Black & White Medium using PSE

[road runner]

I used Photoshop PSE 3 to convert color to Black & White. Levels and contrast tools are critical to the overall result, but applying filter affects with a third party plug-in for red, blue or green is also important.

Here is a link to my B&W attemps using Elements and "B&W Plus" plug-in. The one of the bed in the barn and the horses grazing were part of my Black & White exhibit at the Plantation years back. Those two were shot with a Hasselblad on 2 1/4 Square format and digitized using by rephotographing 11X14 original prints. Some work was required using PS Elements.

http://www.pbase.com/road_runner/black_and_white

road runner

[NMarti]

Road runner
Those are quite spectacular! The photography is wonderful and the conversion is very rich! So - where did you get the plugin?

[road runner]

Nancy,

Thanks for the compliments; here is the link for the FREE plug-in. Everyone who got it loved it. It is very user friendly. Their Retrograde link at the bottom of the page adds something that isn't in the freeware. It enables you to convert to B&W and give it the Infrared look! Thad extra will cost $8.00, but some people think it is well woth the price.

http://www.cybia.co.uk/bwplus.htm

BTW - Just finished checking out your gallery - Very Nice!! I especially took notice to the nice job you did with the Bride and Groom. Excellent presentation.

Good luck!
roadrunner

[NMarti]

Thank you very much Roadrunner. The bride is my daughter.

Thanks for the link - I'm going to check it out.

[tbrannon]

Oh I am a huge fan of BW Photography.
And wow all your images are great.
Definately off to check this out.

Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vawitt]

These are wonderful! Black and white can be so rich...and it's such a contrast to have that single color shot in your gallery.

Nice work!

~Val in IL

[mel]

Roadrunner these really are great. I just love black and white photo's. Thanks for sharing the link :)

[Wendy]

Hi ...

Grant did a great tutorial a while back ... it show lots of different ways of converting colour images to B&W and compares the results. Here is a link to it:

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/B&W/Index.html

Wendy

[NMarti]

Hey thanks Wendy - I do recall that and do so little B/W that I had forgotten about it. It really is a good one!

[Carbone]

With all the available techniques I have seen (and tried) so far, the Hue&Sat Adj. layer is my favourite. You have control, instant preview, the ability to go back.

I vote for the H&S :)

Ray

[Wendy]

Channel Mixer for me :)

Wendy

[road runner]

You guys and gals are on top of things - that's for sure. I thank you for the feedback

The application of B&W Plus freeware is just on way to achieve a result. Just like using the enlarger in the past. It was argued that the cold light head was better than the dichroic light head etc. Well the hue & sat method is certainly a great tool. I use it myself if I want to convert to a sepia tone or simulate a silenium toned print. On occasion I prefer to convert to something with a little more sass and punch. Much like choosing a paper for printing in the darkroom. There are high contrast papers, and there are low contrast. Most often I used something in the middle.

The B&W Plus is just intended as another tool to work as a plug-in. Same as using B+W Filter software for simulating a polarized affect.

PS - If you cannot afford PS for over $600 to get Channel Mixer; B&W Plus can come real close for free. For $8.00 you can even do infrared.

Sooner or later one becomes your favorite, but the others serve us well on occasion.

Thanks for the heads up Wendy - I'll check out that tutorial. I need all the help I can get!!

roadrunner

[Ward Grant]

Just a comment that I really enjoyed the gallery of black/white images. Loved the lion (or is that lioness)?

[Carbone]

PS - If you cannot afford PS for over $600 to get Channel Mixer; B&W Plus can come real close for free. For $8.00 you can even do infrared.

Or get the real thing (Channel Mixer) by adding Grant's tools or PET add-ons to your existing PSE3 software. It's free, too!

Ray

[Wendy]

Ray ...

You beat me to it :D :D

Wendy

[road runner]

Thanks for the heads up, but is that software plug-in available on this site?

roadrunner

[Wendy]

Hi Roadrunner ...

Grant is one of the forum members and he runs the weekly Challenge ... here is the link to his site:

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/index.html

The tools are great ... and free :)

Wendy

[road runner]

Thanks Wendy! You are worth your weight in gold!

roadrunner