Get the color out... - DPChallenge Forums

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

12/24/2002 04:15:19 PM · #1

I've read various ways to take a color picture and make it a Black and White... If I remember correctly, Gordon has a site where he describes a couple of them. Would everyone care to share their favorite method? And if Gordon reads this, would you please repost your URL? I'm particularly interested in taking out the color without being left with muddy grays :)

Thanks in advance!

HBunch

HP PhotoSmart 315

12/24/2002 05:14:26 PM · #2

My only way is to desaturate then adjust brightness/contrast till it looks good. I use a program called "Photoimpressions". It doesn't have an option to switch to b/w and nothing for sepia either. :(

bamaster

Canon EOS-D30

12/24/2002 05:18:04 PM · #3

maybe here?

//www.jasc.com/tutorials/nieuwenstein/color2bw1.asp

or here?

//www.webteknique.com/tutorials/better_black_white/part_one/page1.asp

Message edited by author 2002-12-24 17:26:46.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

12/24/2002 06:46:16 PM · #4

In Photoshop the easy way is to just change the Mode to Grayscale.
The tricky and more-controlled way is to create an Adjustment Layer and enter Channel Mixer in the popup menu. When you have the Channel Mixer controls visible check the box at the bottom labelled Monochrome. Adjust the three color sliders to best effect.
After everything else is done, I wuld save a copy in grayscale format, as the final JPEG should then be smaller (can save with higher-quality settings).

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

12/24/2002 10:09:33 PM · #5

4 different ways to go from colour to B&W here

Azrifel

Nikon Coolpix P340

12/27/2002 03:19:27 PM · #6

Originally posted by Gordon:

4 different ways to go from colour to B&W here

That was very helpful and I am very satisfied with the end result.

Thanks!

Message edited by author 2002-12-27 15:19:34.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

12/27/2002 03:44:30 PM · #7

This almost convinces me to get PhotoShop... I'm still using Elements and the Gimp. But I've been able to take these ideas and use them. Thanks all! (especially Gordon... Great page!)

GinaRothfels

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital ED Fisheye PRO Lens

12/27/2002 04:48:54 PM · #8

I don't think there's a channel mixer in Corel Photopaint, but I've tried splitting photos into channels (both LAB and RGB) and throwing some channels away, though not for challenges here. Is this legal within the rules of this site?

Davenit

Canon EOS-1D

12/27/2002 05:33:07 PM · #9

I have a whole B+W process I use. Start with a tiff RGB image. In PS I create 3 additional Layer Adjustment Layers...
Layer 1: Image
Layer 2: Hue/Sat Layer Adj. (adjusting the RGB image)
Layer 3: Bright/Cont Layer Adj. (adjusting the RGB image)
Layer 4: Channel mixer set to Monotone with a Green filter setting (R=15 G=55 B=30) Changing the image to monotone.

The nice thing about this is that you can still adjust colors since the image is still a color image.

Say I have an image of a clown. If I convert it to B+W and then try to make his nose brighter I have to mask his nose and do it. With my process I just go into the Hue/Sat layer, call up the dialog box, select "reds" and adjust the lightness or sat to increase saturation or change the hue in the nose. Since I am lightening or brightening the red in the color image, when it converts to B+W (Done in the top Channel Mixer layer) the result is a less dense (lighter) nose without having to mask and staying waaaaay within the guidelines of DPChallenge since it is still an "overall" move. No masking involved.

I have a whole PS action set up for this. IMO it is the only way to get absolutely true control over every color in a color image when converting to B+W.

Really fun stuff...

Dave

Edited for the my normal spelling mistakes... LOL!!!

Message edited by author 2002-12-27 17:37:30.

timj351

Sony DSC-F707

12/27/2002 06:56:26 PM · #10

I first go to the Channels menue and look at each of the red, blue and green channels separately to see which channel looks the best and then I switch back to color. I then go into the Channel Mixer and first set the sliders to display that channel that I liked the best to serve as a starting point and then adjust the sliders from there to get the perfect mix. This could all be done in the Channel Mixer but I just find it easier to use the Channels menue first because it is very quick to compare one channel to another for a direct comparison.

T

Konador

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/27/2002 07:56:25 PM · #11

I desaturate all the way to black and white. Then I follow muckpond's "Bound" tutorial and play with the levels a bit to get the desired contrast. It seems to work out alright :)

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

12/27/2002 10:21:56 PM · #12

Anyone who is using the Gimp:

To emulate (kind of) the channel mixer in Photoshop, this is what I do. First of all, go to Image -> Mode -> Decompose, and choose RGB. That gets you 3 B&W images from each of the RGB channels in the colour photo. Then, open the Layers, Channels and Paths diaologue (it's usually open anyway). For one of these photos create 2 new layers. Select the one that you most like as a B&W image, because that one will be set at 100%. Copy and paste the other two into the new layers. Then use the opacity sliders to reduce the opacity of those two layers to get the result you like.

Gracious

12/27/2002 10:45:08 PM · #13

Thanks Bamaster...That is a good tutorial!

or here?

//www.webteknique.com/tutorials/better_black_white/part_one/page1.asp[/quote]

bdshort

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 ASPH

12/28/2002 03:51:42 AM · #14

Excellent! I've been playing with my photo this week, trying to decide if I should go ahead and stick with the color version I already submitted, or go black and white. It looks good both ways, but it would be nice to play with the black and white image more than I'm able to by simply converting to greyscale.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

12/28/2002 06:16:16 PM · #15

Originally posted by lisae:

A thousand thanks! When I first read your post I said "Ummm, looks hard... I'll try it later..." Your description is wonderful! It works like a charm...

But it isn't DPC legal, is it? Even if it isn't, I just learned a lot about Gimp :)

Thanks again :)

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

12/29/2002 02:23:48 AM · #16

Originally posted by myqyl:

But it isn't DPC legal, is it? Even if it isn't, I just learned a lot about Gimp :)

Thanks again :)

I've mentioned this method a few times in the forums, and no one has ever told me it's illegal. It is my understanding that adjustment layers are legal in Photoshop, so I would imagine that layers in the Gimp are also legal, as long as you only use them in normal mode (not addition, subtraction, dodge, burn, overlay, screen, etc.).

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

12/29/2002 02:46:31 AM · #17

lisae -- I think the issue is setting the opacity for any layer below 100% -- I think that might not constitute blending in "Normal" mode.
I think you CAN adjust the layers separately, but it will probably produce a subtly different effect than reducing the opacity.

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

12/29/2002 06:26:08 AM · #18

Originally posted by GeneralE:

I thought adjusting the opacity of the layers in this method would be exactly the same thing as adusting the percentages (or whatever) of the red, green and blue channels in Photoshop's channel mixer. Is this wrong? If I can't use layers this way in the Gimp, it's tantamount to saying the channel mixer is illegal!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

12/29/2002 03:03:51 PM · #19

It may be the equivalent, as you say. I haven't used The Gimp, so I'm not familiar with it except through these forums -- guess I'll have to download it and try it out.
I have no problem with your using this technique myself, I just don't want you to run afoul of the the rules unexpectedly!

muckpond

Nikon D200

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

12/29/2002 04:52:45 PM · #20

Originally posted by Konador:

I desaturate all the way to black and white. Then I follow muckpond's "Bound" tutorial and play with the levels a bit to get the desired contrast. It seems to work out alright :)

Wow. I taught something. Who knew?