Jeroen Wenting
(K=25317) - Comment Date 1/15/2006
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That's the eternal problem with digital, it just can't match good film (especially B&W, but colour as well).
I'm afraid your only option (for as long as it lasts) is to shoot film, but you'll have to rush to get a camera.
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Helen Bach
(K=2331) - Comment Date 1/15/2006
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Stacy,
Desaturating isn't the way. Use the channel mixer. Look at each channel and see how the contrast changes. You can put different channels/blends onto different layers, then mask, so that different parts of the image are made from different channel mixes. I'm afraid that you can't do that with B&W film.
Best, Helen
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stacy mcneill
(K=64) - Comment Date 1/15/2006
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Thanks for your help Jeroen and Helen...I will try the channel mixer and see what happens.
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Phillip Cohen
(K=10561) - Comment Date 1/15/2006
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Stacy, Here is a good article to read on converting from color to monchrome, shows samples along the way and what to do in photoshop for quality conversion. It is pretty simple.
http://www.sbccphoto.org/show_tip.asp?ID=15
Phil
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Helen Bach
(K=2331) - Comment Date 1/16/2006
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Add in the use of layers, each with a different channel mix, in to that article and you have a very flexible way of making B&W images from colour.
Best, Helen
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Dan Caskie
(K=39) - Comment Date 1/17/2006
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Hi Stacy,
Take a look at Greg Gorman's website... he shoots celebs etc all in B&W with Canon Digitals.
He also has a PDF on B&W conversion using Photoshop under the learn tab on his site.
http://www.gormanphotography.com/gorman.html
You can also find some great sets of actions to load into PS that will automate some steps for you at the following site:
http://www.atncentral.com/
Look for the Gorman BW Action in the downloads section.
Hope this helps you out!
Dan
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stacy mcneill
(K=64) - Comment Date 1/18/2006
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Thank you very much to all the contributors...
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Tegwin Deacon
(K=224) - Comment Date 1/21/2006
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i know a good way... has served me rather well. step 1) create a new layer on top of you image. step 2) Fill this layer with black, using the bucket tool. step 3) on the layer settings of this black layer change it to a color layer step 4) create a brightness/contrast adjustment layer over the "black" layer... tweek to personal liking. step 5) make a selective color adjustment layer or color balance adjustment layer for the color tweeks... and there you have it.... decent black and white from manipulating your layers, and not your image... you get to maintain your image quality, and all steps are 100% reversable or adjustable for future tweeks ;0)
ciao Tegwin
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dal mandle
(K=1484) - Comment Date 1/25/2006
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In the 'actions' panel in Photoshop scroll down to 'sepia' and select (blue) and then press the play button at the bottom of the panel... you get a sepia layer and a B&W layer which you can turn on or off... that's the easy way... but not always the best way depending on what you want from the image
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zeyad almajed
(K=175) - Comment Date 2/6/2006
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Check this site. I use the epaperpress methods, although most of the time Channel mixer does it. http://epaperpress.com/psphoto/index.html Beautiful pictures... I think the extra depth and punch you are looking for is to be found in photoshop and not in color/BW conversion. I dont think you need film, your D70 is great. Correct me if i am wrong but the image you posted is looking for some expansion, or increase in contrast while holding the shadows. I stretched it a little bit in CS2. Is this what you are looking for in the picture you posted?
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stacy's image modified
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zeyad almajed
(K=175) - Comment Date 2/6/2006
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Sorry Stacy. I posted a warmtone version of your image. Here is the slight modifications without the tone.
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cold tone
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painsama
(K=4902) - Comment Date 2/8/2006
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Maybe after hue/sat, some adjustment using Curves would do the job. Good tool to selectively make some changes to specific parts of the picture, better than Levels.
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Dave Baxter
(K=10) - Comment Date 2/11/2006
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Try the b&w conversion routine from http://www.mountphoto.co.uk/actions.htm As well as the various color filter conversions there is a selection of traditional film emulation routines (Tri-X) etc. Well worth a look
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Hermen Pen
(K=9168) - Comment Date 4/22/2006
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Try the Virtual Photographer plugin. You can download it for free at:
http://www.optikvervelabs.com/
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josh evilsizor
(K=1417) - Comment Date 5/10/2006
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I ran across an article once that showed what settings to use in the channel mixer to mimic popular B&W films. I had tried it out and it produced pretty good results. Let me take a look for it. If I find it, I'll post it here.
