a duplicate layer. set the ORIGINAL background to black and white (image>adjustments>hugh/saturation). then use your eraser tool and erase the parts of the duplicate layer (which is still color) that you dont want.

[Thunderchild]

It's a quick and easy way to change what shade of gray the colors are converted to.

Here's a quick example...

The original photo in color. I picked this one to use because of the red and green bikes.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/willum556/misc/ex-color.jpg


Here's with 100% red channel (monochrome mode). Notice the red goes almost white.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/willum556/misc/ex-100red.jpg


100% Green Channel. The green is now almost white.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/willum556/misc/ex-100green.jpg

100% Blue Channel. The hazy, blue mountain ridge in the background disappears in to the sky.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r100/willum556/misc/ex-100blue.jpg

A lot of B/W film shooters use a yellow or orange filter most of the time.

[Photojojo]

Another way to get a little more control is to use Image > Adjust > Channel Mixer in Photoshop. (I'm still using the old PS 6 btw.)

Check the monochrome button in the mixer window, then use the RGB sliders to get the filter effect that you want. Just don't go over 100% for all the channels added together if you want to keep the same brightness/contrast as the original.

This is roughly the equivalent of using different color filters when shooting B/W film. Such as a red filter to darken blue skies, or a green filter for landscapes to create contrast between different shades of green.

You can use the dodge and burn brushes once you get the tonal quality that you're looking for to punch things out or darken them.

There's other ways to do it, but this is quick and easy.

This is what I do when I need to convert to B&W

[Tim Kreitz]

How does one do that? I have PS Elements but I cannot figure out how to do that effect. :help:


I did this one using layers, masking, desat, and histograms in PS CS2:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/TimKreitz/roadtrips/bikesartsyfartsytimkreitz.jpg

[Azylum]

i guess what i was really getting at was am i "cheating" by using photoshop? or is this a common practice by photographers?

[Tim Kreitz]

i guess what i was really getting at was am i "cheating" by using photoshop? or is this a common practice by photographers?

More common than not these days. Don't worry about it. Do your thing. When it comes to art, all than matters is that the final product is good. :thumb:

[Photojojo]

No your not cheating.

[gotdurt]

i guess what i was really getting at was am i "cheating" by using photoshop? or is this a common practice by photographers?

I wouldn't call it cheating, but there are trade-offs; using the channel mixer in PS will introduce noise... or rather 'uncover' it. CS3 seems to be a little better about that than 7 (and earlier versions) as it actually has a B&W conversion tool that is channel based, but the results don't seem quite as noisy; guess they introduced a modified algorithm or something.

You'll get cleaner results by using a colored filter, in B&W mode, or even when shooting in color if you don't have B&W mode, then desaturate or convert to grayscale afterward. If you do the latter, you might have to play with your white balance settings to get the tones right (I do a custom WB when I put the filter on)... don't worry if it comes out the color of the filter because when you convert it, it won't matter. The problem with this method is that the image will be good for nothing other than B&W.

Another option that I stumbled upon is Picassa, which is free, but a bit cumbersome to use... anyway, it has colored filter simulation conversions, and they appear pretty clean, I was impressed.

[slowride]

Ohhh Ohhh +1 on the Dodge and Burn method either. It works wonders for contrasting a B/W image.

[liltxfreebird]

Me

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m277/liltxfreebird/100_1417.jpg


The mad grab!!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m277/liltxfreebird/timsb-day11157.jpg


The whole wedding party,,lol we eloped!!
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m277/liltxfreebird/timsb-day11089.jpg