Black and White

[mk50]

I have seen some great work lately that is inspiring me to return to B/W, this time with a digital camera. I would like to know if the best B/W is done from raw or from a B/W original. Are filters used in the shooting stage? Special techniques?
I am after great highlight and shadow tones and great contrast at the same time. I will be pleased to hear from you on line or at m.kwart@tehilot.com. I am presently using a Canon 350D and a Sigma 18-50 f2.8 and will likely upgrade soon to a 40D and a Canon 17-55 f2.8. I also have a Sigma 100 f2.8 which I will probably keep. Thanks.

[prinothcat]

I understand that some of the best B/W are done in post using separate color channels. From what I've read, one shoots full color range (RAW or jpg, I don't remember) then separates the green channel out, I believe because it has the best range of contrast values, and convert it to grayscale. Then do your post work from there. I also suspect that you can work the color levels of a full range image then convert to grayscale. I have yet to do much with it because I still like to shoot B/W on film, because of the textures that film offers. I would also rather shoot and display than spend time photoshopping. I don't like the results I get shooting B/W native in digital... but then I haven't played with it much at all.

[mikaellarsen]

There are so many tutorials on the web. Here is a good tutorial: http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/learning-B&W-fine-art.htm
Normally you convert in PS, where you have more control of the outcome. I find high quality conversion difficult. Not all images are suited for these high contrast b/w images. Noise can really become a problem when using Channel mixer and especially the new black/white-conversion. Color noise not seen in the color version many times become a problem in the b/w version.

[mnoble]

First, shoot in color. I shoot RAW and do the processing myself. In thinking of how the image may look in B&W you may want to use a Polarizing filter or a Gradient ND filter to get a dramatic effect.

As far as the conversion to B&W, there are so many ways to do this in Photoshop. As has been mentioned there are also a lot of free tutorials on line that will help you get started. I can recommend books by Scott Kelby as well. And, of course, you can just keep on experimenting. Just don't go the default B&W conversion route in Photoshop. Use the tools and refine the image to get the best results. Each image is different and can look different in B&W depending upon how you do your conversion. It's lots of fun, though.

Good luck.

[agroni]

for black and white i use this software most of the time

http://www.optikvervelabs.com/

You can use diferent effects, filters, color correction etc. to improve you photo

[ken_bat]

This is somewhat of a generalization, because there are so many variables involved, but I feel comfortable in stating the following:
A very high level of digital B&W quality can be achieved from shooting the original in RAW, then processing for good overall color, and finally converting to B&W. This sequence provides a great amount of control potential in determining grayscale tonal rendering.

In my experience, the most versatile and effective B&W conversion currently comes from using a color channel mixer such as is found in Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom's (LR) grayscale mixer in the LR Develop module.

Afterwards, the B&W conversion, as nice as it may initially look, can usually be further adjusted to taste in Photoshop or other appropriate imaging software.

For best continuity and quality in this progression of steps, it is advisable to work in the highest bit-rate possible (usually 16-bit), and save each step along the way as a TIFF (or PSD) file instead of a JPEG. Saving as a JPEG, if necessary, should be the last step in the sequence.

The RAW capture > color-processing > Lightroom (grayscale mixer) B&W conversion > Photoshop-fine-tuning workflow is allowing me the control to produce some of the most—if not the most satisfying black and white I have ever done. This isn't a casual statement, as I've been very involved in shooting, processing and printing my own B&W for many years and I am, as always, concerned with tonal quality.

Ken

[photomary]

I use Addicted to Design's (A2D) Black and White action plugin on my CS2. Of course, there are many looks you can get with this product, but once you choose a certain look for a series or project, it's easy to remember what you did to get that look so you can repeat yourself.

To see my latest portraits using this plugin, go to my recent gallery; http://www.pbase.com/photomary/gallery/recent.

I also shoot RAW and in color. .......Mary

[john_lamb]

Try Nik Silver Efex plug-in for Photoshop. It's new and free to download and use for 15 days. I have just created a new gallery of images converted to monochrome using Silver Efex. http://www.pbase.com/john_lamb/this_and_that

John

[ken_bat]

The RAW capture > color-processing > Lightroom (grayscale mixer) B&W conversion > Photoshop-fine-tuning workflow is allowing me the control to produce some of the most—if not the most satisfying black and white I have ever done.

For anyone interested in seeing samples of some black and white produced in this way, I have posted a few pictures at:
http://www.pbase.com/ken_bat/gallery/digbw1

Ken

[khun_k]

As far as I know, at least at the moment, most sensors are designed with a Bayer pattern layout, so the sensor was designed to shoot color, not black and white. Although each pixel is only reading grey scale, and later put together to assemble the RGB color we see. The in-camera process is more or less converting the digital raw - which by then converted to color already, and to make them into black and white. So typical user has less understanding using software to convert their color raw file to black and white can rely on camera to do it, and it is the quickest and most convenient, if one needs to deliver black and white file on the go. But an experienced user, he can use the much more powerful CUP and software in computer to convert the color raw file into the particular black and white image he needs, and doing so in batch processing and some already have their own recorded action which is only a click away to a perfectly developed black and white of the artist's own color/rendering signature. And as far as I know, most of the fine art black and white prints today were produce by processing color raw, rather than rely on their camera to do the job for them. But, with all fairness, the in-camera process does quite an OK job, and with an experience photographer, he still can make a in-camera processed b&W to be very good, but I am pretty sure it will not be as good as the file converted from color RAW at his desktop.
There are rumors about true digital black and white digital cameras or digital backs - to shoot ONLY black and white, that can truly use each pixel to produce best detail and fully extended the dynamic range of sensor, may still be possible one day.