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josh evilsizor
(K=1417) - Comment Date 5/10/2006
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found it a lot quicker than I had expected.
Just go to image>adjustments>channel mixer Then click the monochrome box on the bottom, then enter the number for the red, green, and blue values.
You can save them all as presets if you want as well.
Agfa 200X: 18,41,41 Agfapan 25: 25,39,36 Agfapan 100: 21,40,39 Agfapan 400: 20,41,39
Ilford Delta 100: 21,42,37 Ilford Delta 400: 22,42,36 Ilford Delta 400 Pro: 31,36,33 & 3200
Ilford FP4: 28,41,31 Ilford HP5: 23,37,40 Ilford Pan F: 33,36,31 Ilford SFX: 36,31,33 Ilford XP2 Super: 21,42,37
Kodak Tmax 100: 24,37,39 Kodak Tmax 400: 27,36,37 Kodak Tri-X: 25,35,40
And these basic ones:
Normal Contrast: 43,33,30 High Contrast: 40,34,60
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Fadel J
(K=13974) - Comment Date 5/11/2006
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it's amazing how many methods to convert to BW, I think Helen's layering suggestion is the best way, you can even combine more than one of the methods mentioned above on different layers.
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Bruce Elliott
(K=2434) - Comment Date 8/31/2006
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In Photoshop Lab is a good place to go B&W Image>Mode>Lab channels pallet activate 'a'... your image will go foggy. Click the trashcan in the bottom corner of the pallet to delete it. click 'yes'. Activate 'Alpha 2'. trashcan it. click 'yes' Image>Mode>RGB to finish.
Hope that's of some help.
Regards,
Bruce
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Bruce Elliott
(K=2434) - Comment Date 8/31/2006
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Sorry, after 'trashcan it. click 'yes'' it should be Image>Mode>grayscale then Image>Mode>RGB to finish.
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Frank Millard
(K=-105) - Comment Date 11/30/2006
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The best and most difficult way to convert color to BW is the split channel technique. In the PS channels palette click the small right pointing arrow on the top and select split channels. You will get 3 one for each as r,g,b copies of your photo. Now, 1. Go to the blue copy and SELECT->all 2. Use the move tool w/shift key held down and drag the blue copy onto the red copy to get a new blue layer on top the red layer. 3. Do the same with the green copy; so that you now have three layers from top to bottom g,b,r. 4. Now you can use any adjustment tools and layer blending option you like on each split channel layer to improve tonal depth and range.
You can also go to www.thelightsright.com digital darkroom and get their PS split channel action, which is very powerful and includes channel splitting for RGB, LAB, CYMK, desaturate, and grayscale conversions; and you can mix them to get the effect you want.
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Frank Millard
(K=-105) - Comment Date 11/30/2006
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Stacy, Here is my attempt at split channel bw conversion of your photo. This method has a learning curve but is by far the most powerful and creative way to convert color to bw in PS.
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Split Channel conversion w/selenium toning
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Richard Dakin
(K=12915) - Comment Date 4/30/2007
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Stacy, if you are still struggling with B+W conversions I'd suggest you try a programme from a company called "Alien Skin". The program is called "Exposure" and it gives great results, without the complexity. You pay for the simplicity however, as it is quite expensive. You can download a 1 month trial from their website.
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donal husni
(K=45) - Comment Date 9/23/2008
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well, hehehe... you try film man....
but any way there is technique that you can apply so that you can pump up the bw more. It's at the shooting process, you may well know the "Expose for the shadow, develope the highlight"?...it's mean if am not wrong, under exposure, then at developing, you increase the time of processing, so will get the black and white really black and white. that happen also in digital, you do under exposure, and then at the photoshop u only do the desaturation and leveling process, you will get the total black and white. IMHO.
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Jenry Villamar
(K=111) - Comment Date 4/26/2009
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Try using Adobe Lightroom and click the Grayscale!! it helps a lot! =)
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