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11/18/2004 09:12:09 AM · #1 |
| In preparing for the B/W challenge, one book I read said it is better to shoot in color, then convert to b/w. Another said to shoot in b/w mode with the camera. So how did everyone do it? Most of mine attempts were done in b/w, but my submission was done in color and converted. |
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11/18/2004 09:21:34 AM · #2 |
Shoot in color and covert to black and white. This leaves many more options for the conversion process.
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11/18/2004 09:21:45 AM · #3 |
Many dSLR can only shoot in color.. so I shot in color. If my camera had B/W mode then I would either way shoot it in color
Message edited by author 2004-11-18 09:21:58. |
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11/18/2004 09:22:47 AM · #4 |
I think you found some goofy books.
Digital cameras always shoot in color, and the b/w effect is simply applied in software (firmware) within the camera, or within an editor. By using an editor you can choose your methodology to reflect your intent. For example: channel mixer, desaturate, greyscale. And after all is said and done, assuming a proper workflow, you'll still have the color original should you change your mind 6 months later.
In-camera processing leaves you with whatever the vendor chose, and in doing so, eliminates the option for you to preserve a color original. Kind of limited.
With very few exceptions, if you are interested in image quality you should do as much as possible OUTSIDE the camera (in an editor). If you're just interested in snapshots then it's less critical.
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11/18/2004 09:25:23 AM · #5 |
I think one of the most interesting options is only available in cameras withs electronic view finders. With the Leica/Panasonsic D2/LC1 you can shoot in B/W mode and capture the image in RAW, which has all of the color information. This allows you to see the image in B/W as you are composing but leaves all of the color information so you have more B/W conversion options in post processing.
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11/18/2004 09:27:49 AM · #6 |
Shoot in black and white and convert to color! :-)
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11/18/2004 09:29:30 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by terje:
Shoot in black and white and convert to color! :-) |
LOL! Definitely!! It's the best way to go.
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11/18/2004 09:29:51 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
I think one of the most interesting options is only available in cameras withs electronic view finders. With the Leica/Panasonsic D2/LC1 you can shoot in B/W mode and capture the image in RAW, which has all of the color information. This allows you to see the image in B/W as you are composing but leaves all of the color information so you have more B/W conversion options in post processing. |
Now that *is* a cool option. But I'd probably still shoot in color and mess with it in the editor. This feature would still not allow the flexibility of choosing your method, and I find that with b/w the methodology really has a significant impact on the finished product. Not so much in terms of technical image quality, but in terms of fine tuning the finished product to match my mind's eye.
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11/18/2004 09:36:22 AM · #9 |
One good way of doing b/w in PS is something like that:
1. Add a new Hue/saturation layer and desatureate it (scroll the sat bar to the left)
2. Add another hue/saturation layer and play around with the hue setting, choosing how the b/w turnes out.
3. After getting the optimal look, flatten image or save as jpg.
Found this way of doing it at Digidaans site, really easy to use and gives you great control. It's just like trying thousunds of colored filters at once.
Here you can read more about it and even download a PS action to to the legwork for you:
Digidaans site
P.S. There are digital cameras that just shoot in monocrome, like the Kodak 760m that aren't able to shoot colors, but capture more shades of gray than color cams can. I think these cameras are more or less discontinued as users for them are not that many... |
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11/18/2004 11:03:18 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by cghubbell:
Originally posted by Nusbaum:
I think one of the most interesting options is only available in cameras withs electronic view finders. With the Leica/Panasonsic D2/LC1 you can shoot in B/W mode and capture the image in RAW, which has all of the color information. This allows you to see the image in B/W as you are composing but leaves all of the color information so you have more B/W conversion options in post processing. |
Now that *is* a cool option. But I'd probably still shoot in color and mess with it in the editor. This feature would still not allow the flexibility of choosing your method, and I find that with b/w the methodology really has a significant impact on the finished product. Not so much in terms of technical image quality, but in terms of fine tuning the finished product to match my mind's eye. |
I probably didn't explain very well. The image in the viewfinder is B/W but the image captured is full color RAW. So you have B/W benefits for composition AND you do the color to B/W conversion in post processing.
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11/18/2004 11:27:49 AM · #11 |
I had no choice but to shoot in color and then convert.
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11/18/2004 11:59:20 AM · #12 |
| I shot in color and converted to B&W. For the last couple of years I was using the Canon D60 which did not have a black and white option. When I upgraded to the 20D, I really was surprised that Canon built in the option to shoot in B&W. I am not sure why someone using the relatively sophisticated camera (20D) would ever shoot in black and white mode unless maybe they don't have any software for conversion -- but these days that is hard to imagine. I doubt that I will ever use the B&W mode on the 20D and really am a little puzzled why it is even available on that camera. |
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11/18/2004 12:02:05 PM · #13 |
This was something I wondered about - whether to shoot in b&w or color and convert later. Seems the concensus is to do the conversion outside the camera. It makes sense to have the option of having the color shot, too.
That is what I did this challenge - shot in color, converted to b&w.
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11/18/2004 12:04:48 PM · #14 |
The grand majority of the time, I soot in color, then look for a pic to convert to B&W. But a couple of times, I have switched the camera over to B&W for an excursion. I found I was thinking B&W better then, and I liked the B&W's I could produce better.
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11/18/2004 01:16:18 PM · #15 |
| I always shoot in color and then change over to B&W. This leaves open so many options when you use the software to work, as some one already mentioned. |
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11/18/2004 04:03:20 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by digitaldave:
I am not sure why someone using the relatively sophisticated camera (20D) would ever shoot in black and white mode unless maybe they don't have any software for conversion -- but these days that is hard to imagine. |
I used to print a high school student directory which included their photo along with the contact information. Since it was being printed using Docutec (Xerox) technology, and the photos were mug shots less than two inches across, it would make sense to shoot those in grayscale and in a small resolution to avoid having to make additional editing steps o a huge number of images. Everyone has editing software, but not everyone can/wants to batch-process a few hundred images. It also saves a lot of storage space for the initial files.
If you are shooting something you intend to print B+W anyway, and you need to shoot fast or in burst mode, it may save time when the camera writes the files to memory.
Personally, I've always shot in color and converted later : ) |
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11/18/2004 05:16:15 PM · #17 |
With the 20D, if I am intentionally trying to get a B&W shot, I have found it is very effective to do the following:
1) Set the camera to B&W mode. This produces B&W jpg's, which is what you see in the LCD. That helps you to visualise what the end result is going to look like, and make lighting adjustments accordingly. It then also makes browsing for the right B&W shot to actually work on very easy indeed.
2) Process the RAW file, which is colour, and do the full blown B&W conversion (I just discovered a really great way of doing that, but very complicated and thus time consuming, and not legal for basic editing challenges).
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